LONDON, United Kingdom; November 07, 2016:   Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, today (November 07, 2016) disclosed that Jamaica’s tourism sector has registered an increase of over 5 per cent in both visitor arrivals and gross foreign exchange earnings for the first nine months of 2016.

Speaking from the World Travel Market in London, the Minister said that “the latest figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board indicate that for the period January to September 2016, total arrivals, both stopover and cruise, increased by 5.4 per cent, with 2,876,220 recorded visitors when compared to the same period last year.”

The United States market contributed to the bulk of the growth, up 7.6 per cent numbering 75,193 additional visitors over the same period last year.  However, it was the increase from Canada that the Minister was most pleased with, noting arrivals from that country are now up by 7.2 per cent, numbering 17,732 additional visitors over the same period last year.  This is in stark contrast to the 6.8 per cent decline in arrivals from Canada last year and a further 9.8 per cent decline from that market during the period of January to June of this year.

“In my first stint as Minister of Tourism, we grew the Canadian market by 100 per cent. We started with some 163,000 visitors from Canada and when our term ended we recorded approximately 370,000 visitors. However, over the years there was a noticeable decline. So, we had to strengthen our marketing efforts in this important market and I am pleased to announce that it has produced positive results,” Minister Bartlett emphasized. 

He noted that increase in arrivals has also resulted in a 5.9 per cent rise in gross foreign exchange earnings.

“I am happy to share that we recorded earnings of approximately US$1.9 billion, up from a provisional estimate of US$1.8 billion for the same period last year. This is very unique, as it is rare for earnings to be higher than the arrival figures,” the Minister added.

The Minister, who is accompanied by the Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), John Lynch, and the Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, has been meeting with key stakeholders and members of the Diaspora while attending the World Travel Market, which runs from November 7-9, 2016.

The World Travel Market is the leading global event for the travel industry to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals. Through its industry networks, unrivalled global reach, WTM London creates personal and business opportunities, providing customers with quality contacts, content and communities. It is expected to attract some 50,000 patrons from 182 countries across the globe.

Minister Bartlett is expected to return to the island on November 8, 2016.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 09, 2016:  In light of the impending local government elections on November 28, 2016, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that the much-anticipated Tourism Outlook Seminar (TOS), slated for December 6-8 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, has been postponed.

“We recognise the significance this monumental event will have, not only on our country’s tourism product but also on our region. It was therefore very important for us to have the event at a later date to ensure that it is not overshadowed by the outcome of our local elections on November 28,” said Minister Bartlett.

The TOS, which was launched on October 27 at Kingston’s iconic Devon House, is to be rescheduled to a date to be determined in the new year. It will be held under the theme: ‘Tourism: Navigating Global Changes for Continued Growth’.  It is being hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with funding from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

“The 2017 Tourism Outlook Seminar will be one for the history books. I encourage everyone – policy makers, representatives of government ministries and agencies, hotel owners and senior managers, investors, academics, airline executives, travel agents, travel media, tour operators and other business partners – to mark your calendars as this will definitely be beneficial to you,” he added.

 The Tourism Outlook Seminar will see contributions from global experts on critical topics, such as managing communications in the face of issues such as pandemics, terrorism and natural disasters; establishing multi-destination tourism; travel facilitation and connectivity and packaging destination experiences among other topics.

It will feature presenters and panellists from renowned local and international organizations, such as: the UNWTO, Airbnb; TUI; Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the World Travel & Tourism Council; the Caribbean Tourism Organization; the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA); and Sandals Resorts International.

“The Tourism Outlook Seminar will still feature our Summit of Tourism Ministers from the region, which is something I am very excited about. We are going to discuss how we can change the game from the highly competitive tourism strategies that have not given us growth, to a new more collaborative approach.  We have extended invitations to tourism ministers from the Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, the Turks & Caicos Islands, St. Martin, St. Maarten and the Cayman Islands,” explained the Minister.

Registration for the event will remain open and persons are being encouraged to register online and access additional information at www.visitjamaica.com/tourismseminar .

“I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone who has already registered to participate in this event as well as our loyal sponsors. Your support and interest in the development of our nation’s tourism industry has certainly not gone unnoticed. I eagerly anticipate sharing ideas and information with you at the event so that we can all play our part in the development of our country,” said Minister Bartlett.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Friday, November 11, 2016: The Ministry of Tourism’s Linkages Network has stepped up an initiative to plug the leakage of billions of dollars in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors resulting from imports by local tourism entities.

A Tourism Demand Study, commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015, determined that “the annual leakage due to imports amounts to $65.5 billion in the manufacturing sector and between $1.6 billion and $5 billion in the agricultural sector.”

The study concluded that “the prospect for import substitution is great as there exists a high level of receptivity among tourism sector stakeholders to local goods and services.” It further posits that “this receptivity could be converted to business opportunity as the projected demand for agricultural and manufactured goods indicate that there is tremendous opportunity for trade that could be as high as $56.7 billion annually for processed foods alone, $5.3 billion for fruits, and $1.6 billion for vegetables.”

The demand study also identified constraints hampering the strengthening of tourism linkages with the domestic economy, including the ability of the agricultural sector to supply large and consistent quantities of quality products.

Inadequate support for the promotion of locally manufactured goods to foreign investors in the tourism sector was identified as one of the main obstacles for the manufacturing sector. The need was also seen for improved communication between buyers and sellers in relation to product availability and prices.

In a concerted effort to overcome these obstacles, the Linkages Network brought stakeholders in manufacturing and agriculture face to face with purchasing managers in the tourism sector.  They met at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Wednesday, November 9, 2016.

Jordan Samuda, who sits on an agricultural working group of the Tourism Linkages Council, which supports the work of the Linkages Network, chaired the round-table meeting. He said bridging the gap and lessening the leakage was a major focus. “What we’re trying to achieve here with the purchasing managers is getting down to the folks who are on the ground day to day, seeing the challenges that face them with supplies,” he said.

Project Manager, Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald-Riley, noted that a directory of all manufacturers in the country was being developed with a database that would make it easier for purchasers in the hotel sector to identify and access suppliers of the products they need. It is expected that the directory will be completed by December of this year.

Mrs. McDonald-Riley reminded the gathering that the Tourism Linkages Network was established in 2013 to ensure that tourism entities absorbed as much as possible locally manufactured goods and services. “If that happens then the economy will grow, we will create more jobs and earn much needed  foreign exchange,” she said.