News Releases

PS in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith (2nd right) engages in a lively discussion with Bishop Everton Lawrence of Faith Temple Assemblies of God (left), Junior Minister of Tourism and Montego Bay High School student, ThaeJadore Kerr (2nd left) and member of the Board of Directors for Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Tricia-Ann Bicarie, following yesterday’s (September 27) Thanksgiving Church Service to mark World Tourism Day and kickstart Tourism Awareness Week 2026, which runs from Sept 27 – Oct 3.

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AI and Other Digital Technology Being Used to Transform Tourism Sector - Bartlett

Thanksgiving Church Service Kickstarts Tourism Awareness Week 2026 MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, September 28, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has stressed that artificial intelligence and other digital technology are being used to strategically transform Jamaica’s tourism sector. This as the Ministry of Tourism, its public bodies and industry stakeholders, joined global partners in marking the annual UN-Tourism backed World Tourism Day (WTD), with a thanksgiving church service yesterday (September 27). The service also officially kick-started Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2026, being observed from September 27 to October 3, under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” in keeping with the theme selected by UN Tourism for WTD. In a message read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, Minister Bartlett said the ministry was “actively leveraging AI and digital technology to modernise the sector through key initiatives such as real-time concierges, deploying multilingual digital concierges, and structured content to optimise visitor bookings, as well as predictive analytics.”

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Appleton Investment Timely as Tourism Remains on Growth Path

APPLETON, St. Elizabeth; Jamaica, November 20, 2016: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has welcomed as timely, a US$7.2 million investment that will make the long established Appleton Estate Rum Tour the gateway for tourism on the Jamaica’s South Coast. Minister Bartlett headed a list of dignitaries who broke ground recently for the Appleton Estate Visitor Centre which on completion, will be a showpiece surrounded by vast fields of sugar cane and home of Appleton, one of the world’s top rum brands.

Cruise Ship Crew Members to be Engaged in Promoting Jamaica – Minister Bartlett

FALMOUTH, Trelawny; November 23, 2016: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has embraced a suggestion from Captain Johnny Faevelen, Master of the world’s largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, to strategically engage crew members on cruise ships to aid in promoting the destination to attract more passengers to the island.

Appleton Investment Timely as Tourism Remains on Growth Path

APPLETON, St. Elizabeth; Jamaica, November 20, 2016: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has welcomed as timely, a US$7.2 million investment that will make the long established Appleton Estate Rum Tour the gateway for tourism on the Jamaica’s South Coast. Minister Bartlett headed a list of dignitaries who broke ground recently for the Appleton Estate Visitor Centre which on completion, will be a showpiece surrounded by vast fields of sugar cane and home of Appleton, one of the world’s top rum brands.

Tourism Minister to Sign Major Agreement with Airbnb

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 14, 2016: Honouring his commitment to develop new tourism-partnerships, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett today (November 14, 2016) announced that the Ministry of Tourism is set to sign a major agreement with Airbnb to augment and drive growth within the tourism industry.

Linkages Network to Plug Multi-Billion $ Leakage in Manufacturing, Agriculture Sectors

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Friday, November 11, 2016: The Ministry of Tourism’s Linkages Network has stepped up an initiative to plug the leakage of billions of dollars in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors resulting from imports by local tourism entities. A Tourism Demand Study, commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015, determined that “the annual leakage due to imports amounts to $65.5 billion in the manufacturing sector and between $1.6 billion and $5 billion in the agricultural sector.”

Tourism Outlook Seminar Rescheduled to the New Year

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 09, 2016: In light of the impending local government elections on November 28, 2016, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that the much-anticipated Tourism Outlook Seminar (TOS), slated for December 6-8 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, has been postponed.

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