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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, announces that a "Local First" policy is coming that will require investors to partner with communities. He was speaking on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at an event celebrating the completion of the first phase of Vista Montego Bay Resort and the groundbreaking for phase two. The $100 million luxury mixed resort-style residential development is situated on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard.

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"Local First" Policy to Guide Jamaica's Tourism Investments – Bartlett

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Thursday, August 14, 2025: As Jamaica’s pivot toward the luxury tourism market gains momentum, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is reinforcing his strong commitment to a policy that ensures local communities directly benefit from these new developments. He expressed delight that the government has been attracting premium investments, with groundbreaking ceremonies for over US$3.5 billion in tourism developments in the last three months alone. While not disclosing specifics, he mentioned he had just finalized discussions on two more "mega billion-dollar investments."

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Over 6500 Tourism Workers registered for Free Online Training

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 26, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that registration for the recently launched free online training for tourism workers closes today, Sunday, 26 th April, 2020 at 4pm.

Bartlett Launches Free Online Training for Tourism Workers

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 23, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has officially launched free online training for tourism workers. The initiative, which is being driven by the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is geared towards assisting tourism workers, who were laid off as a result of the closure of hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bartlett Announces 6-Month Moratorium on Licenses for Tourism Entities

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 17, 2020: Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry will be offering a six-month moratorium on licenses and fees that are to be paid by certain tourism entities.

J$250 million paid over to Tourism Workers Pension Scheme Fund Manager – Bartlett

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 16, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the initial $250 million of the $1 billion committed to long-awaited Tourism Workers Pension Scheme by the Government has been paid over to the newly selected-fund manager, Sagicor Jamaica Limited.

The Recovery of Tourism Must Begin Now

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 10, 2020: The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) recently upgraded the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to the Caribbean Region to Very High. The projection is now that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Caribbean economies could be worse than that of the 2008 Global Recession. The tourism sector is likely to be the hardest hit of all the major economic sectors in the region.

CARE Programme Website Receives Over 7000 Applications within Hours of Launching

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 09, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that the Government of Jamaica has received over 7,000 applications on the website for the COVID-19 Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme, which was launched earlier today.

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