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

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.”

All News Releases

Bartlett brands Future Travellers Generation-C

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 29, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has branded future travelers as Generation- C amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister did so today at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) UK Chapter’s Annual General Meeting, where he poke in depth about the advent of a new type of post-pandemic traveller.

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.

Contact Information

64 Knutsford Boulevard,
Kingston 5, Jamaica

(876) 920-4926-30

info@mot.gov.jm