KINGSTON, Jamaica; Monday, September 7, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departed the island yesterday (September 6) for the Middle East, where he will lead strategic engagements in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aimed at strengthening Jamaica’s presence in the Middle Eastern and global travel markets, advancing investment and trade opportunities, while positioning the destination for continued growth ahead of the winter tourist season.
The visit forms part of the Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) active participation in two major international travel trade shows: World Travel Market (WTM) Spotlight Riyadh from September 8 to 10 and the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai from September 14 to 17.
Minister Bartlett said the engagements come at an important time as Jamaica continues its recovery from Hurricane Melissa while maintaining strong demand for the destination.
“We are going into the Middle East from a position of resilience and renewed trust and confidence. Jamaica has demonstrated that even in the face of a major disruption, the appetite for Brand Jamaica remains strong. Our responsibility now is to build on that trust and confidence, deepen our relationships in emerging and high-value markets, and ensure that Jamaica remains visible, accessible and desirable as we enter the winter tourist season,” said Minister Bartlett.
Mr. Bartlett noted that: “As at August 31, Jamaica had recorded approximately 2.34 million visitor arrivals and US$2.5 billion in tourism earnings. While below the corresponding period in 2025, the performance has been achieved amid reduced room capacity following Hurricane Melissa.”
“We are not taking the recovery for granted. The numbers tell us that the market is responding, but they also tell us that we have to keep marketing, keep innovating and keep opening new doors. Every market matters, and the Middle East is one where Jamaica sees opportunities for stronger visitor flows, greater investment and deeper commercial partnerships,” he added.
During WTM Spotlight Riyadh, Minister Bartlett will undertake several trade, stakeholder and media engagements, including meetings with the Saudi Investment Development Fund and Saudi Eksab, as well as interviews with Al Eqtisadiyah Newspaper and Alarabiya.net. He will also participate on September 10 in the Talent & Leadership Panel: “One Million Tourism Careers – Delivering Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Vision Beyond 2030,” where he is expected to share Jamaica’s experience in tourism workforce development, skills, innovation and leadership.
Following Riyadh, the Minister will travel to Dubai for ATM, where he will engage travel partners, promote Jamaica’s tourism product and pursue opportunities to expand visitor arrivals and investment. He will also participate in media interviews with Mira Business FM, Gulf News, TTN Middle East, AlMaal Channel and the Pivot 2 Progress Podcast.
“These engagements allow us to tell Jamaica’s story directly and authentically. We want the world to understand that Jamaica is not simply recovering; Jamaica is re-emerging with renewed purpose. We are restoring our room stock, strengthening air connectivity, investing in visitors’ experience and continuing to diversify tourism products. At the same time, we are pursuing our Tourism 3.0 growth agenda, an approach that puts greater emphasis on innovation, inclusion, local participation and ensuring that tourism creates more value for our people.”
Minister Bartlett is scheduled to return to Jamaica on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
