Government of Jamaica

News Releases

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.

Featured News Releases

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.”

All News Releases

Preparations in High Gear for the Reopening of Jamaica’s Tourism Sector

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, June 5, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has lauded local tourism partners for the high level of preparation evident in key sub-sectors of the tourism industry to protect tourism workers and visitors from the threat posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), ahead of the phased reopening of the sector.

Bartlett Says - Tourism Sector Re-opening to Safeguard the Livelihoods of Over 350,000 Jamaican Workers

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 04, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the re-opening of the sector, at this time, is crucial to assisting the over 350,000 pandemic-displaced workers and the many tourism enterprises that are at severe economic risk.

Newly Expanded Adam and Eve Day Spa to Enhance Jamaica’s Health and Wellness Tourism Market - Says Bartlett

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 03, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the newly opened Adam and Eve Day Spa location will add value to Jamaica’s health and wellness tourism market when the country begins to welcome visitors to the island.

Tourism Ministry Provides 10,000 Masks For Frontline Industry Workers

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 02, 2020 (JIS NEWS): The Ministry of Tourism has provided 10,000 masks for frontline industry workers as part of safeguards against the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), when the sector reopens.

International Expert to Strengthen Tourism COVID Resilience Plan, says Bartlett

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 13, 2020: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry hired international crisis recovery expert Jessica Shannon, to the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Task Force’s secretariat, in an effort to strength the country’s resilience plan for the sector.

Bartlett to Make Jamaica’s Tourism Sector COVID Secure

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 12, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry remains committed to facilitating the reopening of the tourism industry in a safe and seamless manner, in the post COVID-19 world.