Government of Jamaica

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Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (right) receives a welcome hug, one of the many he received on his tour of Royalton Negril on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Management and staff were out in their numbers to greet the Minister at the restart of operations following a multi-million-dollar restoration in the wake of last year’s hurricane.

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Workers Joyful as Royalton Negril Reopens Amid Wider Tourism Recovery

NEGRIL, Jamaica; Thursday, August 27, 2026: Pulsating music, dance and colourful dresses marked the reopening of the Royalton Negril hotel and the return of nearly 1,000 workers to their jobs. The hotel reopened at 50 percent occupancy, which is expected to rise to 80 percent over the US Thanksgiving period, and is already sold out for Jamaica’s Heroes Weekend and Christmas. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, was excited as he moved among staff members and was greeted with gleeful smiles as he toured the property to see firsthand its multi-million-dollar recovery from the impact of hurricane Melissa. “When I walked in, I saw that 960 workers were back on the job, and that by Thanksgiving, I'm told, the other 320 will be back, and we will have a full complement of 1,200 workers employed. That means families are now going to be more secure. It's coming back at the right time with back to school,” Minister Bartlett said.
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Minister Bartlett to Attend 2023 World Travel Market London

Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, November 3, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is set to depart the island on Saturday, November 4, 2023, for London, England, to participate in World Travel Market (WTM) London. The leading global travel tradeshow will take place at the ExCel London from November 6 to 8, 2023.
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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (left) gesticulates as he leads high-level internal discussions with senior representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies during the Ministry's annual Strategic Planning Retreat held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, from October 25-26, 2023. Looking on are (L-R) the Ministry's Senior Director of Strategic Planning, Performance and Project Management, Mr. Astley Henry and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Ms. Jennifer Griffith.

ALEX Sales and EXIM Bank Disbursements Surpass Billion-dollar Mark

Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, October 27, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced that transactions on the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) platform have generated $1 billion in sales by small farmers. This as he also outlined that tourism loan disbursements through the National Export-Import (EXIM) Bank have also surpassed $1 billion for 2023. Commending the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) on the strides being made, the tourism minister underscored the increased impact of the tourism value chain on Jamaican small businesses as a significant outcome.
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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett passionately delivers the keynote address on behalf of Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness at the second annual Government of Jamaica Service Excellence Awards hosted by the Office of the Cabinet, yesterday (October 25) at the Spanish Court Hotel.

High-touch Service Critical to Government’s Prosperity Agenda

Kingston, Jamaica; Thursday, October 26, 2023: The Government of Jamaica (GoJ) has underscored its commitment to service excellence as a fundamental pillar of its prosperity agenda. The emphasis on high-touch service and unwavering dedication to quality service delivery was at the forefront as Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett delivered the keynote address at yesterday’s (October 25) staging of the second annual GoJ Service Excellence Awards at the Spanish Court Hotel.
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Jamaica Elected Second Vice Chair of UNWTO Executive Council

Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Monday, October 20, 2023: Jamaica’s position as a leader in the global tourism industry has been further bolstered after the Caribbean nation secured the post of second vice chair of the United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) Executive Council. This significant achievement follows a recent vote held on the margins of the UNWTO General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. After an impressive lobbying effort by the Jamaican delegation, Jamaica received a resounding 20 votes, while Lithuania garnered 14.
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Minister Bartlett to Participate in UNWTO General Assembly

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Friday, October 13, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will depart the island tomorrow (October 14) to attend the highly anticipated twenty-fifth session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from October 16-20, 2023.
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Minister Bartlett Renews Urgent Call for a Global Resilience Fund

Kingston, Jamaica; Wednesday, October 11, 2023: In a compelling plea, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has again urged the international community to urgently unite in establishing a Global Resilience Fund to aid in boosting tourism resilience. This innovative initiative, he suggests, would encourage tourists to take personal responsibility for bolstering the ability to respond, mitigate, adapt, and recover from the impacts of climate-related shocks.
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