Kingston Jamaica, November 23, 2015 – Effort to boost community tourism along the island’s South Coast has received a major boost as the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment through its agency the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo), officially opened the Maidstone Museum in Nazareth, Manchester on Wednesday November 18, 2015.  The project, that formed part of the Ministry’s Tourism Improvement Programme (TIP) is situated on the premises of the Nazareth All-Age School located in the Manchester community. 

Funding for the project was provided by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and amounted to J$ 9.73 million.  The funds were allocated to transform an existing building on the site into the museum within the guidelines of the Jamaica Heritage Trust (JNHT) and Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) and to prepare the community for tourism development.  A total of Forty-five (45) persons were employed to the project that was managed by the TPDCo, under the Tourism Improvement Programme (TIP).

Guest speaker for the event, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon Dr. Wykeham McNeill, underscored the merit of the project and was excited to inform the assembly that the facility was credited with museum status by the Institute of Jamaica.  The Minister also highlighted that, “the opening of the museum would welcome a wider and very appreciative audience for the community to share the heritage and history of Maidstone in a holistic and fulfilling way”.

The Musuem and surrounding community will welcome visitors from far and wide for a Museum and Nazareth community Walking Tour, which will also be part of the expanded Manchester Heritage Tour.

Member of Parliament for North Western Manchester, Mr. Mikael Phillips was especially pleased to welcome members of the community, the media and specially invited guests to the opening. 

The Maidstone Museum project, according to Mr. Phillips, now belongs to the people of Nazareth – as he charged them to take responsibility for its successes, failures and growth opportunities.  He spoke of the threat of vandals and thieves that would attempt to erode the good that has been done. Mr. Phillips applauded the work of the security forces, who in recent times thwarted the attempts of criminals to steal infrastructure from a nearby project and urged the citizens to continue to take a keen interest in preserving the site from such elements. 

He thanked the many partners who made the project possible: The Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment and its agencies- TPDCo and TEF; Manchester Parish Council, JNHT and members of the community who he also indicated were employed to the project and provided exemplary service. “The fact that no external persons were employed to the project evidenced the buy-in of the residents and was a major credit to their determination to realize the dream," he explained.  

Maidstone, originally a 349-acre coffee plantation, was owned by Thomas Frith. It ceased operation after the Emancipation declaration in 1838.  In 1840 the Nazareth Moravian Church, located at Adam's Valley, bought 341 acres of the estate and subdivided them into lots of one to 15 acres and established a free village for the former slaves.  To date the museum has a billboard with the names of the first ex-slaves to have been granted plots of land and some descendants of ex-slaves are still residents of Maidstone.

Kingston, Jamaica: November 23, 2015 – Jamaica this year recorded the best ever September for stop over arrivals, up 7.0% (114,280 arrivals) when compared to September 2014.

This record September was announced by Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, who was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Kingston’s weekly luncheon held recently at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.

Noting that the tourism sector has experience successive years of growth, Minister McNeill said total visitor arrivals were up 5.5% for January to September 2015 over the same period last year.  This translates into 38,000 more stopover visitors and 105,000 more cruise ship visitors.  

“We have achieved this growth even while a number of properties are closed for room expansion and refurbishing,” said Minister McNeill, noting that Moon Palace  was just reopening and other hotels like Grande Lido Negril, Melia Braco and Riu Negril were still out of commission. “If you have 20,000 rooms and 1,000 are out of commission and you are still growing arrivals then you must be doing something right,” said Minister McNeill.

Jamaica has secured some 60,000 new airline seats for the upcoming winter tourist season of which 50,000 will be out of the United States. News flights include Frontier Airlines out of Philadelphia; American Airlines out of Los Angeles and South West Airlines out of Hobby, Houston.  In addition, Summer 2016 will see direct flights from Dublin, Ireland, to Montego Bay.

Minister McNeill said there is a move in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment to ensure that the entire island benefits from tourism’s success.  “There is so much potential across the island; not just in big hotels but also smaller properties and attractions,” said Minister McNeill, specifically referencing Milk River Hotel and Spa in Clarendon and the Maidstone Museum in Manchester.

Pointing out the importance of using tourism as a tool for social and economic development, the Tourism Minister said “that is what tourism is meant to be.  It can’t be seen only as big hotels and people staying on the north coast.  It is the extent to which tourism positively impacts the lives of the people of Jamaica.”

Minister McNeill noted that Jamaica is experiencing a wave of investment in the tourism sector as never before with some J$64 billion in investments since 2012. “We have 2500 new rooms being built in Jamaica as we speak. At no time in the history of Jamaica have we had that level of investment in Jamaica. This wave will have a real impact on people in Jamaica and create economic opportunities,” he said.

These new hotel rooms are expected to provide some 10,000 jobs, both direct and indirect. The Tourism Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Education and training institutions to ensure that Jamaicans are trained and certified to take advantage of job opportunities arising from these investments.

Kingston, Jamaica: November 20, 2015 – Residents in the rural community of Mountainside St. Elizabeth and surrounding areas are set to benefit from improved road conditions following the signing of a multi-million dollar contract to effect extensive repairs to the Mountainside main road. The contract was signed in the community recently and was met by applause from scores of residents who welcomed the project.

The contract signing comes on the heels of months of discussion and preliminary work. It was highlighted that the road improvements will improve the journey from Mountainside to areas such as Santa Cruz and Newell. The road repairs also form part of efforts to stimulate community tourism in the area by improving access to the community as well as attractions and places of interest in the Parish including Treasure Beach, Lover’s Leap and Jamaica Zoo.

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has allocated J$99.7 million dollars for the project, which will be executed by DR Foote Construction.  The venture is in-keeping with TEF’s ongoing effort to improve the travel experience for Jamaicans and visitors alike to local attractions and community tourism projects. The National Works Agency (NWA) will provide support for the project which will be carried out under the supervision of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

In underscoring the importance of the project Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, said “this project is key to the overall development of St. Elizabeth. The need was clear as good roads are generally accepted as critical to the daily lives of citizens going about their business, for workers to get to the jobs; for farmers to transport produce and for students to travel to school.”

“I hope the fact that TEF funding has made this possible brings home to everyone the fact that the TEF funds are made up of taxes collected from visitors to Jamaica and clearly illustrates the fact that the benefits of tourism are being felt more and more in measurable and practical ways across the length and breadth of Jamaica,” he said.

In lauding the initiative Minister of State in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, Hon. Richard Azan emphasised that “the road improvements will benefit taxi operators and commuters significantly, and taxi operators will be able to see greater earnings as they will spend less money to repair their vehicles.”

Kingston Jamaica; November 18, 2015: Kingston’s iconic landmark Devon House has been undergoing major renovations, over the last few years, to develop and preserve the heritage site. Following a tour of the facilities on Tuesday November 17, 2015, the Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill announced that the ministry, through its agency, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has funded projects at Devon House to the tune of $128 million from 2012-2014.

The property, which is now celebrating its 134^th anniversary, has undergone several changes to not only generate more income, and make it financially sustainable but to also transform it into the culture and entertainment Mecca of Kingston. To accomplish this, a $10 million multi-purpose facility was built on the east lawn, which is able to host a variety of cultural events and festivals. 

 “I want to ensure that we have a timetable of cultural events at Devon House. We have been making changes that will enable us to do that and for it to become a cultural and entertainment centre,” said Dr McNeill.

The general aesthetics of the heritage site have also been improved, with in excess of J$16 million spent on the renovation of the mansion and $1 million annually on landscaping.

The property reportedly developed major electrical issues that severely impacted the functionality of the shops, so this was included in the renovations. “We had to do a lot of work on the re-roofing of the shops. This was very critical because shops were leaking and it was interfering with the electricity at Devon House. It has been a very technical exercise because everything that’s done here has to be done in association with the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. So J$34 million was spent on this and as well as J$9 million on the rewiring of the property,” shared Dr McNeill.

To address growing public concerns about the waiting-time to purchase ice-cream, especially on weekends and public holidays, the Minister also announced that ground will soon be broken for the construction of another ice-cream shop. Construction is slated to begin in January 2016. 

Devon House's marketing and events manager, Andre Reid, also shared that plans are already underway to capitalise on the quality and popularity of its world renowned ice-cream.  He shared that the brand and recipe have been trademarked and the group intends to expand the brand to an overseas market in the near future.

STATEMENT BY MR.  RUBEN BECERRA

VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

KARISMA HOTELS AND RESORTS

AT A PRESS BRIEFING

 JAMAICA TOURIST BOARD

OCTOBER 13, 2015

 

Good afternoon.

On behalf of Karisma Hotels & Resorts, let me start by saying how very proud we are to be in Jamaica. 

Last April 2014, we were honored to make our entry into this beautiful country with the opening of Sensatori Jamaica in Negril, with 138 suites. The hotel was sold out for the entire year less than a month after opening with the great support of our TUI partners, who have also been fundamentally instrumental on increasing the Airlift into Jamaica with more than 108 thousand seats per year, representing more than 1 million additional guest nights per year.  A few months later – in January - we were pleased to announce an expansion of an additional 149 suites at this spectacular property. 

Construction is currently underway for a neighboring hotel as well – Azul Seven – which represents 149 rooms and an investment of $45 million.  Azul Seven will bring 328 direct and 197 indirect jobs to the area. 

Before going further, I want to express our deep gratitude to the people of Jamaica who have graciously welcomed the Karisma brand to their fine Country and who have so greatly contributed to our success here.

Now, I am proud to announce the acquisition of Llandovery by Karisma Hotels & Resorts. 

• Located on the north coast of St. Ann, Llandovery encompasses 228 acres and has access to more than a mile of pristine beachfront.
   
• With your support, Karisma intends to develop a total of nine hotels representing over 4,000 rooms over the next decade.
   
• Program elements to be considered include 9 Hotels, dolphin experience, water sports, and nature experience with horse trails.
   
• This 8 to 10-year project when completed will bring 4 thousand additional rooms into the Island and an investment that will surpass US$900 million.
   
• This Project will represent approximately 8 thousand new job opportunities in direct employment and around 5 thousand in indirect employment.
   
• As a part of Llandovery, Karisma expects to bring new international brands to Jamaica and we estimate to open the first hotel in 2017-2018.
   
• Increase of Airlift is also a part of the master plan.

We are extremely excited to continue working and growing alongside the people of Jamaica, and we remain committed to further enhancing the already bourgeoning tourism industry here. 

On behalf of Karisma Hotels & Resorts, I want to reiterate our gratitude to the government, industries, and communities that have welcomed us with open arms.  We look forward to a wonderful and fruitful future together.

Before closing I must also say a special thank you to Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Minister Wykeham McNeill and their team for their enthusiastic support.

I also thank the Jamaica Tourist Board for welcoming me here today.

MONTEGO BAY, Monday, October 12, 2015: More than one thousand students from six north coast high schools are reaping the rewards of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) initiated Centres of Excellence programme. Students from participating schools are prepared for meaningful employment in the local tourism sector.

The TEF’s $54 million commitment has established Centers of Excellence at Little London, Grange Hill, Irwin, William Knibb Memorial, Marcus Garvey Technical and Cross Keys high schools.  Work at another five is slated for completion by December this year.

During a visit to the Centres of Excellence at the Little London and Grange Hill high schools in Westmoreland Friday (October 9) Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, said, “As our tourism sector continues to grow, the Ministry, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund, is committed to ensuring the availability of a suitably skilled work-force for the industry to draw on.”  

“I am pleased to hear that the Centres of Excellence programme is already reaping rewards for some schools which earn revenue from the projects,” the Tourism Minister added.

At Little London High School where the focus is on food preparation, Minister McNeill participated in a cooking demonstration and received a crash course in making rainbow sandwiches. He also toured the school’s photo lab, which he said was very impressive.

 “The projects are off to a superb start and are helping the students to get practical experience in a way that will make it easier for them to assimilate into the tourism sector,” said Minister McNeill. 

Principal of Grange Hill High School, Errol Stewart, lauded the COE programme and said his school was very fortunate to have been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the TEF-funded initiative, which has allowed for the upgrading of its woodwork shop and establishment of a media centre with state-of-the art equipment for visual arts.

Already an arrangement has been made for the school’s woodwork shop to supply a local hardware store with wooden strips.  The visual arts department boasts a range of professional photographic equipment and Mr. Stewart disclosed, “We are now creating our own ID (identification card) and this is significant because we would have spent thousands of dollars to produce these. It also means that we can now empower our youngsters to contribute to the school’s economic earning potential at Grange Hill.”

Subject areas included in the programme include home management, woodwork, photography, music, agriculture, building technology, learning enhancement, mathematics, research and information technology. The initiative is a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education.

 

Kingston, Jamaica: October 14, 2015 – Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has extended congratulations to Jamaican author Marlon James on winning Britain’s most prestigious literary award, the Man Booker prize for his novel – “A Brief History of Seven Killings”.

“The creative and performing arts and popular culture are an integral aspect of the Jamaican ethos.   Our achievers on the international stage and gifted individuals like Mr. James help define us as a people and burnish our reputation worldwide as a very special place with unique attributes,” said Minister McNeill.

“The Entertainment Division of our Ministry is always focused on the promotion and support for the creative arts as a legitimate area for national development as well as its economic potential,” Minister McNeill said, adding that “the Literary Arts sub-committee of the Entertainment Advisory Board (EAB) is evidence of the Ministry’s commitment to promote and nourish our creative and performing artists.”

The Ministry’s activities include the Arts in the Park initiative which seeks to increase the quality of local entertainment offerings. This provides international booking agents and talent scouts with opportunities to sign local acts.  Another project is the move to establish entertainment zones island-wide, which seeks to address the problem of noise disturbances caused by entertainment events held in and around residential areas.  Historically, events and concerts by local promoters and artistes have nurtured local talent and provided them with income.  The appointment of a Poet Laureate was also initiated by the EAB’s Arts sub-committee and has exposed Jamaican culture to a wider audience.

Chairman of the EAB’s Literary Arts sub-committee, Justine Henzel, added her congratulations to Mr. James, stating, “The Jamaica Tourist Board has sponsored the Calabash International Literary Festival since its inception in 2001 as it recognizes not only that the festival attracts visitors to Jamaica but that it also acts as an incredibly important developmental tool for the literary arts in the island. Calabash has given Jamaican writers access to a wide array of authors and poets from all over the world who are at the pinnacle of the craft while simultaneously allowing space for emerging writers to have an audience through the Open Mic segment of the Festival.”

Ms. Henzel pointed out that the Calabash Trust also hosts fiction and poetry workshops and most recently in 2015 a screenwriters workshop.  At the initial Calabash Writers Workshop Marlon James was encouraged to dig up a discarded manuscript which became his first novel John Crows Devil. In 2005 John Crows Devil was published by another sponsor of Calabash, the New York based publisher Akashic Books. 

Other Jamaican authors and poets who have achieved great international acclaim such as Kei Miller, Claudia Rankine, Dionne Brand and Elizabeth Alexander have all graced the Calabash stage and continue to make Jamaica proud. 

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Wednesday, September 23, 2015: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has underscored the need for more local manufacturers and producers of goods and services to become competitive and benefit from the Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Hub programme.

“They have to get to a certain level where they are competitive in price and quantity and they can deliver on time,” said Minister McNeill.

He was responding to questions from local and foreign journalists at a media breakfast hosted on September 21 by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, Montego Bay, as part of the 25^th staging of the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) travel trade fair.

Citing major developments now taking place in the tourism industry, including some 5000 new rooms slated to come on stream in the next couple of years, Minister McNeill said “What we’re seeking to do, as much as possible, is to ensure that the expansion in the sector has a positive effect on the economy of Jamaica so that tourism can truly serve as a social and economic tool for growth.”

He said the Linkages Hub was among a number of initiatives to achieve this goal. Another was the development of community tourism “to get more visitors going out into the communities so that tourism has a greater impact throughout Jamaica.”

A major aim of the linkages programme, he said, was to create the climate in which “the things that are consumed in the hotels, from the food that’s eaten to anything that’s manufactured – the curtains, beds – anything at all, that we want to see our manufacturing sector involved.”

Noting that the programme was working, Minister McNeill pointed to the expanding range of producers and service providers on show at JAPEX over the last two years. At the outset a few years ago there were only manufacturers and members of the agricultural sector present.

Stressing that the initiative which was started some two years ago, “has been successful,” the Tourism and Entertainment Minister said, “when you go to JAPEX now you are seeing your normal suppliers and providers but you’re also going to see a whole group of persons that provide for the hotels and attractions sector, manufacturers and the agricultural sector as well.”

This year, over one hundred local manufacturers and service providers participated in JAPEX as exhibitors and in the latest Tourism Linkages Hub speed networking event.

Another positive outcome of the programme, he said, was that a lot of local manufacturers and producers had been expanding into the Caribbean.

“A third phase has now come on stream that’s very promising,” he said.  “Persons are now coming to Jamaica, seeing the things that are made here and are contacting our manufacturers and agricultural sector partners to see how they can get in touch with producers of these products and you’re now opening up an export market.”

Minister McNeill said he was pleased with the programme so far and was confident that the tourism sector was performing well “and also working to pull the rest of the economy along.” 

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Sunday, September 21, 2015: Boosted by a 3.1 percent increase in arrivals between January and June 2015 over the corresponding period last year, both public and private sector leaders are upbeat over the continued growth in tourism.

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has said, “This year we’ve had a very good year; our occupancies are up and we had an excellent winter.” The summer has also “been good” with growth over last year even though there was a decrease in accommodation, and indications for the 2015/16 high season is that “we are set to have a very good winter season,” he added.

The Tourism and Entertainment Minister and Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President, Nicola Madden-Greig, painted a positive picture of the tourism industry at last night’s opening of the 25^th annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) marketing showcase at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Dr. McNeill said the continued increase in arrivals showed the extent to which Jamaica was attractive as a tourist destination.

In his opening address, Dr. McNeill remarked that with the success of the tourism sector, marked by the fact that it was doing extremely well and recording growth every year, growth had also returned to the main markets of the United Kingdom and the United States even as new markets are being opened each year.

He noted that the growth was also being reflected in increases in cruise arrivals and air travel with Sangster International Airport “bursting at the seams” last winter. “We already have flights from Nordic countries such as Norway and Sweden and next year we will see the first direct flight from Dublin, Ireland to Montego Bay,” he said.

Minister McNeill noted that the shortfall in rooms created by the high demand for Jamaica was being addressed through high investment in the sector, including 1,600 new rooms being constructed and properties being refurbished to be ready for the winter tourist season.

“Jamaica is evolving. We’re seeing investment in our product and taking it up into exciting realms.  This means that our accommodations are now on the cutting edge and are of a high standard capable of meeting the demand of the new and sophisticated market,” he said.

Dr. McNeill also reinforced his position that the industry was of critical importance to the country and its people as tourism remained a catalyst for economic growth. He was therefore pleased that the initiative of creating a Tourism Linkages Hub was very successful.

The Linkages Hub seeks to ensure that products and services which are utilized in the tourism sector are grown or manufactured in Jamaica. “The linkages programme is enjoying great success which we can attribute to the outstanding level of cooperation, collaboration and partnership between my ministry and the private sector,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Madden-Greig also declared, coming from more than 2 million stop over visitors and 1.26 million cruise ship passengers in 2014, “the outlook for 2015 continues to be promising and we’ve already seen a 3.1 percent increase between January and June for this year. And we think that the 2015/2016 winter season will be even more successful.”

She said the Caribbean landscape was changing and referred to the opening up of Cuba to the North American market, adding, “I personally believe that this is an opportunity to promote a new Caribbean.”

Mrs. Madden-Greig spoke of the opportunity of promoting twin destinations with Cuba and developing Caribbean cruise tourism taking in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cayman. She underscored however, that while pursuing partnership across the western Caribbean, it must be borne in mind that “Jamaica comes first.”

According to her, the 25^th JAPEX event was being hosted a time of “great optimism, change, positivity and innovation,” adding, it had assembled over 230 of the best in the local hospitality industry and attracted some 300 delegates representing the world’s major wholesale, retailers, travel agents and media from the USA, Australia, Colombia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Spain, Trinidad, Mexico, Martinique, St Lucia, Peru, Switzerland, the UK and Brazil.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA: December 9, 2015 – Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, left the island yesterday for Cancun, Mexico, where he will address international travel wholesalers and tour operators at a Karisma Hotels and Resorts’ marketing forum. Minister McNeill will give an update on Karisma’s projects in Jamaica.  

The December 10 event is one of the main activities on the agenda for Karisma’s 8^th Annual Gourmet Inclusive Vacation Consultant (GIVC) Awards and Sales & Marketing Forum.  The GIVC Awards honour the industry’s top performing travel professionals from the United States and Canada.  It takes place December 9 to 12, 2015, at the El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort, by Karisma. 

Karisma operates the 138-suite Azul Sensatori Jamaica in Negril and construction is currently underway for a neighbouring hotel – Azul Seven – which represents 149 rooms and an investment of US$45 million.

In October Karisma announced a US$900 million project in Llandovery, St. Ann, which will see nine hotels comprising 4,000 new rooms being built over the next decade. The hotels will include several brands with the first to debut in 2017-2018. Karisma brands include Azul, El Dorado, Allure, Adriatic Beach and Generation Villas.

Minister McNeill will be joined by Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook. He returns to the island on Friday, December 11, 2015.