Buenos Aires; ARGENTINA; Tuesday, August 2,2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, in relaying some of the strategic objectives for the Latin American (Latam) market, has singled out Argentina as a critical part of those objectives. Home to popular international football player Lionel Messi, with a population of 45 million, Argentina represents the largest market for Jamaica in the region.

"We recognize the importance of increasing arrivals from this large and influential country in our overall strategy to fully reengage Latam. Before the pandemic, we welcomed over approximately 7,000 visitors from Argentina and was poised to significantly improve those numbers, but the pandemic hit. Now, as we rebuild in the region, Argentina will be a key focus for us," said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister made the announcement at a special luncheon that hosted over 120 of Jamaica's travel, trade, and media partners at the Four Seasons Hotel in Argentina yesterday.

Kingston, Jamaica; Wednesday, August 2, 2023: Buoyed by the full recovery of Jamaica's tourism sector, Hon Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism is targeting 250,000 visitors from Latin America (Latam) over the next 5 years. The move forms part of the Minister's aggressive push to reengage this large source market.

"The Latin America region has over 600 million people, a growing middle class and represents one of the largest source markets for Jamaica that we must capitalize on. With travel fully returned and the potential of new airlift out of the region, we are building out strategies to attract these visitors," said Minister Bartlett.

Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were some 11 weekly flights between Panama and Jamaica via Copa Airlines and new services by LATAM Airlines with some three flights per week between Lima, Peru, a major South American travel hub, and Montego Bay.

Copa Airlines remains the strongest airline partner with an increased frequency of 4 flights weekly to both Montego Bay and Kingston, with the aim of providing 5 flights weekly to both cities by early 2024.

"Now is the time for Jamaica, a sought-after destination, to leverage this very lucrative market as part of our drive to welcome 5 million visitors by 2025. With 20 thousand rooms coming on stream in Jamaica, we will need to engage our airline partners for more airlift and seats, our tour operators, and create more investment to support this drive," said Minister Bartlett.

In 2019, Jamaica welcomed over 38 thousand visitors from Latam, and the island was poised to increase this number in 2020, but then COVID hit. Coming out of the pandemic, in 2022, Jamaica was able to welcome over 22 thousand visitors from the region.

Minister Bartlett is in Latin America with a team of senior tourism representatives as part of a high-level strategic reengagement of the region.

Over the course of eight days, Minister Bartlett and other tourism officials will visit Buenos Aires in Argentina, Santiago in Chile and Lima, Peru. Mr. Bartlett and members of the team have undertaken a full slate of scheduled engagements which involves a series of meetings with representatives of various local authorities, ministries of tourism and Copa Airlines, one of the major carriers in the region.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, July 28, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has urged delinquent employers in the tourism industry “to step up to the plate and honour their commitment to workers to match the 5 percent contribution” made by members of the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS).

The call came at the first annual general meeting of the scheme, held in hybrid form at the Montego Bay Convention Centre recently. The TWPS was launched in January 2022 and Minister Bartlett stressed that “up to July 21, 2023 membership enrolment stood at 6,214, with contributions totalling approximately $876 million.”

As of January 1, 2023, the contribution rate for members of the scheme was increased from 3% to 5% of their earnings. This is to be matched by a 5% contribution from their employers. However, Minister Bartlett lamented that some employers are not paying the employers portion and need to do the honourable thing. Mr. Bartlett also suggested that employees could contribute a higher portion of their earnings, such as 10%, ensuring a pension higher than the $200,000 per year minimum benchmark.

The scheme is designed to cover all workers ages 18–59 years in the tourism sector, whether permanent, contract or self-employed. This includes hotel workers and people employed in related industries, such as craft vendors, tour operators, red cap porters, contract carriage operators, and workers at attractions. Benefits will be payable at age 65 or older.

The Government of Jamaica committed J$1 billion to seed the scheme so that immediate benefits can accrue to qualified pensioners. Sagicor Life Jamaica manages the Fund and Guardian Life Ltd. is the administrator.

Underscoring the importance of the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, Mr. Bartlett said it had the potential for nearly 500,000 contributors in Jamaica alone with the capacity of having trillions of dollars made available for investment in the economy.

This public savings, said Mr. Bartlett, “now becomes the pool of capital that is available for on-lending for infrastructural development and investment in commercial activities with high levels of appreciation and the returns come back to build the fund and to strengthen the capacity of the country itself.”

He said the pension fund could also be accessed for investment in tourism as employers would in time be able to borrow for expansion and development “and the good news is that the government has provided an opportunity for tax relief from that contribution.”   

He also said plans were in the works for a major public education programme targeting tourism workers at all levels and senior students in high schools “because this programme is not just about providing a social safety net, but also building the culture of saving to create domestic savings.”

Minister Bartlett said the pension programme was one element of a broader strategy aimed at “rolling out an architecture to create a labour market arrangement for tourism overall that makes our industry more attractive and workers feel more secure and that their future is also assured.”

He said the second element was the training and certification of tourism workers while the third was ensuring that classification is brought fully in line with remuneration. What will eventually happen in the industry, he said, “is a new system of meritocracy with equity; you are trained, you qualify, you’re certified, you’re classified; you cannot be denied access.”

Kingston, Jamaica; Thursday, July 27, 2023: In a bid to boost Jamaica’s share of the lucrative South American travel market, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has departed the island en route to three Latin American countries where he will engage critical tourism stakeholders during a weeklong visit to the region.

“South America’s economic recovery to pre-pandemic levels has been quite impressive and we’re confident that this is a good time to pursue opportunities for collaboration between Jamaica and tourism players in that region,” asserted Minister Bartlett.

“Prior to COVID-19, we would have observed significant interest coming from the Latin American market and post-pandemic, the demand has increased. Given this trajectory, we are excited about the future and developing our market share in this side of the world, as we seek to foster the continued growth of our tourism sector,” Minister Bartlett added.

Over the course of eight days, Minister Bartlett and other tourism officials are scheduled to visit Buenos Aires in Argentina, Santiago in Chile and Lima, Peru. The scheduled engagements will involve a series of meetings with representatives of various local authorities, ministries of tourism and Copa Airlines, one of the major carriers in the region.

Before COVID-19, there were some 11 weekly flights between Panama and Jamaica via Copa Airlines and new services by LATAM Airlines with some three flights per week between Lima, Peru and Montego Bay.

In this regard, Minister Bartlett added: “Our mission is to enrich the relationship with Latin America and bolster visitor arrivals coming from the south as we strive to meet our target of 5 million annual visitors by 2025. I was recently in Ecuador for the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas Meeting and the feedback coming from our partners there was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging, so we must strike while the iron is hot.” 

Minister Bartlett will also meet with representatives from local universities to discuss expanding the Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s (GTRCMC) presence in South America.

The tourism minister and the other Jamaican representatives are scheduled to return to the island on Friday, August 4.

Kingston, Jamaica; Monday, July 17, 2023: The pivotal role of tourism as the lifeblood of many rural communities in Jamaica and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been outlined to a global audience by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. Minister Bartlett highlighted the importance of the sector in this regard while addressing participants at a special side event during the United Nations (UN) High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development recently.

During the panel discussion, held at the UN headquarters in New York City, Mr. Bartlett was asked to share the challenges and opportunities within the context of championing tourism resilience, that he currently faces as a minister in putting tourism front and centre in efforts for achieving the SDGs.

He presented tourism as often being the only viable economic sector generating mass employment for residents and income opportunities for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. This became particularly evident post-COVID when tourism demonstrated that it was the main engine of growth for an economy that had been devastated by the pandemic.

Measured against the 17 SDGs, Minister Bartlett said: “The tourism sector has demonstrated its enormous potential to deliver results in relation to several of these.”

In Jamaica, he said, “tourism remains one of the most labour-intensive sectors of the national economy and generates jobs not only in the sector, but through its value chain in many other sectors such as the cultural industries, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, transportation, entertainment, handicrafts, health, financial services or information and communication technologies.” He said ultimately by keeping thousands of Jamaicans employed and earning wages that stimulate consumption in the broader national economy, tourism was a significant catalyst of poverty reduction.

Minister Bartlett stated that the tourism sector promoted social inclusiveness and inclusive economic growth by generating a wide range of employment opportunities for Jamaicans across all age ranges, skill levels, educational levels, social and economic classes and geographical locations. Also, with more than 60% of tourism workers being women, the sector was contributing positively to their economic empowerment.

In spite of the positive attributes, Mr. Bartlett admitted that there were long-standing challenges presenting implications for the transition of the tourism sector to sustainability. Minister Bartlett argued that generally, tourism development in Small Island Developing States (SIDs) such as Jamaica typically highlighted the difficulty of balancing economic development with environmental sustainability since the tourism product in these countries was considerably based on the exploitation of depleting natural resources.

He noted that issues such as the pervasiveness of ‘economic leakage,’ and making the sector more inclusive needed to be addressed globally. Minister Bartlett maintained however, that the challenges he outlined were not insurmountable as economic growth and environmental sustainability were not in conflict and “countries like Jamaica have significant potential to accelerate the development of niche tourism markets that balance economic growth with environmental sustainability such as eco-tourism, health and wellness tourism and culture and heritage tourism.”

Kingston, Jamaica; July 13, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will be travelling to the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City to attend a High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. Minister Bartlett departs the island today, Thursday, July 13 and is expected to participate in the HLPF’s official side event on Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism on Friday, July 14.

The event is being organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in collaboration with Croatia’s Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Ministry of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Tourism of India. It is aimed at showcasing how multilateral, public and private sector partnerships are contributing to the fulfilment of tourism’s potential in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Jamaica is currently pioneering some of the most transformational tourism-related strategies and policies internationally. The Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy is almost at the white paper stage and we’ve been partnering with the IDB to develop the Tourism Strategy and Action Plan. So, this forum provides an ideal opportunity to share the approaches we have been taking but more importantly, it gives us a chance to benefit from the knowledge, best practices and expertise in tourism that other member states bring to the table,” asserted Minister Bartlett.

Mr. Bartlett will participate in the forum alongside ministers of tourism from countries such as Croatia and India as well as Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism. Some of the event’s objectives include enhancing awareness around the need for resilient tourism practices and sustainable recovery strategies, emphasising the role of data in tracking progress and ensuring the alignment of tourism initiatives with broader policy objectives and demonstrating how the private sector can advance towards effective sustainability actions for tourism.

In keeping with this, Minister Bartlett noted that: “A key focus of the forum is to inspire common action between the public and private sectors to achieve social, environmental and governance sustainability within the tourism industry. In Jamaica, our strategic direction aligns perfectly with this mission. We understand that tourism is a confluence of moving parts often led by privately owned entities. Once we work together in a synergistic way, we’ll be able to push forward innovative solutions that strengthen tourism’s role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Minister Bartlett is scheduled to return to the island on Sunday, July 16.

Kingston, Jamaica; Saturday, July 1, 2023: Jamaica has set its sights on regaining its share of the South American visitor market.

With the region now almost fully recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has assured that the time is right to regain pre-pandemic market share.

Minister Bartlett, who was recently in Quito, Ecuador, for the 68th World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas Meeting (CAM) and Seminar on Sustainable Investments, is confident of Jamaica regaining lost ground in South America.

“We think that South America is ready for Jamaica again. The response I got while I was there, meeting with the ministers from Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Peru all indicate that their economies are again able to provide the flow into the region that we had prior to COVID,” he said.

Recovery in South America is now at just under 70% of pre-COVID-19 levels and, said Minister Bartlett, “Success in restoring this market, coupled with the full recovery of the American and British markets, will guarantee us meeting our targets of just about three (3) million visitors from stopover arrivals in 2023 and projected earnings US$4.2 billion.”

Prior to the pandemic, Jamaica had some 11 flights per week between Panama and Jamaica by Copa Airlines, which offers connections throughout Central and South America, and new services by LATAM Airlines with three weekly flights between Lima (Peru) and Montego Bay offering convenient connections with cities in Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.

The stage is now being set for a major market blitz covering Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru between July 28 and August 4, 2023, led by Mr. Bartlett in full coordination with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

“Development of the thrust for gaining market share for Central and South America will begin in earnest,” said Minister Bartlett as he recalled the good relationship that had been built up prior to the pandemic.

“But now we are restoring that relationship, commencing with preliminary discussions taking place with Fidel Murgueytio, General Manager of Ecuador’s largest tour operator for sending traffic to the Caribbean, Maxitravel,” he said. Talks on the renewed initiative have also been had with Minister of Tourism for Ecuador, Hon. Niels Olsen on areas for cooperation in tourism that will redound to the benefit of both countries.

Ecuador is strong on eco-tourism and altitude tourism and Minister Bartlett outlined that in a collaborative programme, Jamaica will be assisted in both areas “and we will reciprocate in terms of resilience and sustainability, the building out of human capital programmes as well as product development in relation to destination assurance and marketing.”

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) is also looking to expand its satellite network in South America with Minister Olsen expressing keen interest in seeing this through to reality. Details of a memorandum of understanding are to be worked out with a view to having it signed in short order.

Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, June 30, 2023: The parish of St. Thomas is set to experience a rapid transformation of its tourism product with the surge of new developments on the way. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett reinforced this while addressing residents in Hillside during the recently concluded islandwide Destination Assurance tour. Minister Bartlett stressed that once key pieces of infrastructure like the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) and the new Morant Bay Urban Centre are in place, investments will begin to flow into the eastern parish.

“The St. Thomas and Portland corridor is the new exciting frontier for tourism development in Jamaica. The effect of the highway both to connect Kingston to St. Thomas as well as to connect St. Thomas to east Portland is going to be the game-changer for providing high-end tourism offerings in the area. We’re already seeing interest and action from locals coming in with their strong investment dollars to look at real estate development, and we’re excited about that,” asserted the tourism minister.

At the same time, Minister Bartlett encouraged Jamaican investors to start brainstorming ideas for St. Thomas and emphasised that he wishes to see a locally driven transformation effort that creates experiences for the people of Jamaica first, which are then shared with the rest of the world.

In discussing the natural assets that make St. Thomas attractive, Minister Bartlett noted, “Reggae Falls excites us. Even though it is not a natural fall in the sense of what the geophysical features endowed us with, it still has the essence of what a really lovely fall is all about. What is also unique about it is the river. We have two rivers that meet in the area, and with it, we could do a riverine experience along with the falls.”

The tourism minister underscored that the site visit was investigative and aimed at more closely understanding the asset so that the Ministry could better formulate a plan that incorporates all the necessary players as well as the community in building a product that is enjoyed by local and international visitors.

Additionally, Minister Bartlett visited the Bath Fountain Hotel, which he said would undergo further development shortly. The tourism minister also indicated that he would be returning to St. Thomas in July for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly rehabilitated road leading to the hotel, which was financed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and executed by the National Works Agency (NWA).

Quito, Ecuador; Wednesday, June 28, 2023: Jamaica  has been elected to serve on the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Executive Council for 2023-2027 alongside Colombia. The decision was made during the 68th UNWTO Commission for the Americas Meeting (CAM) currently underway in Quito, Ecuador.

In celebrating the achievement, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said, “Jamaica has been among the top-performing countries in the Americas leading a robust recovery in travel and tourism. Being elected alongside Colombia to represent our regional colleagues is an incredible honour, and we look forward to contributing wholesomely to the organization’s thrust to promote tourism as a driver of sustainable economic growth for developing nations especially.”

The Executive Council is responsible for the management and implementation of strategic decisions carried out by the UNWTO.

“We are thrilled by the expression of confidence our fellow member states have shown. I continue to invite deeper collaboration among regional partners as we work to build resilience regionally and internationally. We are among the most tourism-dependent regions in the world, and it is imperative that our views are represented at the highest level,” added the tourism minister.

Other decisions arising from the meeting include the Dominican Republic’s selection to serve as President of the Regional Commission for Americas for 2023-2025. Argentina and Paraguay have been selected to serve as Vice-Presidents of CAM for the same period as well as for the UNWTO General Assembly to be held in October.  

Minister Bartlett has been participating in a series of panels, presentations and seminars focused on tourism investment trends and opportunities in the Americas. A highlight of the 68^th CAM was the Investment Seminar that explored the promotion of investments through technical cooperation, building capacity for tourism development and accessing financing that accelerates climate resilience in the regional sector.

It was agreed that Cuba would host the 69^th CAM scheduled for 2024.

Kingston, Jamaica; Wednesday, June 28, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has indicated that discussions are underway for further development of the Ken Wright Cruise Ship Pier in Port Antonio, Portland. The pier experienced its busiest winter season with the arrival of 12 cruise ships, carrying over 5000 visitors and on average 43 yachts arriving per month including several mega yachts, last winter.

Speaking recently while on a Destination Assurance tour of Portland, Minister Bartlett said, “We had a chance to look at the Ken Wright Pier, which has now been brought back into activity post-COVID. We’re very happy to note that they had a record arrival of vessels in the winter that added to the economic well-being of the people in the area. It’s a good signal that the activities at the pier are stepping up and I want to commend the team at PAJ and JAMVAC who have been working to get the Port Antonio cruise industry back on track.”

The tourism minister underscored that given this upward trajectory, he and his team at the Ministry of Tourism were thrilled about the future of cruise in the parish. In keeping with this, Minister Bartlett suggested that plans are afoot to seriously incorporate Navy Island into Portland’s tourism product. However, he cautioned that additional details would become available at the opportune time.

Notwithstanding this, some residents in attendance at the public consultation meeting raised concerns about the pace at which cruise ships were returning to the Ken Wright Pier. In addressing these concerns, Port Manager, Donna Samuda-Wilson said, “Port Antonio only accommodates boutique vessels which means that they can go to every other destination, making it very competitive to get them into Port Antonio. Our cruise season runs from October to March, so it’s not going to be all year round. Before COVID, we were not getting more than six vessels and last winter we had twelve. So, I think we’re doing very well.”

Minister Bartlett further noted that with Port Antonio’s natural beauty and the development presently taking place, it will easily become a preferred port of call for cruise ships.

“The government is channelling significant investments into transforming the eastern end of the island. That’s why the Destination Assurance Framework and Strategy (DAFS) is so important. We are preparing the public and stakeholders to all play their parts in bringing together a unique and profitable tourism experience for the people of Portland as well as visitors,” added the tourism minister.