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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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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.”

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Jamaica to Join UNWTO’s Global Effort to Mitigate Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 20, 2020: Senior officials at Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism yesterday participated in a virtual meeting with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to discuss a global coordinated partnership to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus on the world travel and tourism sector.

Bartlett working with Finance & JHTA to Cushion Impact of COVID -19 on Tourism Workers

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 18, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has been working with the Ministry of Finance and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) to institute fiscal arrangements that will help to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on workers in the sector. The pandemic, whilst negatively impacting all sectors, has brought global tourism to a standstill.

MINISTERS OF HEALTH & TOURISM VIDEO CONFERENCE TOURISM INDUSTRY, FRANK DISCUSSIONS HAD

March 16, 2020 – Kingston, Jamaica – Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton and other senior Government officials hosted a video conference call with over 30 Hotel Executives inclusive of the leadership of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) last night (Sunday March 15) to get frank and detailed sector specific situation analyses in light of COVID-19.

Bartlett appoints Coordinator of Pandemics for Global Resilience Centre

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has appointed Dr. Elaine Williams as Coordinator of Pandemics at the Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM). Dr. Williams, who is a well-known pathologist, will be working with key stakeholders in health to build clinical resilience in the industry.

Protocols Established for Management of COVID-19 in Jamaican Tourism Entities

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry has established measures that should be adopted by all tourism entities, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Tourism Ministry to Postpone All Public Activities in March

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: The Ministry of Tourism wishes to advise the public that all previously advertised activities for March have been postponed, until further notice.

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Kingston 5, Jamaica

(876) 920-4926-30

info@mot.gov.jm