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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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.

Jamaica Records Over 5% Increase in Visitor Arrivals and Earnings

LONDON, United Kingdom; November 07, 2016: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, today (November 07, 2016) disclosed that Jamaica’s tourism sector has registered an increase of over 5 per cent in both visitor arrivals and gross foreign exchange earnings for the first nine months of 2016.

TEF and EXIM Bank Sign MOU to Establish $1 Billion Loan Fund for SMTEs

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Wednesday, September 22, 2016: The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has committed $1 billion to provide well needed loans to small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) to boost the sustainable growth of the industry. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the EXIM Bank to administer the revolving loan scheme and make disbursements to successful applicants was signed on September 21, 2016 with the TEF at the Hilton Beach Resort & Spa.

Minister Bartlett Supports International Coastal Cleanup Day 2016

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 19, 2016: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett joined thousands of volunteers, who participated in this year’s staging of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, at 140 sites across the island on Saturday September 17, 2016.

Minister Bartlett Receives World Travel Award for Outstanding Services to Tourism

OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA; SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016: Jamaica last night captured the lion’s share of accolades in the 23rd Annual World Travel Awards (WTA) for the Caribbean and North America and stamped its mark as the leading destination in the region. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett complemented the several awards received by Jamaica by himself being bestowed the unique award of the “Caribbean’s Leading Personality for Outstanding Services to Tourism.”

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