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.

The Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment in recognition of individuals and organizations which have demonstrated best practices and offer excellent customer service will host the National Tourism Service Excellence Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 28, 2015.

Excellent customer service delivery from every entity is integral to the continued growth of the Jamaican tourism product. One of the most important components of the visitor experience is the quality of the interface between the visitor and the tourism worker, and their experience with tourism services while on vacation. The National Tourism Service Excellence Awards is geared towards promoting performance excellence within the sector.

The Major objectives of the Awards are:

• To recognize tourism entities that continually achieve sustained levels of excellence in customer service delivery;
• To recognize individual workers who continue to surpass normal customer service delivery standards;
• To select, showcase and award the Best in Service excellence in order to establish internal benchmarks for all the categories of business in the Tourism Sector; and,
• To evaluate the service being provided within the industry and serve as a mechanism to encourage tourism entities to improve customer service delivery.

All eligible nominees are welcomed, and details of who may be nominated and the guidelines for same are available on this site and may be accessed by clicking here. 

Should you require further clarification, kindly contact Ms. Allasandra Chung or Ms. Patricia Patterson - 968 3441 or by email at allasandra.chung@tpdco.org or patricia.patterson@tpdco.org respectively. 

Kingston Jamaica, August 12, 2015: The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has cemented its commitment to the development of our nation’s future leaders through their summer internship programme.  

Now in its eighth year, it has provided temporary employment and training to thousands of high school seniors and tertiary students and continues to show progressive growth each year.

This year, the programme placed a record high of 820 persons— a significant increase from the 80 individuals who were selected in the programme’s initial year — in various public and private sector organizations.  Naturally, the budget for the programme also saw an increase from J$8.6 million to J$42 million dollars this year.  Thus far, TEF has invested a total of J$146,128,641.00 in the initiative. 

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr. Wykeham McNeill is enthusiastic about the programme. “The Ministry’s internship programme, administered by TEF, is a very important ingredient in the mix of strategies, policies and initiatives that we have instituted to ensure the sustainability of our important tourism sector. It is a concrete investment in our future as a large number of young people have the opportunity to enjoy hands-on exposure to the complex range of skills required to regulate, support and maintain the sector on the cutting edge,” he stated.

The internship, which is the brainchild of TEF’s Manager of Investments & Accounts Diane Brown-Allen, was created with the intention of making a meaningful impact in the lives of Jamaica’s youth, especially those who are from vulnerable communities.

Allen also sought to ensure that all young people could be awarded the same opportunities in the workplace and would be an asset to any organization. Special preference is given to young persons who have an interest in tourism, they shared that applicants with an interest in other fields are also welcome to apply.

The programme runs for a period of 12 weeks in two six-week batches. At the end of the six-week period, both employers and interns are given a mandatory evaluation sheet to give feedback on their experience.

 “For some of these interns, the TEF Summer Internship Programme is their first exposure to the corporate world. The evaluation is often used as a reference letter when needed for future employment and we keep a record of all our interns on file,” says TEF’s Executive Director, Clyde Harrison.

It is primarily publicised via word of mouth and has grown so vastly, that the selection process takes place at the beginning of the year, with application deadline being the 31st of March. This allows the coordinators and partners to have adequate time for planning, assessment and placement.

 “A number of our interns go on to training in the hospitality sector, joining the thousands of Jamaicans who earn a good living in the wide range of companies that are involved directly and indirectly in tourism,” shared Minister McNeill.

Interns who have done well have also been given the opportunity to be placed in permanent jobs, upon the completion of their studies at the organization in which they were placed. 

Giselle Lobban is one of the many interns who have now been placed in a permanent position at the organization of their choice, through their affiliation with the TEF Summer Internship Programme. Lobban, who started her internship while pursuing her Bachelors in Food and Beverage Management at the University of Technology, is now the Food and Beverage Supervisor for the Melting Pot Restaurant at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, an achievement she credits to her affiliation with the internship.

 “Within my first three weeks of the internship programme, they asked me to stay on board. I was working at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites part-time until I graduated from university...It’s a really good programme and it really helped me out. I am still reaping the benefits since my internship in 2008” shared Lobban.

At the end, the participants are given a stipend which varies based on their qualifications. This allowance “assists students in meeting their educational expenses, a factor which should also be recognized as an important aspect of the programme,” stated Minister McNeill.   

TEF also hosts an award ceremony at the end of the summer which celebrates the interns’ accomplishments at the organizations they were placed in. Top performers have been given awards such as scholarships, laptops and book vouchers to assist them in the completion of their studies.  A special perk for some interns is that they have received recreational tokens such as airline tickets, and day-passes at various tourism attractions across the island.