Tourism Minister urges businesses to embed community development in their operations as Sandals Foundation brings Island Challenge home
KINGSTON, Jamaica; Friday, August 14, 2026:Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is calling for a fundamental redefinition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Jamaica’s tourism industry, urging businesses to move beyond charitable giving and become more deeply embedded in the development and resilience of the communities in which they operate.
Minister Bartlett made the call on Tuesday (August 11) while delivering the main address at the launch of the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge Jamaica 2026, under the theme “Tourism Doing Good,” at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston.
The four-day endurance event, scheduled for October 2–5, will take approximately 30 UK athletes, along with local and international partners, on a route spanning Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary and St. Andrew. Participants will run, kayak, trek and hike across Jamaica’s landscapes while seeking to raise £100,000 to strengthen neonatal and paediatric healthcare services, including at the Falmouth Public General Hospital.
Minister Bartlett said the initiative demonstrates tourism’s ability to create tangible benefits for people and communities.
“Tourism, firstly, is not just an economic activity. It’s a people activity; at the heart of it it’s about people connecting with people,” he said.
He argued that CSR must evolve from periodic charitable interventions into a more integrated approach to community development and resilience.
“There is a call for a transformation that goes beyond the mere thought of just giving back. There is a call for a building of tourism resilience,” the Minister stated.
He called on tourism businesses to become an integral part of their surrounding communities.
“The new CSR must see the company and, in all instances, tourism as being not beside the communities...But tourism being a part of the community. Inserted in the community. Embedded in the community,” he said.
The tourism minister said this approach is consistent with the Government’s Tourism 3.0 growth agenda, which seeks to ensure that tourism generates broader and more inclusive development.
“That is what Tourism 3.0 is all about. It’s about taking development beyond the borders of traditional understanding. Where development becomes all of us and not some of us,” he noted.
Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, Heidi Clarke, said the organisation’s focus on health and wellness is rooted in the belief that resilient communities depend on strong healthcare systems.
“We recognize that if you do not have your health, you have nothing else,” Clarke said.
The Foundation has supported health programmes benefiting more than 400,000 people across the Caribbean, including initiatives targeting paediatric healthcare. The Island Challenge has raised more than £300,000 through its previous stagings in Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia, benefiting approximately 1,800 babies across the three islands.
Consultant Paediatrician at Falmouth Public General Hospital, Dr. Kerry-Ann McKenzie, highlighted the urgent need for support as the hospital continues to rebuild following Hurricane Melissa.
She expressed that the equipment secured through the Island Challenge will directly strengthen care for critically ill children and newborns.
“You’re not just raising funds. You’re giving our children a lifeline, a fighting chance,” she added.
Minister Bartlett said the staging of Island Challenge in Jamaica represents a powerful example of tourism bringing people together around a shared purpose while showcasing the country’s natural assets.
“At the end, you will say, I’m not here for me. I’m here because of others. And so, what the Foundation is doing is demonstrating practically that we are here for others,” he said.
He closed by calling for a broader transformation of CSR across corporate Jamaica.
“I want to close by making a call. A call for us to redefine and reimagine what CSR means and to see the establishment of foundations as not a means of being charitable or kind. But as a critical part of our responsibility to build communities. To build people. To connect. Because tourism is about connecting.”
Island Challenge Jamaica 2026 is being supported by the Sandals Foundation, Sandals Resorts, Jamaica Tourist Board, Island Routes Adventure Tours, British Airways and a range of local and international partners. Approximately 15 spaces will also be available for local participants to take part in the 21-kilometre half-marathon through Falmouth on October 4.
