Government of Jamaica

News Releases

News Releases

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (2nd right) is joined by Director of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), Carol Rose-Brown (right) in greeting a portion of the first cohort of executive sous chefs trained and graduated by any Caribbean country outside the chamber of Gordon House ahead of his 2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Featured News Releases

Tourism 3.0 to Drive Jamaica’s Next Economic Leap – Bartlett

Bartlett Declares New Era Built on Trust, Inclusion and Local Prosperity KINGSTON, Jamaica; Thursday, June 25, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has unveiled a new growth agenda dubbed: Tourism 3.0, describing it as Jamaica’s new development architecture designed to transform tourism from a successful industry into a more inclusive and resilient national economic engine rooted in trust, confidence and shared prosperity. Making his 2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation in Gordon House earlier this week, under the theme “Trust and Confidence,” Minister Bartlett positioned Tourism 3.0 as the framework that will guide the next phase of Jamaica’s tourism evolution, one where growth is measured not only by visitor arrivals but by stronger communities, higher local retention, greater resilience and broader economic participation. “Tourism 3.0 is not a slogan. It is a new development architecture for Jamaica,” Bartlett declared.
Continue Reading

All News Releases

Tourism Sector in Transition, Due to Economic Changes - Minister McNeill

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has explained that the tourism sector is in a state of transition, in response to changes in the industry and the economic conditions in the island’s main source markets. The Minister made this pronouncement as he addressed sector interests at the Commissioning Ceremony for the new Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) sponsored Hyperbaric Chamber at the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory in St. Ann.
Continue Reading

TEF Enhances JCF Crime-Fighting Efforts with Donation of 15 Vehicles

Continue Reading

First Staging of ‘Arts in the Park’ a Major Success

The first staging of ‘ Arts in the Park,’ an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment as part of its effort to develop the entertainment sector, is being heralded as a major success. The inaugural event was held at Hope Botanical Gardens in Kingston on February 24, 2013, and provided a total cultural immersion into the visual and performing arts for both locals and visitors alike. This, with a reggae show billed in its entirety with new and emerging talent, coupled with a village for local artists to showcase their paintings, craft items and other forms of art.
Continue Reading

Tourism Linkages Hub to be Established within Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment

Kingston, Jamaica: December 12, 2012 – Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has announced that a Hub is to be formed within his Ministry to drive the process of establishing linkages between the tourism and other industries forward. Explaining further he said, “this Hub would be what would gather data and disseminate information, and would work with input and representation from the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA) and JAMPRO”.
Continue Reading

Tourism and Entertainment Ministry Observes Tourism Awareness Week, Dec. 9-15

Kingston, Jamaica: December 7, 2012 – As Jamaica gears up for the start of the upcoming winter tourist season on December 15, the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment and its agencies will be seeking to highlight the contribution of the sector and the role it plays in the economic development of the country, during Tourism Awareness Week (TAW), which will be observed from December 9 – 15.
Continue Reading

DNA Connects CNN Anchor to Cambridge, Jamaica

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, July 23, 2014: A DNA test for her job as CNN anchor has led Michaela Pereira of Canada to Cambridge in St. James, Jamaica to unearth her genealogical roots. “I was adopted as an infant in Canada and I always knew that one part of my heritage came from Jamaica,” she related. But she was unsure of how the connection came about. “I didn’t know if one of my parents was Canadian-Jamaica or Jamaican-Jamaica,” she said.
Continue Reading