State Minister Hamilton to Chair New Task Force and Lead Cruise Tourism Portfolio
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Thursday, September 25, 2025: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, today announced the establishment of a high-level Local First Task Force, a new strategic body that will spearhead efforts to build local capacity, strengthen linkages, and ensure that the benefits of tourism are more inclusively shared across the Jamaican economy.
The announcement came during a one-day strategic pre-retreat meeting of the Ministry of Tourism’s heads of divisions and public bodies, where Minister Bartlett commended the senior team for their continued hard work and outlines the charge for the new term.
“Jamaica is at a critical inflection point in tourism. With stopover arrivals nearly matching our population size, we must reconfigure to ensure that local stakeholders have the capacity and opportunity to thrive,” said Minister Bartlett. “The Local First Task Force is designed to strengthen our people, empower our communities, and create an industry of makers, not takers—ensuring that the wealth of tourism is retained within Jamaica’s economy,” he added.
Minister Bartlett further outlined that the Task Force will be chaired by newly appointed Minister of State, Hon. Tova Hamilton, who will also lead the Ministry’s cruise tourism portfolio and oversee legislative and regulatory review.
Regarding this mandate, Minister Bartlett expressed, “I am delighted to welcome Minister Hamilton to her first major assignment. She brings strong political acuity and deep legal expertise that will be invaluable in shaping a framework of order, structure and innovation for Jamaica’s tourism sector. I look forward to her leadership in ensuring local stakeholders are placed at the heart of our growth agenda.”
Responding to the announcement, Minister Hamilton affirmed her commitment to the task ahead: “My role is not to disrupt or duplicate; it is to complement the agenda that has been set. The work that has been programmed will continue, and my focus will be on adding value, where my specific responsibilities can advance the vision of a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism sector. My assigned focus areas are clear and targeted, designed to add value in ways that strengthen our industry, empower our people and safeguard Jamaica’s reputation as a premier destination.”
The Local First Task Force will comprise: Hon. Tova Hamilton – Chair; Professor Lloyd Waller, Executive Director, Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC); Jessica Shannon, Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at Sandals Resorts International; Wilfred Baghaloo, Partner, Deals, PwC Southern Caribbean; John Byles, Executive Deputy Chairman of Chukka Caribbean Adventures; Astley Henry, Senior Director of Strategic Planning, Performance and Project Management at the Ministry of Tourism.
The Task Force will be supported by a pool of senior tourism officials, including: The Minister of Tourism, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith and the Heads/Executive Directors of all tourism public bodies.
Minister Bartlett explained that the focus will be on creating new frameworks for financing, regulation, and capacity building to strengthen Jamaica’s tourism value chain. This includes expanding the role of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) to prepare the workforce, developing innovative financing mechanisms for small and medium tourism enterprises, and reinforcing Jamaica’s reputation as a safe, secure and seamless destination.
“Our sector has shown resilience, bouncing back to achieve nearly 4.5 million visitors and US$4.6 billion in earnings just three years after the pandemic. With the leadership of Minister Hamilton and the collaboration of our public and private partners, I am confident that Jamaica will surpass its ambitious goals for sustainable, inclusive, and transformative tourism growth,” Bartlett said.
