KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday, March 24, 2023: Jamaica's vibrant cultural capital, Kingston, beat out 152 entrants from 28 nations to be selected Best Creative Destination for 2023 by the jury of the 9th Creative Tourism Awards.

The award was recently presented to the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, by Caroline Couret, Director of the Creative Tourism Network®, on behalf of the International Committee, on the margins of ITB Berlin, the world's leading travel trade show, in Germany.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett described the win as a major accolade for Kingston, which has steadily been gaining traction as a cultural and music destination. “Kingston is the unquestioned cultural heart of Jamaica and the Caribbean. We have been taking aggressive steps to position Kingston as a vibrant urban tourism destination. As a result, we are seeing a growing number of travellers choosing Kingston for its many culinary, music, art, sport and cultural offerings,” noted the Tourism Minister. “There is a good reason why Kingston was designated a UNESCO Creative City,” he added.

Minister Bartlett heaped praises on the Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Senator Delroy Williams and the wider Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) for the excellent job they are doing to transform Kingston into a Destination City. “They have been doing a phenomenal job of positioning Kingston as an appealing destination city that attracts visitors through its history, culture and entertainment. Visitors get to experience a Jamaica that is so much more than sun, sea and sand,” said the Minister.

Created by the Creative Tourism Network®, an organization for the development and promotion of creative tourism worldwide, the Creative Tourism Awards aim to reward companies, projects, and destinations worldwide that encourage all forms of artistic and creative tourism. The jury that selected Kingston for the award comprises global experts in the fields of tourism marketing and creative economy.

In recognizing Jamaica’s capital as a Best Creative Destination, the jury highlighted the following values of Kingston:

·         The support for artists, artisans, creatives and entrepreneurs in developing their practice and showcasing their work in a sustainable way.

·         The empowerment of persons from marginalized communities to leverage their creativity, be a part of the creative development of Downtown Kingston and build profitable businesses.

·         The effort to regenerate the urban environment of Downtown Kingston, using art to improve the space in which people live, work and play as well as where they think, invent and create.

·         The approach focusing not only on the destination but also on the people to make the travel experience more authentic and rewarding.

The Kingston nomination was submitted by Kingston Creative, a non-profit organization whose primary goal is to transform Downtown Kingston into a city tourism destination using art, culture and technology.

Plans Too for Lucea

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Saturday, March 24, 2023: Both the Hanover parish capital, Lucea, and the popular resort of Negril are being earmarked for major development to enhance them as tourist towns.

With key hotel developments currently underway east and west of Lucea, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says much is in store that will make this area rival other existing resorts.

Construction is underway on the 950-room expansion of Grand Palladium Resorts as well as the new 2000-room Princess Jamaica Resort. Also, work is expected to commence shortly on construction of the Viva Wyndham Resort in Hanover.

Further details on these developments will be known when Minister Bartlett makes his Sectoral Presentation in Parliament on April 18. Meanwhile, he has also signalled that one of Lucea’s historical treasures, Fort Charlotte, is to receive attention and play an important role in marine life in the west.

On Thursday (March 23), Minister Bartlett, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Jennifer Griffith, Senior Advisor and Strategist Delano Seiveright and other senior personnel from the Ministry, toured the two hotels and the old fort from which an aged canon seemingly stands guard over the town.

The two-day tour of tourism entities and attractions in Hanover and Westmoreland is part of an island wide destination assurance drive to ensure that Jamaica delivers on its brand promise to visitors, which assures an authentic, safe, and seamless experience that is respectful towards the community and the environment.

Minister Bartlett echoed announcements made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in his budget presentation, noting that “Negril is one of our premier tourist destinations and in need of a major injection of resource support to realize its full potential. Within the upcoming fiscal year, the Government will present a comprehensive development plan which will include an international airport, a public beach park, a craft village and, with the help of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a restored Royal Palm Reserve.”

As a fast-growing town, Negril is without any major commercial, industrial or civic complexes and “the Prime Minister has tasked the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) with developing an urban centre for the resort town like that of Morant Bay. Land strategically located in the centre of the town has been identified and consultations started with the relevant stakeholders regarding its use. Soon Negril will be the jewel of Jamaica and the Caribbean,” added the tourism minister.

Additional infrastructure developments that will benefit Negril tremendously are the recently announced bypass road arrangements from Hopewell and Lucea, which will ease traffic congestion and make for faster travel time, as well as significant upgrades to the water and sewage systems.  These major projects will start this financial year.

DISCOVERY BAY, St Ann, Jamaica; March 20, 2023: With the local hotel room-stock set to grow by 20,000 new rooms over the next five to ten years, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has welcomed a resurgence of the villas sub-sector.

Crediting the COVID-19 pandemic for bringing about a revival in villas for visitor accommodation, Mr. Bartlett said “Jamaica is now leading the way in providing new and exciting villa experiences for tourists across the region.”

His disclosure came as he gave the keynote address at the official opening of the $1.3 billion Bengal Cove Villas development in Discovery Bay over the weekend. He told the directors that he was very proud of what they were doing and that “I have more of these types of properties to open along this coast all the way to St Mary.”

Dubbing the north-eastern coastal region development as “the Jamaican Riviera”, he said discussions were underway “with some other people who are coming up with some other programmes for places like Robin’s Bay and Oracabessa and we’re going to be encouraging more and more Jamaicans to participate in this very important sub-sector of the industry.”

Mr Bartlett told the directors of Bengal Cove Villas that they were part of a growing segment of the accommodation sub-sector in Jamaica, citing that last year 29 percent of the approximately 3 million stopover visitors that came to Jamaica were in what he termed “the shared economy” pioneered by entities such as Airbnb.

He also underscored the democratization of the accommodation sub-sector and that a large group of people with varied size homes, apartments and villas “are now inserted in the tourism value chain, broadening therefore the range of participants in the industry, but more importantly providing slices of the pie for a larger number of Jamaican people.”

In a word of advice to persons venting concerns, he implored them to band together to reap greater rewards from the industry.

Regarding hotel room-stock, Minister Bartlett said Jamaica was going into a very important phase in its development as a country in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) “and right now on the cards, 20,000 new hotel rooms are to be built in Jamaica over the next five to ten years.”

He expressed concerns however, at approvals taking long periods to be finalized and underscored that “we need to develop that efficiency in construction that allows for us to start and complete projects in a time frame that allows for a fiscal cycle that is manageable.” While stating that the rules must be adhered to, he said central to this was the development orders, requirements for the administrative arrangements and the applications when they come in, “but more importantly we have to be more pointed in terms of the requirements to fulfil what is needed to enable fast approval.”

Minister Bartlett also implored those persons who he said might be a little anxious “and perhaps even a little disingenuous in terms of their comments about how things are going, to realize that the achievements of Jamaica and the growth that we have enabled did not come without some disruptions, and human capital disruptions is part of it.”

In this regard he pointed to the global tourism and travel industry losing seven million workers during the pandemic and the difficulty being faced in getting them back.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Wednesday, March 8, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, was today honoured with a “Lifetime Achievement Award For Promotion of Sustainable Travel & Tourism” by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Awards. The coveted award was presented to Minister Bartlett at the PATWA World Tourism & Aviation Leaders’ Summit at ITB Berlin in Germany.

The PATWA International Travel Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have excelled and are involved in the promotion of tourism from different sectors of the travel trade such as aviation, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, destinations, government bodies, tourism ministries and other service providers related directly or indirectly to the industry.

Thanking PATWA for the recognition, Minister Bartlett said, “I am honoured and humbled to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award. I am passionate about tourism and I am equally passionate about the sustainable development of tourism.  It is the only way that the industry can be leveraged as a catalyst for economic growth and the transformation of communities and nations.” He added that: “For long-term success tourism must be economically viable, socially inclusive and environmentally friendly. This award is proof that my advocacy is getting traction and has not fallen on deaf ears.”

As one of the world’s leading tourism ministers, Mr. Bartlett has become a powerful voice and tireless advocate for global tourism resilience and sustainability. Most recently, he was inducted into the Global Tourism Hall of Fame and received the Travel Pulse award for Global Tourism Innovation.

Additionally, he is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) headquartered at the University of the West Indies, Mona, which is dedicated to conducting policy-relevant research and analysis on destination preparedness, management and recovery due to disruptions and crises that impact tourism.

Under his leadership, tourism has been positioned as a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth, through job creation, Public Private Partnerships (PPPS), wealth creation and community transformation. Minister Bartlett also co-edited the book: Tourism Resilience and Recovery for Global Sustainability and Development: Navigating COVID-19 and the Future,’ with GTRCMC Executive Director, Professor Lloyd Waller.

Minister Bartlett is currently attending ITB Berlin, the world´s biggest travel show and convention, which attracts thousands of tourism professionals and key players from the global travel industry. The event runs from March 7-9, 2023 under the theme: “Open for Change.”

In keeping with continued efforts for tourism recovery, while in Germany, Minister Bartlett and a high-level Ministry of Tourism delegation will hold bilateral meetings with other government representatives as well as meet with key tourism partners and investors.

The Minister will be the keynote speaker and a panellist during the “New Narratives for work in travel” ITB session. He will also give the keynote address at a Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council event, titled: “Celebrate Global Tourism Resilience Day.”

Kingston, Jamaica; Monday, March 6, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett continues his quest of ensuring that Destination Jamaica and the tourism sector remain top of mind in international fora with his departure on Sunday to be a key participant in the much anticipated ITB Berlin Convention, now underway in Germany.

Having been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, this is the first face-to-face staging of the world’s biggest travel convention since the onset of COVID-19 and is planned to showcase decisive trends and provide unlimited opportunities for the travel business.

The Berlin Convention, which runs from March 7-9, is the leading travel industry think tank, attracting tourism professionals, key decision makers, the major buyers and sellers in the international travel trade. “As the global tourism sector continues to rebound from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic we are pleased to be able to attend ITB Berlin in person, and we will use this opportunity to further promote Destination Jamaica, strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones as we seek to foster continued growth in the tourism sector,” Minister Bartlett said. 

The Minister’s participation will see him as the keynote speaker and panelist on the topic “New Narratives for Work in Travel.”

One of the highlights of Minister Bartlett’s participation sees him also giving the keynote address at an event celebrating Global Tourism Resilience Day following last month’s approval by the United Nations for the day to be observed each year. This after Jamaica’s efforts to bolster resilience in global tourism by proposing the official designation of February 17th as Global Tourism Resilience Day annually yielded great success.

Mr. Bartlett’s itinerary also includes a number of high-level meetings on subject areas such as the: “Global Employment Initiative,” new flights and other tourism developments. He will also participate in several media activities and programmes as well as a bilateral meeting with Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb.

Additionally, Mr. Bartlett will be a special guest at the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Awards.  At the ITB Convention in 2019, Jamaica was presented with PATWA’s award for destination of the year. The awards recognize individuals and organisations that have excelled and/or are involved in the promotion of tourism from different sectors of the travel trade and service providers related directly or indirectly to the industry.

Before returning home on Saturday, March 11, the Minister will also meet with members of the Jamaican Community at the Embassy of Jamaica in Berlin.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 06, 2023: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the tourism industry has undergone a significant transformation in the wake of COVID-19 and that its future success now depends on the ability of its workforce to create innovative and distinctive experiences.

The Minister made these remarks on Friday, March 3, 2023, at the inaugural Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation's Tourism Career Expo, hosted by the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Tourism Product Development Company at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

During his speech to the over 400 students in attendance, he took the opportunity to urge young Jamaicans to consider tourism as a promising career option, emphasising the importance of rethinking their perspective on the industry. Bartlett highlighted that the reimagined tourism sector is not only financially rewarding but also thrives on input from individuals with diverse skill sets and backgrounds, ranging from industries directly linked to tourism to those indirectly associated with it.

"We are inviting you to an industry that will give you an opportunity to realize your best self. It will enable you to innovate, to think, to act, and to also convert information, knowledge, and ideas into value added experiences. When you enter this tourism experience, which we are asking you to join, it is the beginning of a whole new development of yourself and an expansion of your capacity to do and to be," said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister stated that the post-Covid industry requires a diverse range of talents, including those in fields like nuclear science, robotics, and nanotechnology. He also stressed that the future of work in tourism will significantly transform the sector, as machine intelligence and the internet of things will revolutionise the way basic services are provided. He predicted that this transformation would eliminate 70% of informal activities in tourism that pay lower remuneration, paving the way for more skilled and higher-paying job opportunities.

"Because machine intelligence and the internet of things are going to change the way basic services are provided in tourism. You [the youth of Jamaica] are going to be the manipulators of these gadgetries that flow from the internet of things… Then 3-D technology is going to create opportunities for the reproduction of goods in a manner that is impossible for a human being to do. So, what then is the future for you in tourism? It is going to be for you to be the drivers of new experiences," said Minister Bartlett.

The recently concluded tourism career expo was an integral component of the JCTI's public education programme, which aims to provide internationally recognised certification for individuals interested in pursuing a career in tourism. In addition to certification, the JCTI, which is a department of the TEF, is responsible for raising awareness among Jamaican youth, including high school and college students, about the multitude of opportunities available in the tourism industry.

The main objective of the career expo was to broaden young Jamaicans’ understanding of the various job roles in tourism as well as introduce students to both traditional and non-traditional career paths. Furthermore, the event served as a platform to connect employers and professionals with prospective job seekers and interns, while also providing recruitment professionals and guidance counsellors with valuable information about available tourism jobs.

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, Feb. 27, 2023 – Continuing to expand gateways and ease of access to the island for US travelers, Jamaica welcomed new nonstop air service from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) with Frontier Airlines. In keeping with Jamaica’s warm island culture, the inaugural flight was celebrated with traditional festivities upon departure from the airport and arrival to the island.

The new flight, operating three times per week, will be the only non-stop service from the Denver market, opening this important region to the destination. The new service marks the third new launch with Frontier Airlines this week, with the airline inaugurating new flights from St. Louis on Thursday along with Chicago Midway expected today. In addition, Frontier Airlines will launch new service from Dallas in May which will bring the total number of gateways with Jamaica to nine.

“I am pleased to welcome this new service from Frontier as we continue to grow our partnership together, said Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism. “It has been a banner week for Jamaica and the airline with our launches in St. Louis, Chicago, and Denver. It is a testament both to our strong partnership and the continued strong interest in Jamaica as a destination for U.S. travelers.”

“These new services will provide ever easier ways for our visitors to get to our shores and begin to connect with our rich culture and scenic adventures,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism.

“Our growth in Montego Bay and across the island is unmatched,” said Daniel Shurz, Senior Vice President of Commercial, Frontier Airlines. “Our expansion to three popular American destinations provides tremendous opportunity for Jamaicans who are eager for even more convenient and affordable travel options. Furthermore, we are thrilled to bring additional tourism and economic impact to Jamaica through this new service which will allow even more travelers from the U.S. to enjoy the island’s stunning beaches, communities, and resorts.” 

In addition to a special welcome from Jamaica Tourist Board representatives at the departure gateway in Denver, the jet received a high-spraying water salute on the runway upon arrival from MBJ Airport’s Emergency Response Service firefighting unit. A Jamaican flag was flown from the cockpit, and disembarking passengers were greeted by officials from the Jamaica Tourist Board, Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association. In keeping with tradition, gifts were presented to the pilots and crew of the flights in appreciation of their service during welcome receptions to close out the festivities.

Frontier Airlines’ non-stop flights to Montego Bay from Denver and St. Louis three times weekly and Chicago one time weekly.

Please check https://flights.flyfrontier.com/en/flights-from-montego-bay for additional information.
 

For more information on Jamaica, please visit www.visitjamaica.com.

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, February 28, 2023: Recognizing the tremendous contribution of the ocean to tourism development, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has called on global tourism stakeholders to play a leading role in adopting and encouraging more sustainable values, attitudes and practices that will promote healthy ocean and marine systems.

The call was made today by Minister Bartlett as he presented on “Resilience for Blue Economy” during the Caribbean Maritime University Port Royal Lecture Series. The Blue Economy is defined by the World Bank as “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.” 

“To ensure that the tourism industry plays its part in contributing to ocean sustainability there needs to be seriousness of intent, purpose and action among tourism stakeholders at all levels to address industrial actions that harm ocean and marine resources,” declared Mr. Bartlett. He added that: “Such firm commitment to sustainable behaviours and practices is necessary to help preserve the enormous benefits of healthy marine and coastal ecosystems to the economic livelihoods and survival of billions of people globally.”

Mr. Bartlett underscored that there was a moral responsibility on all industries, especially those that significantly harness or exploit ocean and marine resources in their value chains, “to make greater efforts to protect fragile and gradually depleting ocean and marine systems that have become increasingly susceptible to man-made phenomena.” These, he said, included ocean pollution, shipping and transport, dredging, offshore drilling, deep-sea mining, over-fishing and the degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems linked to sea level rise and or global warming.

The Minister outlined that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has predicted that marine and coastal tourism will be the largest sector of the global ocean-based economy by 2030 generating some US$777 billion in global revenue and employing 8.6 million people.

Noting that small island developing states and other coastal nations were particularly reliant on coastal and marine tourism, Minister Bartlett cited that for the Caribbean, the industry accounts for a quarter of the total economy, and a fifth of all jobs. He drew attention to a 2016 study by the World Bank which estimated the economic value of the Caribbean Sea coastal and marine ecosystems at US$54.55 billion.

“Unfortunately, marine and coastal ecosystems are often threatened by tourism development,” said Minister Bartlett. He explained that the areas that attract tourists have been coming under increasing pressure from the damage and pollution caused by tourist facilities and the supporting infrastructure.

Against this background, he pointed out that the Blue Economy approach recognized and placed renewed emphasis on the critical need for the international community to address effectively the sound management of resources in and beneath international waters by the further development and refinement of international law and ocean governance mechanisms.

Minister Bartlett said: “It is my view that a Blue Economy approach where ecosystem services are properly valued and incorporated into development planning will further advance the transition of the tourism industry.” He explained that this approach would aid in “guiding tourism development and promoting lower impact activities, such as ecotourism and nature-based tourism, where the natural capital is maintained as an integral part of the process.” 

He posited that efficiency and optimization of resource use were paramount whilst respecting environmental and ecological parameters, including where sustainable, the sourcing and usage of local raw materials and utilizing where feasible “blue” low energy options to realize efficiencies and benefits.

Kingston, Jamaica; Monday, February 20, 2023: The historic Global Tourism Resilience Conference, which was held from February 15-17, 2023 at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, ended with a major declaration recognizing the importance of building tourism resilience to safeguard the sustainability of the industry globally.

The declaration, among other things, formally recommends the establishment of a global tourism resilience fund to support tourism-dependent nations in periods of disruption. The fund was proposed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett as global tourism stakeholders and policymakers commemorated the first official Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17.

Outlining the ‘Kingston Declaration for Tourism Resilience and the Future of Tourism,’ Mr. Bartlett as host minister listed three recommendations adopted in the Kingston Declaration:

“1. To reignite global South - South relations using tourism as the driver beginning with Africa and the Caribbean and thereby promote mutual understanding, cultural exchange and sustainable economic growth in the tourism sector.

2. To establish a global tourism resilience fund that will provide support to individual destinations in responding to their own crises and disasters. Each country will manage their own Tourism Resilience Fund and employ the fund to enforce its tourism resilience, thus guaranteeing the sustainability of international travel and tourism.

3. To urge labour markets to reignite recovery that does not leave the tourism workers behind.”

The declaration outlined that the COVID-19 pandemic would always serve as a stark reminder “of the indispensable necessity to build tourism resilience” and that despite its reputation for being a highly resilient segment of the global economy simultaneously the industry would always be vulnerable to various internal and external shocks.

Also, having been actively engaged in promoting tourism resilience in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, the work of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) “revealed an urgent need to consolidate learnings and build resilient strategies that will enable us to prepare for the next major disruptions to the travel and tourism space,” the Minister noted.

The recommendations came out of the conference participants’ deliberations and recognition of the challenges facing the tourism industry and the importance of building tourism resilience.

In the closing session of what Minister Bartlett and others hailed as a very successful conference it was disclosed that the 2024 conference would be held in Málaga, Spain, which signed a communiqué with Jamaica’s ministry of tourism.

The signing of the document which encompasses various aspects of tourism development, has been described by Minister Bartlett as “a momentous occasion for us here in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” being the first time that an agreement of this nature has been formalized.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA; February 17, 2023: As global tourism stakeholders and policymakers commemorate the first official Global Tourism Resilience Day, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett today issued a call for the creation of a global tourism resilience fund to support tourism-dependent nations in periods of disruption.

The call came as key players in tourism from around the world, including the Caribbean and Africa, devoted the third day of the first-ever Global Tourism Resilience Conference to continuing discussions on the: Road to Global Sustainability and Development.

Minister Bartlett expressed that “while we talk about building resilience for tourism we have to focus in the wider perspective on social, economic, political, health and security disruptions.”

However, he outlined that the most important of all was building human capacity to “predict, mitigate, manage disruptions when they arise, recover quickly and to thrive thereafter.”

He underscored the need to also build financial resilience while highlighting tourism’s responsibility in enabling highly tourism dependent countries “to be able to gain an insight into their own capacity to grow, to expand and to enjoy prosperity.” To this end, Mr. Bartlett made the call for the establishment of the special tourism resilience fund.

He said “we as an industry have the capacity to enable this fund to happen seamlessly because we are the most consumption-driven activity on planet earth.”

The Minister indicated that one way in which the fund could be financed is through a voluntary Resilience Tip given by the 1.4 billion consuming travellers and “that contribution stays in the recipient countries and build that fund to enable capacity for resilience.”

General Manager for the Caribbean, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mr. Tariq Ali also underscored the importance of building tourism resilience. He warned that even as tourism was recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: “While we would like to see more economies diversifying, a high-performing tourism sector is needed to see further economic growth and recovery.”

He therefore warned that “we must be cautious while optimistic” as there were still several threats that could undermine achievements made so far.