Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, January 10, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is urging players in the private sector to invest in the highly successful Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival (JBMCF) to truly reap the economic benefits of the groundbreaking event.

This as Minister Bartlett revealed that the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to hand-over the event, which is the Caribbean’s only coffee festival, to private sector entrepreneurs within the next two years.

The disclosure was made as Minister Bartlett gave the keynote address during the launch of the 6th annual staging of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival at Devon House yesterday (January 9). The event will be held at Newcastle on Saturday, March 25, 2023. The Minister called on the various coffee growing and product manufacturing entities to capitalize on the opportunity being given to them to take responsibility for the festival and develop it into a major international event.

He said the team within the Ministry and its public bodies had carefully examined the concept of the festival and its potential for growth and earnings “and we want that to become an international event.”

“I am challenging the investors to come on board now to invest in the coffee festival. We will market it through the Jamaica Tourist Board on our platform,” said Minister Bartlett. He expressed confidence that “we could be bringing thousands upon thousands of people annually for this coffee festival, and that’s what I want to see.”

In underscoring the benefits of private sector investment, he said: “We’re inviting investment and if we can’t get local investment you know I’m going to go look investment because this festival must not be a simple event that we host every year; it must be an international event that brings thousands of people here and provide income and revenue for the country and the well-being of our people.”

The JBMCF was conceptualized in 2018 as a key initiative of the Gastronomy Network of the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism  Enhancement Fund (TEF). With support from public and private sector partners the festival has become a highly anticipated event on the local calendar.

Minister Bartlett explained that the Ministry of Tourism has invested some $100 million in the festival to date and this year has earmarked another $25 million for the event. He said with the event having been truncated over the last two years by the COVID-19 pandemic, “we’re coming back with a bang this year, stronger, better, more exciting, more alluring and a more all-embracing coffee festival,” declared Mr. Bartlett. 

Coffee is said to be the second most consumed liquid, next to water globally with the Jamaican brand enjoying pride of place among world brands. Mr. Bartlett expressed that: “If we really tap into the value chain of coffee, we could create an entire economy around the product, and perhaps that’s an ambition that we should work towards.”

Players in the agriculture sector are among critical partners in the coffee festival and Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jnr underscored that “this partnership is very important.”

He welcomed the range of valued-added products being produced by young farmers with coffee and the move to create even more by infusing coffee into meals; “so there’s an exciting opportunity to have the intrinsic taste profile that is loved by so many discriminating connoisseurs across the world.”

Minister Charles stressed that there is a global market for Jamaicans to tap into, “not just to contribute to our gross domestic product but to contribute to the lives of our farmers.”

Among stakeholders participating in the coffee festival launch were Chairman of the Gastronomy Network, Mrs. Nicola Madden-Greig; Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill; Member of Parliament for St. Andrew East Rural, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness; and Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of Japan, Mr. Ken Nakamura.

Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, December 23, 2022: Efforts to bolster the continued development of Devon House as Jamaica's first Gastronomy Centre have received a major boost with the launch of an innovative initiative that will leverage partnerships with members of the diplomatic community to enhance gastronomy tourism locally and increase visitor arrivals.

Devon House was named Jamaica’s first Gastronomy Centre by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett in 2017. Minister Bartlett has highlighted that the Ministry of Tourism and The Devon House Development Company Limited, which manages the centuries-old heritage site, “have worked steadfastly in establishing the gastronomy centre to bring visitors from overseas and persons from across the island to the historic property to enjoy the culinary delights of Jamaica.”   

The Minister has indicated that in a bid to further boost the initiative members of the diplomatic community will be engaged to increase exposure for the many gastronomic offerings at the centre.

“A big part of this is to involve the diplomatic community of Jamaica to enable the exposure of international cuisine at Devon House,” Minister Bartlett outlined. He explained that to kick-start the programme the first in a series of dinners involving the diplomatic community was hosted earlier this week at the facility.

He said, “this special dinner was organized to expose members of the Diplomatic Corps to the unique culinary offerings of Jamaica and at the same time to engage their interests in participating in this international gastronomic exposure, which will see every country represented in Jamaica taking on one dinner arrangement per month and inviting the rest of the world to come and enjoy the culinary delights of their own country.”

Minister Bartlett believes the programme has great marketing potential. “We are very excited about this venture. We had a wonderful first dinner involving representatives from some 10 countries including the US, UK, Canada, South Africa and China to name a few, and my colleague Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, also participated in this groundbreaking event. We think that this will create a new product in the gastronomy arrangements in Jamaica and will go a long way in further enhancing the value of Devon House as a great attraction,” he noted.

Additionally, Mr. Bartlett underscored that a pop-up kitchen will also be established to enhance the food-related offerings at Devon House.

“This pop-up kitchen will be supported by a small farmers market with fresh fruits and vegetables, condiments as well as meat, fish and other proteins to enable a full-fledged meal in many courses, to be prepared by individuals who come in for the single purpose of cooking,” he explained.

Minister Bartlett highlighted that highly qualified chefs will participate in this programme, which should offer an engaging experience. “We will have an excellent chef, possibly a Michelin designated chef who would be at the highest level possible. However, they will not cook but will oversee participants who will purchase their food items from the farmers market on location and proceed to cook under the guidance of the chef,” the Minister elaborated.

“This is a major innovation in terms of food-based experiences in Jamaica and we look forward to establishing this pop-up kitchen in 2023 to add yet another dimension to the culinary offerings of Jamaica,” he expressed.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Tuesday, December 20, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has lauded Nigerian International music star, Burna Boy for a stellar performance, which attracted thousands of locals and visitors to the island's capital, Kingston on December 18, 2022 and also welcomed the heightened exposure for Jamaica brought by American Music stars Cardi B and Offset who vacationed on the island recently.

"I applaud African superstar Burna Boy for his fantastic performance at the National Stadium on the weekend, which was certainly a must-see event for many of our locals, and indeed visitors to the island, who flocked Kingston to attend this massive entertainment offering. Likewise, having Cardi B and Offset here was another big plus too”, said Minister Bartlett.

"Entertainment remains an important value-added product which we will continue to utilise strategically within the tourism industry to enhance the sector's growth. In fact, it is one of the passion points of our visitors and one of the many reasons why persons travel to Jamaica yearly. We therefore look forward to many more private sector led events in the near future, which will continue to positively impact our tourism sector and the many small and medium entrepreneurs who benefit from them," he added.

The GRAMMY-winning Burna Boy announced his Love, Damini Summer 2022 Tour shortly after his record-breaking, sold-out debut at Madison Square Garden. On December 18, at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, the Caribbean portion of the tour came to an end with performances by Popcaan, Toni-Ann Singh, and Lila Ike.

"Jamaica continues to be the Caribbean's celebrity playground, with recent visits from other musicians like rappers Cardi B and Offset. There are several others, global celebrities, who have vacationed or are currently vacationing quietly, and they are very appreciative of the relaxed non-paparazzi like Jamaican culture, thereby allowing them to vacation in peace. Villas are the priority, but we do have many who have or are currently staying at known luxury hotels, Airbnbs and even some all-inclusives," said Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor and Strategist in the Tourism Ministry.

“On our part, we will continue to develop and promote our country around the world in order to encourage other major international celebrities to visit the island," Seiveright added.

According to recent projections, Jamaica will see its strongest winter travel season ever this year, with anticipated record arrivals of 950,000 stopover visitors and 524,000 cruise passengers respectively. This is the highest volume of visitors the country has ever experienced — nearly 1.5 million for the entire season.

In tandem, Jamaica is expecting a boost this winter tourist season with US$1.4 billion in tourism earnings anticipated. A total of 1.3 million air seats have been secured for the period and a full recovery of cruise tourism is expected.

Kingston, Jamaica; Monday, December 19, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the 2022/23 Winter Tourist Season is off to an amazing start as Jamaica has recorded over 40,000 visitors since the season kicked off on December 15, with over 11,000 stopover visitors flying into the tourism Mecca of Montego Bay on Saturday, December 17.

“This start of the 2022/23 winter tourist season is the strongest in the history of Jamaica. We were able to welcome over the weekend, from December 15^th to 18,^th a total of 42,000 visitors. That includes 37,000 stopover and 5,000 cruise visitors,” Minister Bartlett outlined.

Mr. Bartlett said: “Over 11,000 stopover visitors travelled to Montego Bay on Saturday, on some 61 flights. This is a record for the sector and further underscores the robust post-pandemic recovery that the tourism industry continues to enjoy.”

“We are satisfied that the tourism sector has effectively recovered. We are equally satisfied that the market is responding strongly to Jamaica. The forward bookings for the rest of the season are equally strong. We know that the market understands Jamaica and we know that the market appreciates the quality of the product and the excellence of the experience that we offer,” he said.

He stressed that the strong inflow of visitors is the fruit of painstaking work on the part of tourism stakeholders. “Overall, the arrival figures over the weekend were amazing and is evidence of the hard work that the Ministry of Tourism, its public bodies and tourism partners have put into marketing Destination Jamaica. The season is shaping up to be the best winter Jamaica has ever had, with record arrivals for the period,” he expressed.

The Minister added that cruise tourism is also on the rise. “Over 80% of the cruise passengers from Carnival Sunrise, which docked in St. Ann on December 15 disembarked. The ship had some 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew, and they were all over Ocho Rios and were busy spending and enjoying our tourism offerings. The same thing has occurred as passengers disembark ships that have docked in Falmouth, including Royal Caribbean Cruise vessels.”

Noting that the arrival figures were also boosted by the major Burna Boy concert held in Kingston over the weekend, Minister Bartlett underscored that the island remains very appealing to visitors.

“Jamaica remains top of mind among persons in the travel market and our efforts to enhance our tourism product continue to bear fruit. We continue to do everything that we can to enhance the safety, security and seamlessness of our destination,” Minister Bartlett expressed.

The Minister has indicated that Jamaica is set to secure a record US$1.4 billion in tourism earnings for the winter tourist season. The projected earnings were based on 1.3 million air seats which have been secured for the period and the full recovery of cruise shipping. “We are therefore looking forward to a very powerfully positioned winter season that will enable a strong year for the economy of Jamaica,” Mr. Bartlett said.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; December 16, 2022: Jamaica’s foreign exchange inflows remain on a growth trajectory for the first quarter of 2023 with an anticipated boost of US$1.4 billion from tourism earnings for the winter tourist season, which kicked off on December 15.

An elated Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said projected earnings were based on 1.3 million air seats which have been secured for the period and the full recovery of cruise shipping. The positive outlook was painted by Minister Bartlett at an appreciation breakfast hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) for various categories of workers at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport.

Picking up on a full recovery from the COVID-19 fallout, the Tourism Minister noted: “This winter is going to be the best winter Jamaica has had with record arrivals for the season projected at this time to be 950,000 for stopovers and 524,000 for cruise. So, that makes it pretty close to 1.5 million visitors for the season; the largest number of visitors we’ve ever had.”

Also, he indicated: “For earnings, we’re looking at US$1.4 billion. In fact, closer to $1.5 billion and that again is a 36% increase on 2019 and significantly higher than the US$1.094 billion earned last year, which will make 2023 the strongest winter earnings that Jamaica has ever had. This augurs well for the country’s foreign exchange stability and growth as the NIR (net international reserves) is going to be in a healthy state.”

Minister Bartlett declared that “we’re back to normal and I want to really thank all our stakeholders for the enormous work that they have put into enabling this very strong growth-filled recovery.”

He told the airport workers: “All of this has happened because you have worked so hard, because you have been so committed that you carried the ball for us during the difficult time.”

Being assured that cruise recovery is definitely on for next year, combined with stopover arrivals, “it is going to take us into a 2023 ending that will be way ahead of 2019 so we will be recovering with growth and that is what we mean by saying that we want to recover stronger,” he stated.

Compared to last winter, Mr. Bartlett said winter 2022/23 should come out with a 29.6% increase in stopover arrivals. Concurrently, with cruise last winter, Jamaica had 146,700 passengers and for this winter “we are expecting a whopping 257% increase.” The overall picture for winter tourist season arrivals is that “last year we had 879,927 and this winter 23 we’re projecting 1.47 million visitors for the period, a massive 67.5% increase,” he added.

Comparatively, earnings stood at just over US$1 billion for last year while stopovers only should produce US$1.4 billion, during the winter period, a 33.4% increase. Cruise being down last year due to the pandemic, Jamaica earned only US$14 million but now expects to pull in US$51.9 million this year.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA, December 16, 2022 – Continuing to expand ease of access to the island for US travelers, Jamaica welcomed new air service from Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Hartford to Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay yesterday morning by Spirit Airlines. This is the first ever nonstop flight from Connecticut to Jamaica, making the event truly a historic one.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome the inaugural flight by Spirit from Connecticut to Jamaica, providing us with further reach into the key Northeastern U.S.,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “The expansion of our partnership with Spirit Airlines is a welcome addition to our airlift arrangements as we continue our drive to further boost the flow of visitors to Jamaica through the addition of new gateways and greater seat support.”

“This new non-stop service provides yet another convenient option for visitors to get to our beautiful island,” added Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board. “It is wonderful to see so many people on board the very first flight, indicating strong demand for Jamaica from the Connecticut area.”

Upon landing in Montego Bay, the arriving flight received a high-spraying water cannon salute on the runway to mark the occasion. Disembarking passengers were greeted by officials from the Jamaica Tourist Board and the airport. In keeping with tradition, gifts were presented to the pilots and crew of the flight in appreciation of their service. Live music from a Jamaican mento band capped off the festive atmosphere.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, December 12, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that participants in the Tourism Innovation Incubator whose ideas are chosen for implementation, will have access to $100 million to transform those ideas into profitable projects.

The Tourism Innovation Incubator is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, established through the Tourism Enhancement Fund to incentivize ideas that can enhance Jamaica’s tourism industry on the premise that the future will be driven by ideas which in turn drive innovation and invention.

Speaking during a welcome reception for the start of the Tech Beach Retreat at the Iberostar resort recently, Minister Bartlett said “I have put $100 million in EXIM Bank for the new ideas which are converted into material things that add value.”

The Tourism Innovation Incubator is a business development centre for individuals such as entrepreneurs who have innovative ideas that can impact the tourism sector. Its purpose is to provide a unique and highly flexible combination of services, including business support services and infrastructure. It will also nurture the young entrepreneurs and support them through the early stages of development and execution.

Convinced that tourism: “Is driven by ideas,” Minister Bartlett said post COVID-19, innovation will play a major role in taking Jamaica’s industry to higher levels of achievement. “After the recovery started, we learnt how all the other disruptions have come that are now going to be challenging and new ideas is what we need to meet those challenges,” said Minister Bartlett.

It was outlined that the rollout of the Tourism Innovation Incubator was accomplished with an injection of $40 million and the first 13 inductees were introduced to Minister Bartlett earlier this week.

Elaborating on the $100 million funding facility, Mr. Bartlett said: “We are saying to the young people, when you have come with your ideas to the Incubator and we take you through the boot camp and your ideas have been proven to have value, then we will provide you with initial funding to convert those ideas fully into material things.”

He also pointed to the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre located at the University of the West Indies, Mona, which evolved out of an idea prior to the pandemic and whose function is to anticipate disruptions, mitigate and manage them to recover quickly and thrive.

Mr. Bartlett revealed that the eight satellite centres already established across the globe, “will be followed by eight more in Bosnia, Herzegovina; Botswana, Rwanda, Namibia, Japan, and at the Sofia University in Bulgaria by the middle of next year.”

He added that “the purpose of that is to bring young people across the globe to start thinking about one subject called tourism resilience and how to build capacity to respond to disruptions, to bounce back fast and to thrive.”

Tech Beach is designed to drive a paradigm shift in the economic outlook of Jamaica by attracting an audience of global business luminaries, innovators, and investors.

The key pillars on which it is built are transforming the international business image of Jamaica, human capital development, upskilling the workforce to be globally competitive, attracting global investment and partnerships to create more jobs on the island. Likewise, it focuses on strengthening engagement with international counterparts and the Diaspora, promoting entrepreneurship and driving thought leadership in business, technology and innovation.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, December 5, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has copped yet another major award for his contribution to Jamaica’s tourism sector and national development as he received the 2022 President’s Special Award from the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MBCCI), which recognized him for his “stellar service to our country through the various roles that you perform.”

Presenting the coveted award at the chamber’s recent annual awards banquet, MBCCI President Oral Heaven said the chamber “joins in congratulating you on your tremendous work in the tourism sector before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.” Minister Bartlett was also lauded for his support to business in Montego Bay, whether directly or indirectly linked to tourism.

“Your continued work and accomplishments in assisting with education, housing and in other areas have been significant parts of the formula for success echoed all over Jamaica,” Mr. Heaven expressed.

Acknowledging the President’s Special Award, Minister Bartlett thanked the chamber of commerce for its kind consideration and words of encouragement.

Mr. Bartlett, who has received a treasure trove of awards locally, regionally and internationally, credited his team and sector partners for their support throughout the years. He said, “I shall cherish this award in a very special way. I am truly humbled by the recognition, and I want to applaud the work of the dedicated and hardworking team that I lead in the Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies, as well as all our committed tourism stakeholders for their contribution and support in developing the tourism sector and our wider society over the years.”

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; November 28, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has signalled the start of what he termed “a new perspective in tourism development in Jamaica” following the ground-breaking ceremony for the UNICO Montego Bay 451-room luxury adults only all-inclusive resort recently.

UNICO Montego Bay will be joined by other high-end brands such as Hard Rock for which ground will also be broken soon.

UNICO Montego Bay is only the second hotel brand under the RCD Hotels banner locally and the choice of location met the desire of the family hotel chain “to expand the brand to a destination in the Caribbean known for its rich culture and stunning beaches.” RCD Hotels has developments in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the United States of America. 

It was also highlighted that the resort development will be complemented by the construction of 1,000 houses for hotel workers in partnership with the Housing Agency of Jamaica.

The development of the UNICO Montego Bay resort will provide over 1,000 construction jobs and 600 serving the rooms in operation. In the long-term however, the RCD group’s investment project could expand to 2,000 rooms, including the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, at which time there will be over 4,000 construction jobs and 5,000 during operation.

The development has been welcomed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness and Minister Bartlett as an investment not only in tourism but in the people of Jamaica. The monetary value of the investment has not been disclosed however, as the developers said it is a family policy not to do so.

The Prime Minister said "I want to welcome the RCD group to Jamaica. We are very happy to have you as a development partner and we know that it is not just an investment in our sun, sea, and sand. You're also going to be investing in our society."

Prime Minister Holness stressed that Jamaica was seeking to offer safety, security, soundness, seamlessness and stability in attracting investors and visitors. He noted that RCD Hotels had made its decision to invest in Jamaica because of the unique cultural experiences of the people. “But they’re also making the decision because Jamaica is a country that you can bank on,” he said.

Minister Bartlett emphasised that: “All subsequent discussions with investors coming into Jamaica for tourism will take into account the impact on the environment; the impact of the social development within the area and the governance of the area.”

Giving an assurance to the developers that their investment would be productive and profitable, Minister Bartlett said up to Thursday, November 24, 2022 visitor arrivals for the year so far showed a 97% recovery on 2019 figures and revenue is up 20% above 2019 levels.

He said: “We in Jamaica are not just concerned about building tourism as we understand it; we want to build to another dimension, we want to build communities with tourism.” He said the community in which the hotel is being built “is part of the development process that is going to show Jamaica what the new tourism post-COVID is going to be like.”

Vice-President of Development at RCD Hotels, Rodrigo Chapur said his family was happy to be bringing the second UNICO branded hotel to Jamaica.