Kingston, Jamaica: June 26, 2015: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon.  Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has charged tourism and sports stakeholders to work together to maximize the potential of sports tourism and its benefits to Jamaica.  He stated that, “given the strength of Brand Jamaica and our prominence in sports there is no limit to the success we can achieve if we come together.”

Minister McNeill was addressing the stakeholders at a JAMAICA Sport workshop held yesterday (June 25) at the Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston.  The workshop introduced two models for evaluating the economic impact of sports events, STEAM Jamaica and Media PRO.

“The value of sports tourism is said to be over US$600 billion internationally. Given Jamaica’s prominence in sport and the strength of our brand we have to ensure we can get a slice of this pie,” said Minister McNeill.

He pointed out that sports tourism affects the host country in two ways, the direct effect of attendance of competitors, spectators and other accompanying persons and the indirect effect that comes from marketing the destination. As an example of the power of sports as a marketing tool, Minister McNeill cited the successful Jamaica House concept, an initiative that leverages the global focus on the Jamaican track and field team at major sporting events to market Destination Jamaica.

To underscore his point, Minister McNeill noted that “prior to 2012, we had experienced four consecutive years of negative growth in visitor arrivals out of the UK. In 2012, we hosted Jamaica House at the London Olympics.  In 2013 we saw the positive impact in an increase in arrivals; in 2014 arrivals increased by 17.5% and since the start of 2015 we have had a 27% increase in arrivals out of the UK.” He emphasized that, while not the sole reason for increases out of this market, the concept played a significant role in boosting arrivals.

The Minister welcomed the introduction of Jamaica STEAM (Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model), which will project and measure the economic impact of both sports and entertainment, and Media PRO, which will measure the media value and reach of these events. “We want to ensure there is an empirical mechanism to ensure the sports events have maximum impact on tourism given our financial constraints,” said Minister McNeill.  He encouraged all sports organizations to embrace the use of these evaluation models to measure their events for various purposes including sponsorship.

The sport evaluation workshop was conducted by Anthony Fisher from the Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance and Derek Mager from Canada’s Data Jungle, who have a proven record in both fields.

JAMAICA Sport Chairman, Chris Dehring described the models as “tried, tested and true” and said that in a very competitive environment it is important to professionalize sports investment and properly assess how the money is being spent.

JAMAICA Sport is a multi-sectoral body established in 2014 to examine the commercial opportunities provided by sports tourism; leverage Brand Jamaica and sporting events held locally and internationally to ensure that Jamaica maximizes marketing and promotional opportunities while encouraging additional visitors to our shores.  

KINGSTON, JAMAICA, June 24, 2015: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has credited Jamaica’s Tourism Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development with providing guidance for the development of the industry, its current success and ability to contribute significantly to the nation’s economic growth.

He was addressing a six-person tourism delegation from Belize yesterday (June 23) that is being hosted by his Ministry to assist that country with further development of its tourism industry.  The weeklong visit is an initiative of the Interregional Cooperation in Tourism. 

“Because of how Jamaica has been positioned, there is now a great demand for the island as a vacation destination,  with measurable growth in both stop over and cruise arrivals as well as investment by both international and local investors,” the Minister stated.

Head of the delegation, Belize’s Chief Tourism Officer, Abil Castaneda, explained that his country is a crossroads with regard to its tourism development.

“We need inputs on how to structure our tourism sector to move forward. Over the course of this week we hope to discuss institutional challenges and how it affects policy and framework in the long run,” he stated. 

“Our hope is that the exchange of knowledge and ideas will help to build and strengthen my country’s tourism industry,” he stated.

The delegation will hold consultations with the Ministry, its agencies and stakeholders – the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo); the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF); and the Jamaica Tourist Board.  Their itinerary also includes meetings with senior staff of Jamaica Trade and Invest (JAMPRO); the Jamaica Business Development Centre, (JBDC); the Micro Investment Development Agency (MIDA), and the Self-Start Fund. The team will also be hosted by the Passport and Citizenship Agency on a site visit to the Sangster International Airport where they will observe visitor facilitation systems at international points of entry.

 Belize, which has a relatively new formal tourism sector compared to Jamaica. Located on the Eastern Coast of Central America,  the country is 22,800 square kilometres with a population of 340,844. More than 1.2 million persons visited Belize in 2014.

The delegation’s mission to Jamaica was sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; June 17, 2015: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has called on members of the Diaspora to take on the role of being ambassadors for Jamaica’s growing tourism industry as a valuable means of helping their homeland.

During a panel discussion at the 6^th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference now underway at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Dr. McNeill asked members to: “Keep on being ambassadors, keep on coming back home and encourage your friends and family to come as well.”

He advised Diaspora members, “there are a lot of opportunities opening up in Jamaica,” adding that now was a good time to invest and it was important for them to know “because what I don’t want is for us not to have had this discussion and when the investment takes place some people come and say how come we never get a chance.”

The panel discussion, which was led by Dr. McNeill, focused on “Exploring and Contributing to Jamaica’s Tourism Product.”  This was set against the background of the country being globally recognized for its tourism product and a determination to hold pride of place as the top destination in the Caribbean.

He stressed, however, that more focus should be placed on wooing second, third and fourth generation Jamaicans in the Diaspora as a tremendous opportunity existed in that market segment to give them a feeling of belonging here.

He said while there were many events on which the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Diaspora work together, “I believe there’s a lot more we could do.”

Dr. McNeill also pointed to the need for collaboration at the community level and the importance of Community Tourism in ensuring that the benefits of the industry are felt at all levels.

Speaking on the current status of Jamaica’s tourism, he said, “I could say we are hot as we are experiencing our biggest boom in tourism” with a 5 percent growth in stopovers this past winter season and a double-digit increase in cruise ship arrivals.

The United States market was up 9.1 percent while Europe moved up “phenomenally” with the United Kingdom up more than 27 percent.

He also spoke of increased seats and new air services opening up routes to Jamaica from both traditional and non-traditional markets.

“What this means is that with the new airlift, the partnerships we have developed, the investment that’s coming in, and I only speak of those that we have written down, all told we’re expecting in excess of 5000 rooms over the next five years in Jamaica.” Of that number, 1600 are slated to come on stream within the next eighteen months.

“When you consider that, the projection for tourism going forward is very strong,” Dr. McNeill declared.

RUNAWAY BAY, St Ann; July 23, 2015: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has welcomed Jewel Runaway Bay’s $570 million Lagoon Water Park as a great addition to the tourism product.

While maintaining that “we have tremendous attractions in Jamaica,” Dr. McNeill has pointed to the importance of investment that is taking place across the length and breadth of the island and creating more opportunities for investors in attractions and the transport sector, ultimately allowing for more visitors to get out of their hotels and explore the country.

The Tourism and Entertainment Minister was speaking at the official launch of Jewel Lagoon Water Park recently. The 9,000 sq. ft. attraction is one of the largest water parks in the region and provides excitement for guests of all ages. Since going into operation in March, it has been used by over 45,000 guests.

The ribbon cutting had guests waiting anxiously for a special guest to emerge from the huge water slide to create a big splash; there was quite a surprise when Miss Jamaica World, Laurie-Ann Chin, appropriately clad in bathing suit, emerged like a mermaid to join in the ceremony.

Dr. McNeill lauded Sagicor, owners of the Jewel brand of hotels, and the many other investors that have been showing confidence in the local tourism industry.

“What has been happening over the last three years is that Jamaica has been performing well in tourism; our occupancies are up, as well as our room rates and for the investor in the industry this is a good thing as their profits are up. What we’re seeing is investment in the industry with a lot of that going into buying and refurbishing existing plants so there has been a transformation of the sector over the last three years,” he added.

With the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment recording some $54 billion worth of investment in the past few years, Dr. McNeill was pleased that several properties have been expanded and upgraded to a brand new level. Additionally, new investment including the creation of the Jewel Lagoon Water Park is taking place and by year-end construction will start on an additional 1,600 hotel rooms.

Minister McNeill expressed the view that “the investment climate in Jamaica now is the best it has ever been” and “the future is looking good.”

That view is shared by President and CEO of Sagicor Group Jamaica, Richard Byles who said “our experience in tourism, I must say, has been very good; we’re very satisfied with it. We like it because it is part of the global market and that means it can grow, we can grow and we’ve experienced that. Every year we’ve had better occupancies, better rates and that’s wonderful.”

Mr. Byles lamented, “I hear so many Jamaican businessmen bemoaning the fact that they can’t get growth, well I tell you if you are in the tourism business you can get the growth.”

He said his company also liked tourism “because it creates such a great linkage in the economy” and citing Red Stripe as an example, Mr. Byles said, “I encourage Jamaican corporations, Jamaican individuals to look seriously at the business of investing in tourism, More Jamaicans need to own and be part of the tourism business, not just work for it but own it also.”  

He said the Lagoon Water Park fulfilled a commitment made in 2014 when the Sagicor X Fund raised $1.5 billion from an initial public offer.

Kingston, Jamaica: July 30, 2015: The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has received $80 million from the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), which will go towards purchasing and repairing JCF vehicles used in resort areas.

A portion of the funds have been used to purchase 10 new vehicles at a cost of $45 million and the remaining $35 million will be used to conduct repairs to over 100 vehicles currently in use.

For its part, over the past few years the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment has been collaborating with the Ministry of National Security to further boost crime fighting efforts island-wide. Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has stressed that “we must unite around the issue of national security. It has a profound and far-reaching social and economic impact.”

Over the last two years the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has provided over $241 million to aid the JCF in securing additional resources. Some of these ventures have included the provision of $25 million to effect repairs to the Negril Police Station as well as $57 million to support the effort to fund the installation of a closed circuit television system in Ocho Rios.

This recent donation forms part of an ongoing initiative to boost the resources of the island’s crime fighters as they seek to boost the safety of visitors and citizens.

Minister of National Security Hon. Peter Bunting has expressed gratitude for the funds and the collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, which has yielded benefits for citizens and visitors alike. “I am hoping that this cooperation and this example of ‘joined up government’ is really the start of a true integrated multi-disciplinary approach to improving citizens’ security … by reducing the threat of crime to citizens, improving public safety and public order, and to really create an environment where we don’t have to rely entirely on the police to make an intervention,” he shared.

The Commissioner of Police, Dr. Carl Williams has expressed thanks for the latest donation and emphasized that “the Jamaica Constabulary Force recognizes the symbiotic relationship between security and tourism and will continue to review current deployment and operational plans to address the issues identified by our stakeholders as they arise. We are thankful for this expression of confidence in our abilities and look forward to continued partnership.”

 “We are going to continue to implement measures to further enhance the safety of all Jamaicans as well as our many visitors and to tackle issues such as visitor harassment. Only then will we begin to see a wider cross section of Jamaica’s communities, businesses and individuals benefitting as they should from the tourism sector,” Minister McNeill said.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica: August 2, 2015: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has added his voice to calls for drivers or insurance companies to pay for damaging public property as a result of reckless driving on the roads.

“One of the things that we must ensure is that persons who drive recklessly and crash into utility poles, and other road infrastructure, that they pay or their insurance company pays for the repairs; it should not be the people of Jamaica who pay for it,” said Dr. McNeill.

He was speaking recently at the official commissioning of 800 LED lights that have been installed along Montego Bay’s Elegant Corridor, running from the Sangster International Airport round-a-bout to Lilliput.

Minister McNeill said the project which took over a year from inception, was executed on time at a cost of $271 million provided by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). “This project is going to enhance the lives of Jamaicans and the value of our tourism product. Value along the Elegant Corridor and hotel rates can now go up”, he added.

However, Dr. McNeill also stressed that while the TEF was transforming Jamaica, the work done on projects were not being done specifically for visitors; “the visitor benefits from it but it’s really done to improve our country, to make Jamaica a better place for our Jamaicans then visitors can come and enjoy it with us.”

He was satisfied that the Elegant Corridor lighting project accomplished the objective of being transformational, affecting the lives of both Jamaicans and visitors to the resort city.

The LED lighting was implemented in collaboration with the Ministries of Transport, Works and Housing and Local Government and Community Development.

Local Government Minister Noel Arscott also underscored that though it was a hefty sum, “when you consider the possible effect on the earning potential of the tourism industry and the safety of our citizens then it’s not too heavy a price to pay.”

He said government was hoping to install LED lights right across Jamaica and if successful, that would save the country 50,000 barrels of oil per year, “therefore this demonstration of modern technology is in itself, an example which we really want to appreciate.”

Minister Arscott also welcomed the multi-ministerial collaboration as a good example of “joined up government” adding that, “it is more of these things that we need to do to enhance and stretch the dollar that we have to invest in Jamaica.”

The lights were welcomed by Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris who also pointed to the value they bring to what he said was the fastest growing city in the western hemisphere.

The central switch controlling the lights was switched on jointly by Ministers McNeill and Arscott, officially commissioning the lights and giving motorists who were travelling along the dark corridor a pleasant surprise.

The contractor, Y.P.  Seaton & Associates, the National Works Agency and other parties associated with the execution of the project were commended for a job well done.

Kingston Jamaica: September 2, 2015:  The Ministry of Tourism & Entertainment and C and D Construction and Engineering Company Limited, today signed an agreement for expenditure to the tune of just over fifty million dollars ($50M), for the rehabilitation of the West Wing of the Milk River Hotel & Spa in Clarendon. The agreement was signed by Paul Badresingh, Director, Corporate Services at the Tourism Product Development Company Ltd. (TPDCo), which will provide oversight for the project and Mr. Clive Wint, Managing Director of the firm which was awarded the contract after a public tender process. It was duly witnessed by Hon. Dr. Wkyeham McNeill, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment and Hon. Noel Arscott, Minister of Local Government and Community Development.

The rehabilitation will only include renovation of the West Wing of the facility. The work includes demolition and alterations, upgrading of the electrical systems along with the associated wall, ceiling, floor finishes; painting and decorating. There will also be plumbing and mechanical installation and the replacement of leaking and damaged roof sheeting and frame.

According to Minister McNeill “this rehabilitation is the beginning of an exercise that will, in the medium term contribute to the strategic brand positioning of this historic national attraction with its unique mineral waters. It is expected to increase the revenue earning potential of Milk River Bath & Spa by enhancing its aesthetic appeal, expanding its range of services and increasing its marketability.” 

The project is funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and is projected to begin on September 7 with a completion date set for December 7, 2015. Thirty (30) persons in the community are expected to benefit from employment opportunities that will be created from the impending works. The facility will remain open during the renovation process as three mineral baths will remain in operation.

Milk River Bath and Spa, which currently has twenty rooms, of which only thirteen (13) are operable, nine mineral baths and a mineral pool, is well known for its potential as a world class mineral spring spa. It has not however fully lived up to its potential due to its aging infrastructure, vulnerability to flooding, limited product/market differentiation, poor road conditions and other challenges which have hampered its viability. Presently the facility boasts other amenities to include a conference room; massage room; restaurant and dining room; cocktail bar; gift and snack counter.

Kingston, Jamaica: August 31, 2015 – Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, returned to Jamaica from Beijing, China, yesterday (August 30) with high praises for the nation’s athletes whose exceptional performance at the 2015 IAAF World Championships not only earned Jamaica 12 medals but also had a considerable and positive impact on Brand Jamaica.

“The outstanding performance of our athletes in Beijing has had a tremendous effect on Brand Jamaica.  The eyes of the world were on our athletes, especially Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and as a result there was a greater awareness about Jamaica. The promotional space which we established dubbed Jamaica House Beijing provided the opportunity to leverage the popularity of Jamaica’s athletes to market our destination,” said Minister McNeill.

Minister McNeill and Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, were in Beijing for five days to participate in activities aimed at marketing destination Jamaica during the IAAF World Championships, which ended yesterday. While in Beijing, Minister McNeill and Mr. Pennicook met with leading travel and tourism stakeholders to explore opportunities to benefit the island’s tourism sector and increase visitor arrivals from Asia, including representatives from Air China, Hainan Airlines, China Travel Service, Caissa and American Airlines.

The senior tourism officials also attended a number of Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) promotional events to market Jamaica and further strengthen the links between China and Jamaica.  This included the very popular JTB-hosted Jamaica House Beijing, which sought to capitalize on the global focus on the Jamaica track and field team at the major sporting event.

“We saw scores of persons, including tour operators, travel agents and media, visiting Jamaica House Beijing each evening to enjoy our culture, food and music, and also to do business,” said Minister McNeill, underscoring the winning Jamaica House concept which was used to great success at the 2012 London Olympics, the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013, and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

As part of its strategy to attract visitors from the immense Chinese visitor market, in February 2014, the Jamaican Government approved the conditional waiving of visa requirements for Chinese nationals travelling to Jamaica for tourism purposes for periods of 30 days or less.

In April this year, a world cruise tour by the Costa Atlantica saw some 1,000 Chinese visitors arrive in Ocho Rios, the single largest number of Chinese visitors to arrive in the island ever via cruise.

The JTB is planning follow up meetings with the Chinese tour operators and travel agents with whom they interfaced during the four days of Jamaica House Beijing promotions.

Kingston, Jamaica: August 23, 2015 – As Jamaicans all across the globe continue to celebrate Usain Bolt’s victory to retain his 100 metre title at the 15^th IAAF World Championships now underway in Beijing, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, is expressing confidence that the win will help to further boost efforts to market destination Jamaica.

This as Minister McNeill and Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, will travel to Beijing, China, this week to participate in activities aimed at marketing destination Jamaica during the championships, being held from August 23-30, 2015. They depart for Beijing on August 25.

Minister McNeill said “I want to commend Usain on successfully defending his title in such fine style. His latest victory will give a significant boost to the Jamaica House promotional efforts. The nation rejoices as Bolt once again creates history.” He added that “it’s good to hear reggae music back in the Birds Nest in Beijing and Usain has again put Jamaica on the front pages all across the globe.”

While in Beijing, Minister McNeill and Mr. Pennicook will attend a number of Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) promotional events, which are intended to market Jamaica and further strengthen the links between China and Jamaica.   This includes the JTB-hosted Jamaica House Beijing, which seeks to capitalize on the global focus on the Jamaica track and field team at this major sporting event.

Modeled on the Jamaica House concept which proved to be the highly successfully at the 2012 London Olympics, the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013, and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Jamaica House Beijing seeks to present an alluring ‘snapshot’ of Jamaican culture, food and music, highlighting the destination both as a place to visit as well as to do business.

Tour operators TUI Travel and Virgin Holidays both credit meetings at Jamaica House at the 2012 London Olympics with their decision to increase service and investment in Jamaica. In the following year, 2013, Jamaica had 4.5% growth in visitor arrivals out of the UK, breaking four consecutive years of negative growth out of this market; 2014 saw 17.1% growth and already for 2015 this important market is up 24%.  It is hoped that the Beijing promotional activities will positively impact the China market in much the same way and help to attract more Chinese visitors to the island.

In February 2014, the Jamaican Government approved the conditional waiving of visa requirements for Chinese nationals travelling to Jamaica for tourism purposes for periods of 30 days or less in a bid to ease travel between the two countries.

Minister McNeill and Mr. Pennicook will return to the island on Sunday, August 30, 2015.

Kingston, Jamaica; August 19, 2015: Former Chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) Littleton 'Tanny' Shirley has been announced as the first investor in the Shovel-Ready Project initiative — a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, and the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce.   The announcement was made yesterday at the New Kingston offices of the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment.

Shirley, who has recently allocated a 29-acre beach front property in Mammee Bay, St Ann, formally handed over a cheque for US$1000.00 to the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) towards the Shovel-Ready programme.  

This donation will go towards the initiative’s marketing fund which further increases the efficiency of the programme. Former Director of Tourism, John Lynch, who now heads the shovel-ready initiative, explained that with this funding, they have also been able to set the target of engaging 10-15 new investors by January 2016.

“This initiative is a great one it gives comfort not only to the seller but to the potential investor.  Coming to Jamaica there are timelines in which approval can be given. This will be a welcomed negotiating tool for the potential investors who are looking for lands to develop in Jamaica,” said Shirley.

He is hopeful that through his partnership with the Shovel-Ready initiative that the development of his property will quickly get underway and positively impact Jamaica’s economy and the country’s tourism industry.  “The demand for green acreage now is high in Jamaica. Prior investors were looking for existing hotels but there are not many around now because most of them have been taken up. The tourism sector is doing a fantastic job by bringing in more visitors to Jamaica and therefore a demand for rooms is constantly increasing.” he continued. 

Making the initial announcement during his contribution to the 2014/15 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, explained that the project is done jointly with the TEF, JAMPRO, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and Commissioner of Lands to pre-package a number of investment offerings.

The initiative also aims to directly assist investors by: obtaining tacit development approvals, conducting carrying capacity studies, assessing appropriate land utilization and installing preliminary infrastructure. By doing this, the process of investing in Jamaica’s tourism industry will now be streamlined and expedited.

“If an investor came and bought a piece of land, it would take sometimes up to two years before they could break ground now with this shovel-ready project it’s possible for an investor to break ground in six months,” Lynch explained.

Earlier this year, a list containing four tourism-related sites was presented to Cabinet, which considered whether approval will be given for a set of shovel-ready projects to move forward. When asked about the status of this, Lynch shared that much is being done to get those projects underway.

“We started the growth agenda committee and the first projects that were presented to be made shovel-ready, were four properties for the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). Since then there have been some commitments made on three of the four.  So right now there is only one UDC property,” stated Lynch.

“We later expanded to allow private-sector companies to come in and we have about 12 or 14 properties in various forms that we are aiming to get ‘shovel-ready’. TEF is providing the funding to do a lot of the studies and make the place shovel ready. When the property is sold to a developer, TEF gets back their money with a small interest,” he continued. 

Once these investors have been confirmed, assistance will be provided with land acquisition, concept design, planning and approvals, environmental permits, and building approvals.