Government of Jamaica

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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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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 Bartlett to Participate in Commonwealth Business Forum

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 20, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has been invited to participate in a high-level panel discussion on ways to future-proof the international tourism industry to enable it to withstand global shocks, at the Commonwealth Business Forum 2022, being held in Kigali, Rwanda.

Tourism Workers Pension Scheme Gaining Momentum

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 17, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS) now has over five thousand members, and over 15,000 potential applicants.

Jamaica on Track for Record Visitor Arrivals in 2022

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 15, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has indicated that 2022 will be a historic year for the tourism sector, with record arrivals and groundbreaking agreements.

Minister Bartlett Warns Tourism Players Not to Charge for Job Recruitment

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 13, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has warned tourism stakeholders to desist from charging individuals seeking to secure jobs in the sector. Noting that it is tantamount to scamming, Minister Bartlett said “nobody is to pay an agent or any intermediary for any recruitment opportunity for work in the tourism sector at this time.”

Local Tourism Industry Being Re-imagined to Support More SMTEs

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 09, 2022: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says that his ministry has made it a priority to re-imagine the local tourism sector by creating strategic policies, programmes, and initiatives that can aid in building the resilience and increasing the capacity of local small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) to earn more.

Minister Bartlett Welcomes Return of Reggae Sumfest

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 20, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has welcomed the return of Jamaica’s premier music festival, Reggae Sumfest to the island’s calendar of events.