News Releases

LONDON, United Kingdom; Friday, October 3, 2025: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Edmund Bartlett, is targeting an ambitious new goal of attracting 500,000 visitors from the United Kingdom (UK) by 2030, underscoring the country’s strategic commitment to strengthening its position in one of its most important source markets. Speaking at the platinum celebration awards during Jamaica Travel Market, Minister Bartlett outlined the government’s forward-looking vision to significantly boost arrivals from the UK – a market that has shown steady recovery and growth following the global pandemic. “The United Kingdom holds a deeply rooted connection with Jamaica, through our shared history, culture, and vibrant diaspora,” said Minister Bartlett. “Our goal of reaching half a million UK visitors annually by 2030 is bold but also reflects the growing appetite among British travellers for the authentic Jamaican experience.”

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Wednesday, October 1, 2025: The Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies have recorded another major milestone in the drive to foster human capital development, as the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), has facilitated the certification of two locally-trained senior chefs, currently employed by one of the island’s leading hotel chains. The JCTI works in partnership with international accreditation bodies, such as the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) to certify trained tourism workers, with the latest being two employees from the Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara resorts in Montego Bay who came out on top of the JCTI sous chef development programme.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Tuesday, September 30, 2025: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, left the island today (September 30) for London, England, where he will participate in a series of high-level meetings and events at Jamaica Travel Market 2025, which runs from October 1–3, 2025. The Jamaica Travel Market is a dedicated travel trade event organized by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) to facilitate business between Jamaican tourism suppliers and international buyers, fostering growth and investment in Jamaica's vibrant tourism sector. Minister Bartlett’s schedule in London will include back-to-back B2B meetings with buyers and Jamaican suppliers on Thursday, October 2, before joining partners for a networking luncheon. Later that afternoon, he will hold talks with Jules Ugo, CEO of W Communications, Jamaica’s UK-based public relations agency.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, September 30, 2025: Promoting Jamaica as a ‘love destination,’ the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to increase the island’s share of the lucrative global wedding services market, which is projected to reach US$368 billion by 2030. With destination weddings comprising one of the fastest growing segments and increasing by 40% over the last five years, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is looking to professional wedding planners for support stressing that “it is time for us to start positioning ourselves to secure a bigger share of that US$368 billion.” He wants weddings to double their current contribution to arrivals and earnings in Jamaica. Minister Bartlett outlined that Jamaica is targeting 8 million visitors by 2030 and being “confident that we are well positioned so to do..."

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, September 29, 2025: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the Tourism Action Club (TAC) initiative in high schools and tertiary institutions locally is being leveraged as an important platform to foster human capital development in the tourism industry, especially in the areas of management and customer service. Minister Bartlett has underscored that TAC students have access to programmes offered through the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), and once successful, they are certified by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) with an internationally recognised Associate Degree in Customer Service as well as the HEART/NSTA Sixth Form Pathway II Programme (SFP2P). The Minister made the announcement while addressing over 230 TAC members from some 24 clubs across the island, during the World Tourism Day 2025 Youth Forum at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Friday, September 26, 2025.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Thursday, September 25, 2025: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, today announced the establishment of a high-level Local First Task Force, a new strategic body that will spearhead efforts to build local capacity, strengthen linkages, and ensure that the benefits of tourism are more inclusively shared across the Jamaican economy. The announcement came during a one-day strategic pre-retreat meeting of the Ministry of Tourism’s heads of divisions and public bodies, where Minister Bartlett commended the senior team for their continued hard work and outlines the charge for the new term. “Jamaica is at a critical inflection point in tourism. With stopover arrivals nearly matching our population size, we must reconfigure to ensure that local stakeholders have the capacity and opportunity to thrive,” said Minister Bartlett.