Government of Jamaica

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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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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (standing) has a captive audience as all eyes are focused on him during his address recently to the 65th annual general meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), at Sandals Dunns River, St. Ann. The Minister put the JHTA on notice that it will be required to play a leading role in driving the new Tourism 3.0 growth agenda across the entire sector.

JHTA has Crucial Role to Play in Driving Tourism 3.0 Growth Agenda - Bartlett

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica; Wednesday, July 1, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has put the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) on notice that it will be required to play a leading role in driving the new Tourism 3.0 growth agenda across the entire sector. Confident that “ours is a wonderful future ahead” for Jamaica’s tourism, Minister Bartlett told JHTA members at their 65th annual general meeting at Sandals Dunns River recently, that while government is looking at reimagining the tourism product, “the gatekeepers, of which the JHTA is number one, have to reinvent themselves,” adding, “this is your moment to reexamine and to reimagine what you are about and how you are going to move tourism into the next decade.” Having billions of dollars invested in the tourism industry, Minister Bartlett said he wanted to see more of the sector’s investors “being inserted in the leadership and direction of the JHTA.”
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Minister Bartlett Heads to the Dominican Republic for Americas Investment Forum

Tourism Minister Slated to Tour New Moon Palace Resort in Punta Cana KINGSTON, Jamaica; Tuesday, June 30, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departs the island this afternoon for a high-level working visit to the Dominican Republic, where he will represent Jamaica as a featured panellist at the Americas Investment Forum in Santo Domingo and tour one of the Caribbean’s newest mega-resorts. Minister Bartlett is expected to arrive in Punta Cana later this afternoon, for an on-the-ground inspection of the newly established Moon Palace Hotel, a flagship addition to the Dominican Republic’s accommodation portfolio. The visit will give the tourism minister first-hand insight into the property's design, operations and integration into the wider Punta Cana tourism ecosystem, ahead of his participation in regional investment discussions. The property serves as a model for the Moon Palace The Grand Montego Bay luxury resort, now being built in St. James.
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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (foreground) delivers his 2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation in Gordon House on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as Minister of State, Hon. Tova Hamilton looks on and listens attentively.

Bartlett Outlines New Tourism Authority’s Governance Modernisation Mandate

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Monday, June 29, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced plans for a major overhaul of Jamaica’s tourism governance framework through the creation of a new Tourism Authority and supporting legislation designed to modernise oversight of the sector and support the implementation of the new Tourism 3.0 growth agenda. The announcement was made during the Minister’s 2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation in Gordon House recently under the theme “Trust and Confidence,” where he outlined institutional reforms aimed at creating a governance system that is clearer, faster and stronger. The reform package will require legislation to repeal and replace the Tourist Board Act, 1955 and the River Rafting Authority Act, 1970, facilitate the establishment of a new Tourism Authority Act, and create a dedicated Tourism Authority to serve as Jamaica’s principal tourism regulator.
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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.

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.
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Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett addresses members of the Jamaican Diaspora and urges them to invest in Jamaica’s tourism industry and be its ambassadors. He was leading a panel discussion at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Partly hidden (seated at left), is Director of Tourism, Donovan White and at right, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Mr. Wayne Robertson.

Minister Bartlett Draws on Diaspora Support to Boost Tourism Resilience

MONTEGO BAY, St. James, Jamaica; Thursday, June 18, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has called on members of the Jamaican Diaspora to take decisive steps in support of efforts by the Ministry of Tourism to strengthen the resilience of the tourism sector as it pursues a target of attracting 10 million visitors, earn US10 billion, over the next 10 years. Minister Bartlett has challenged the influential Jamaican Diaspora to expand their role beyond sending remittances, to becoming stakeholders and investors in the industry by bringing resource and capital support to the country and being part of marketing initiatives to secure more tourists. Minister Bartlett was the main presenter on a panel at the 11th biennial conference of the Jamaica Diaspora, being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre this week, exploring the topic “Secure Jamaica’s Future: Building National Climate Tourism and Disaster Resilience.”
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: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (2nd L) accepts the Caribbean Media Award for Best Social Media Campaign at CTO Week in New York on June 2. Sharing in the moment are (L-R) Donna Regis-Prosper, Secretary Geneal of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Minister of Tourism for Barbados and Chairman of CTO, Hon Ian Edgehill-Gooding and Director of Tourism, Donovan White.

Jamaica Wins Top Honours with Two Major Awards at CTO Caribbean Week

MANHATTAN; New York, June 2026; Friday June 6, 2026 — Jamaica has once again solidified its position as one of the Caribbean's leading tourism destinations, earning two prestigious awards during the Caribbean Tourism Organization's (CTO) Caribbean Week celebrations in New York City on Tuesday, June 2. The destination was recognized for excellence in Caribbean tourism, receiving the Caribbean Media Award for Best Social Media Campaign. This category honours top-performing digital promotions, creator collaborations, and visual strategies that effectively engage global audiences and showcase the Caribbean. Jamaica was singled out for Love Island influencers that covered Reggae Marathon in 2025 and received over 6 million in views. The destination was also acknowledged for freelance travel and lifestyle journalist Dana Givens’ National Geographic story on Luxury experiences on the island.
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