KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 12, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has expressed that the renewal of human capital will be crucial to fuelling the sustainable and accelerated growth of the tourism sector, and the Jamaican economy overall.

Minister Bartlett believes that this can only be achieved in the post-COVID-19 era through the introduction of a robust framework to facilitate the revitalisation of the human capital in the tourism sector and address key labour market challenges. The Minister made the disclosure during his keynote address at the Mico Centennial International Education Symposium hosted by The Mico University College Alumni Association (MOSA) in collaboration with The Mico University College, at the Jamaica Pegasus on Thursday, August 11, 2022.

Minister Bartlett indicates that the process of addressing such challenges is being led by the recently established Tourism Labour Market Committee, which forms part of the expanded Tourism Recovery Task Force. Earlier this year, the Task Force was restructured to include six committees in order to address several COVID-19 related issues within the sector and guide its full restoration.

The reorganised Task Force, which was first established to increase vaccination levels among tourism workers, also focuses on issues such as creating a conducive legislative and regulatory environment, boosting marketing and investment, as well as enhancing synergies with the entertainment sector.

In expounding on the role of the Tourism Labour Market Committee and its benefits to the recovery process, Minister Bartlett noted that it is necessary to “identify solutions to address some of the traditional constraints to the mobility of the country’s tourism workforce, fill workforce gaps through skill development and training, and raise the overall prospects and attractiveness of the tourism sector as a career option for persons seeking high-skilled, high-paying jobs.”

He expressed that the Committee will aid the sector in responding to new labour market trends. “Several trends are impacting the skills needed to perform competently in tourism-related jobs, such as digitalization and virtualization, the demand for sustainable behaviours and practices, the growth of non-traditional segments, the changing demographics of international travellers, changing lifestyles and consumer demands,” he explained.

The Tourism Minister outlined that while traditionally the tourism sector has enjoyed one of the highest rates of labour mobility of any segment of the economy, “it is equally true that many of the opportunities taken up by our citizens are those that require low skill and offer limited prospect for economic mobility,” adding that the Committee is seeking to address situations like these.

He also noted that this type of intervention will foster continued growth through “strategies that will ensure that the right people with the right skills are available to meet the growing demand for diversified human capital.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 10, 2022: Jamaica and the Cayman Islands have initiated discussions to facilitate collaboration on tourism, in order to leverage the strong historical ties and synergies between both nations to boost their tourism sectors. Among the areas being examined for cooperation are multi-destination tourism, airlift, enhancing border protocols, rationalizing airspace as well as resilience building.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett made the disclosure during a meeting today (August 10, 2022) with members of a special delegation from the Cayman Islands, led by Hon. Christopher Saunders, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance & Economic Development and Minister of Border Control & Labour and Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism & Transport. 

Minister Bartlett revealed that special focus will be placed on multi-destination tourism adding that he will be meeting with key players in the industry in Cayman next month.

He said he believes “the meeting in Cayman with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in September, could be the steppingstone for coalescing our position on elements of multi-destination tourism,” noting also that he would be “more so looking at airlift and airline collaboration.”

In the same breath, Minister Bartlett said he is “ready to work with Cayman to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cayman Islands in relation to multi-destination tourism” adding that “Jamaica has already signed four similar agreements with Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama.”

He explained that in developing the framework the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to “include the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Belize, from this side of the Caribbean.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Bartlett has made a call for players in the private sector to develop a special tourism package, with an attractive price, that can be presented to the market to promote multi-destination tourism and enhance the regional tourism product. He said the issue will be further explored at the next meeting of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in October this year.

The CHTA will host the 40th edition of its flagship trade event Caribbean Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico from October 3 to 5.

In describing the concept of a possible package, Mr. Bartlett explained that: “If you buy a trip to Jamaica for US$ 50 that US$ 50 takes you into Cayman and into Trinidad” adding however that “that in itself would be an interesting and challenging task because we would then have to look at price differentiation in relation to what the product offering is.” Such packages he feels will help to fuel the development of multi-destination tourism across the region, adding that it is “not beyond us.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 5, 2022: Jamaica’s tourism sector has almost fully recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had threatened the very survival of the industry. The revelation was made by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett during a meeting with members of a special delegation from the Republic of Namibia, led by the African nation’s Minister in the Presidency, Hon. Christine //Hoebes, on Friday (August 5, 2022).

In making the disclosure, Minister Bartlett said “the good news is that Jamaica has now recovered 90 percent from the COVID-19 pandemic in the tourism sector,” adding that “our recovery in terms of arrivals this year is likely to be well over 3 million, and we are also expecting our earnings will be just about $100 million, or so, below our best earnings in 2019 of $3.7 billion.”

The Minister also highlighted that Jamaica’s main source markets are also rebounding strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In giving a breakdown, Minister Bartlett noted that the United Kingdom (UK) is the only market where “we are pacing ahead of 2019” figures, noting that compared to pre-COVID numbers “we are six percent ahead in the UK market.”

The discussion with members of the delegation followed a meeting of the Jamaica/Namibia Joint Committee earlier this week where agreements were signed in several areas including tourism, logistics, urban development, and Diaspora cooperation.

Mr. Bartlett added that “the US has come back very strongly, and while Canada is lagging behind a little, progress is being made.”

He also noted that based on Jamaica’s tourism recovery “we can give some help and support in terms of Namibia’s own recovery programme.”

Mr. Bartlett outlined that under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which covers tourism, both countries will be collaborating in areas such as marketing, human capital development, sustainability and resilience building.

Minister Bartlett noted that, this will entail working with officials in Namibia to facilitate the establishment of a satellite centre of the Jamaica based, Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in the coming months.

In response, Minister Christine //Hoebes, said she is happy for, and looking forward to, the collaboration with Jamaica on all fronts, especially that of tourism and human capital development.

She noted that “this will strengthen the collaboration between the two countries” adding that “the agreement will put Namibia in a better place” regarding cruise tourism, especially from the port in Montego Bay, Jamaica to the port in Walvis Bay, Namibia.

She expressed that her country is also looking forward to emulating that which “attracts tourists to Jamaica and keep them coming back.”

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Saturday, July 23, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has explained that the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) will need to play an integral role in making multi-destination travel to the region feasible.

Mr Bartlett was reiterating his stance that multi-destination vacation was the answer to sustaining tourism in the Caribbean and the need for a regional airline to support it. “We have to look at harmonizing the protocols in relation to the use of our airspace so that on entering the Caribbean airspace we could be domestic to all of the other countries that are part of this partnership,” he said in an interview at the Bunker’s Hill community tourism attraction.

Conceding that “it’s a little tall order,” he said “It also requires a strong political will and I think that CARICOM will have to play a very significant role in all of this.” He is assured however, that “it’s not beyond us because we started it out when we had World Cup Cricket (in 2007) and we had a Caribbean visa and we even had a Caribbean passport.”

Minister Bartlett said the proposal did not entail a change of immigration protocols, “we’re merely asking for a change in visitor facilitation to enable more visitors to come into the Caribbean and to stimulate the region’s economy.”

The proposal for multi-destination travel in the Caribbean and a dedicated regional airline was presented to by Minister Bartlett to a host of Ministers of Tourism, Permanent Secretaries and other officials at a High Level Policy Forum for building the resilience of small tourism enterprises in the Caribbean to disasters, hosted by the Organization of American States, at the Holiday Inn Resort.

Several presentations were made at the forum and Minister Bartlett who is Chairman of the OAS Inter-American Committee on Tourism (CITUR), said these would be collated by the OAS “and we will have distributed to member states best practices that came out of this. We also will be able to use data from it to create critical tools to assist in better managing and in building resilience particularly among our small and medium enterprises.”

The two-day forum ended with delegates being taken on a field trip to Bunker’s Hill in the Trelawny interior, described by Minister Bartlett as “one of the few diverse experiences that a visitor can get under the rubric of community tourism, nestled as it is in the heart of the Cockpit Country valley.”

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Thursday, July 21, 2022: Chairman of the OAS Inter-American Committee on Tourism (CITUR) and Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett sees the need for an effective regional airline to boost tourism in the Caribbean.

His call came at Wednesday’s opening session of the Organisation of American States (OAS) High-Level Policy Forum to discuss ways to safeguard the region’s tourism sector from disruptions, including a looming recession. It is being held at the Holiday Inn July 20 and 21, 2022 with nearly 200 participants on location and virtually.

The two-day event is being held under the theme: Building the Resilience of Small Tourism Enterprises (STE) in the Caribbean to Disasters with expectations that it will provide tools for managing disruptions, including those of the climatic and economic type.

Organised in collaboration with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), the forum of Ministers of Tourism, Permanent Secretaries and other high-ranking policy-makers is giving priority attention to the needs of small tourism enterprises.

Minister Bartlett said the forum had paved the way for a serious discussion on the future of tourism as a real driver of economic development in the Caribbean and as an instrument for inclusive growth and “it has also paved the way for a reimagining of the tourism protocols and re-establishment of the key national imperatives of enabling freedom of movement within the Caribbean area.”

The CITUR Chairman said “at the heart of the freedom of movement is a transportation policy that would allow for regional carriers to develop and for movement also in terms of border controls.”

In this regard he said a regional visa regime was being explored, adding, “if we are to build Caribbean tourism, recognizing that as individual states we’re too small to grow and to benefit from the recovery of tourism as it now stands but together as a region we can grow and we can benefit in many ways.” These included multi-destination tourism in which a visa regime is a must and a common airspace.

“Rationalize the airspace so that airlines flying into the Caribbean pay one fee and it allows them to travel through the airspaces of the other countries,” he said. Also, there would be pre-clearing arrangements allowing for visitors coming into the region and have tourism visas to clear customs in Jamaica and enjoy domestic status in the other islands.

Mr Bartlett said this would bring more airlines into the space as turnaround time would be significantly reduced. Another advantage would be multiple experiences for visitors from long haul destinations. He said the Caribbean airline would facilitate having multi-destinations with visitors booking one package at one price from which all would benefit.

Asserting that tourism has been the mainstay of the Caribbean economic development in the last 40 years, Minister Bartlett said more than 90 percent were small, medium and micro enterprises, and 80 percent globally. With those statistics, he wondered why it had taken so long to be making this focus on building the capacity of these enterprises to pivot and recover swiftly and thrive after disruptions.

He identified three key factors that he said small and medium tourism enterprises had to come to grips with, namely; building capacity for knowledge through training and development, financing that allowed for small enterprises to scale up in quality and consistency, and effective marketing.

Also, faced with the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said small enterprises had to rebuild to be able to identify and forecast disruptions, to mitigate against them, to be able to manage them and to recover as quickly as possible.

The policy forum also has on its agenda discussions on issues such as the barriers and challenges facing small tourism enterprises, crisis communication, business continuity planning tools and the establishment of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 20, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has given assurance to investors that now is the time to invest in Jamaica as a destination.

Speaking at the official opening of the ROK Hotel Kingston, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Downtown, Kingston on Tuesday (July 19), Minister Bartlett assured the stakeholders of the “soundness of the investing in Jamaica”, as well as their “decision to open at this particular time in our development as a country and as a destination”.

The Tourism Minister stressed that “Jamaica has, over the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, sought to do one thing only, to future-proof this destination, building resilience against disruptions”, adding that the “future-proofing involves marketing new markets and diversification” among other things.

Mr. Bartlett noted that the disruptions that have caused the cessation of tourism has now subsided a little and we are entering a period where activities are buzzing.

Acknowledging the expansion of the Hilton Hotel brand across the Caribbean, Minister Bartlett said has observed that the Hiltons “diversify well” adding that it is “exciting news” to have the newest of its brand in Jamaica, especially at this time of recovery.

Meanwhile, in thanking PanJam Investment Limited for its investment in destination Jamaica, Minister Bartlett said he is “excited about the prospects of changing the game and the way we have operated in tourism” adding that “we have to collaborate, cooperate, and grow and recover together”.

The ROK Hotel Kingston, which sits on the corner of Ocean Boulevard and Kings Street, in Downtown, Kingston and overlooks the Kingston Harbour - the seventh largest natural harbour in the world, includes168 rooms, residential opportunities and meeting spaces for businesses, restaurant, and a fitness centre among other amenities.

The ROK Hotel Kingston is owned by PanJam Investment Limited and is being managed by Highgate, a real estate investment and hospitality management company.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 14, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that Jamaica will host a high-level policy forum of the Organisation of American States (OAS) next week to focus on safeguarding the region’s tourism sector from disruptions, including a looming recession.

In emphasising the significance of the meeting, which runs from July 20-21, 2022, Minister Bartlett revealed that “it relates primarily to building resilience among the Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) to withstand disasters and external shocks.”

He also noted that the “capacity building initiative will go a far way as we seek to future-proof the sector” from an impending recession and other future shocks that the industry may face, adding that “we need to be able to develop our capacity to respond to it.”

Stressing that the Caribbean’s dependence on tourism “is impatient of any discussion with regards to the need for this kind of resilience building,” the Tourism Minister pointed out that if the SMTEs are not able to manage the looming recession, the tourism industry will feel the full effects of it.

Mr. Bartlett said SMTEs represent 80% of the stakeholders of the industry.

Meanwhile, Minister Bartlett said the OAS meeting will provide tools to the countries that are under its umbrella to help them better manage disruptions, including those of the climatic and economic type. The event is being organised in collaboration with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA).

He said the two-day meeting will “showcase Jamaica as being one of the countries that have done extremely well in preparing its stakeholders for disasters, as per the pandemic,” among other things. It will entail discussions on issues such as the barriers and challenges facing small tourism enterprises, crisis communication, business continuity planning tools and the establishment of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

The Minister outlined that the high-level discussion is being sponsored by the OAS with the support of the United States of America, and will see numerous countries being represented at the event, which will be held at the Holiday Inn in Montego Bay.

Minister Bartlett was recently elected Chairman of the esteemed OAS Inter-American Committee on Tourism (CITUR). The meeting of the high-level delegates next week, is one of the first items on his agenda during his Chairmanship.

The Organization of American States is the world's oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States in October 1889 to April 1890 in Washington, D.C.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 13, 2022: Operators of Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) that supply the tourism sector are being encouraged to provide high quality products to ensure the resilience of the industry and their continued viability in the market.

While addressing close to two hundred local suppliers at the opening ceremony of the 8th staging of the Christmas in July trade show yesterday (July 12), Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett stressed that “building quality, consistency, volume, and good price points are central to the competitiveness of Jamaican products.”

He continued that “no one wants to come to Jamaica to get an item that is inferior in quality, overpriced for its value” and hard to find, adding that SMTEs, have a job to help Jamaica “to remove the original stigma of us being a destination of samples.”

The Tourism Minister said that this is critical to safeguarding or “future-proofing the small and medium tourism enterprises to be a continued driver of the tourism experience,” as well as “future-proofing the market.”

Mr. Bartlett noted that he understands that challenges, including inflation, lack of funding, and supply chain disruptions, may arise, but added that the Ministry is responding to them strategically.

The Tourism Minister noted that the challenges are being addressed through “training, development, and financing,” underscoring that “we recognise that you must have capacity and you must have the financing.”

He also explained that while SMTE operators are working to remain viable in a competitive space, the Ministry of Tourism is also working to “future-proof this industry against the recession.”

Meanwhile, President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Clifton Reader said that he too wants to see the success of the SMTEs in the sector.

Mr. Reader expressed that the JHTA is interested in helping such entities. He said, “we want to ensure that our doors are open” adding that “I am going to challenge every single member of my organisation to make sure this fledgling industry prospers.’

The JHTA president expressed that “it is very important that this partnership is not only words.” In the same breath he emphasised that while SMTEs will have the support of the association, the suppliers need to provide “quality at a good price”.

The Chairman of the Manufacturing Technical Working Group of the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN), John Mahfood also stated that the manufacturing sector consistently achieves between 8-9% of GDP annually and is the second largest contributor to the economy of all the goods producing sectors. Local manufacturers have pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic and there has been an increase of 76% in applications in 2022, when compared to 2019.

As Jamaica continues to experience a rapid recovery, manufacturers are encouraged to take full advantage of the existing marketplace.

The Christmas in July trade show is being staged by the TLN, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and runs from July 12-13, 2022, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

The 2022 staging of the event features some 180 producers of locally made items, across several categories, including aromatherapy, décor, fashion and accessories, fine arts, souvenirs, processed foods, and products made with organic and natural fibres.

The annual initiative encourages the purchase of authentic local products by stakeholders in the tourism sector and corporate Jamaica looking for gifts for clients and staff. It is a collaborative effort of the Tourism Linkages Network and its partners: the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Manufacturers' and Exporters Association (JMEA), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the JHTA.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 9, 2022: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has listed tourism as one of Jamaica’s key investment priorities.

While addressing a special delegation of some 70 private sector players and government officials from Saudi Arabia, at the Jamaica-Saudi Business Luncheon held at the Port Royal Cruise Ship Pier yesterday (July 8), the Prime Minister said there are many opportunities available in Jamaica for the acquisition of lands to build hotels and resorts.

Making special mention of Portland and Westmoreland, Prime Minister Holness indicated that particular attention is being given to these parishes “to develop a new type of tourism which we would describe to be low in terms of density but high in terms of value and quality.”

Mr. Holness added that he “would like to see investment in those areas” which include bays that can be “converted for the use of cruise shipping activities.” He also made mention of Port Antonio, which he feels is “rich with history, culture, and has potential for development.” The Prime Minister noted that he would like to “attract investments there” as well.

He also noted that more investments could be made in Port Royal to leverage the history of the town.

Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator, the Hon. Aubyn Hill said they are grateful for the interest that the delegation from Saudi Arabia has shown in Jamaica.

Members of the delegation have indicated that they are particularly interested in tourism opportunities, among other areas. Deputy Minister for Investors Outreach for Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Badr Al Badr said “the Caribbean has become a priority zone for investment and business partnership for Saudi Arabia,” stressing that “Jamaica has the third largest economy in the region.”

The visit by the delegation follows a series of meetings between Minister Bartlett; Minister Hill and Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, during his visit to Jamaica last June. The delegation, which is the largest group of investors to ever visit Jamaica from the Middle East focused on areas such as logistics, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, infrastructure, and real estate. They also examined different investment options in the corporate area, Montego Bay, and other parts of the island. The delegation is set to leave the island today (July 9).

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 7, 2022: While calling for the implementation of a single use visa for visitors, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has reiterated that partnership and the implementation of a multi-destination tourism framework, are necessary to boost the recovery of tourism in the Caribbean.

Addressing the “first ever Caribbean Saudi Arabia Summit” in the Dominican Republic today (July 7), Minister Bartlett stressed that “as individual island states, our recovery from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic will be elongated if not near impossible,” adding however that “there is enormous capacity for the region to collaborate and market the Caribbean as a single destination.”

He noted also that that the future of Caribbean tourism is “intricately bound in finding a convergence of marketing and product arrangements combined with air travel and transportation logistics.”

Among other things, Mr. Bartlett suggested that “harmonising a number of protocols, including a single visa regime that will allow for ease of movement across borders for tourist purposes, will make the collaboration and recovery possible.”

The Tourism Minister explained also that this will “enable multiple experiences throughout the region for visitors to our islands who travel from new markets including Asia, Africa and the Middle East.”

He also highlighted that Jamaica and the Dominican Republic today concluded the first phase of the multi destination discussion process. Minister Bartlett met with the Association of Hotels and Tourism of Dominican Republic as well as representatives of “a number of airlines that have interest in enabling connectivity.”

While at the Caribbean Saudi Arabia Summit, Minister Bartlett also met with the Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb regarding the “Memorandum of Understanding that was previously signed by both parties concerning air connectivity.”

Mr. Bartlett explained that through the MOU, Minister Al Khateeb will “coordinate the mega airlines in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area to meet with a delegation from the Caribbean who are prepared to advance multi-destination tourism as a critical pathway for air connectivity through the gateways of the Middle East.”