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.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 29, 2022: Jamaica’s second city has been ranked the top summer travel recovery city of 2022.

The revelation follows a summer travel Outlook Report that was produced for the World Travel Market (WTM) by ForwardKeys (provider of travel trends and analysis).

The summer travel outlook 2022 report revealed that “at the city level, summer travel recovery is being led by Caribbean destinations namely Montego Bay, Jamaica” with a positive growth of 23 percent.

The report also shared that Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Cancun, Mexico, placed second and third, with 19 percent and 14 percent increase, respectively.

Twenty cities were listed in the report, with Cairo, Egypt, and Dehli in India rounding out the top 5, cities.

Based on the reported data, which showed a comparison between international tourist arrivals for Q3 2022 and Q3 2019, Montego Bay is among the most resilient destination cities.

Montego Bay, the capital of St. James on island’s north coast, is a major cruise ship port with numerous beach resorts.

Meanwhile Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett who recently shared that a part of the sector’s recovery strategy was meeting with long-standing tourism partners to get a feel of market sentiment and projections, is pleased with the news, has expressed delight with the news.

Mr. Bartlett said this is proof that “Jamaica is bouncing forward from the devastating impact to the sector by the COVID-19 pandemic”, adding that we are truly resilient”.

The Tourism Minister noted also that the industry is “now more than before, poised for a full recovery”.

The country has seen record figures for arrivals and earnings over the last year.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 23, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has called for the development of a special growth strategy for Commonwealth countries to help them recover from the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was speaking during the just concluded Commonwealth Business Forum 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda, which focused on Sustainable Tourism and Travel.

The Minister noted that “tourism is the lifeline of Commonwealth countries located in the world’s most tourism dependent regions, including the Caribbean.” He added that “the formulation of a post-COVID-19 economic recovery and growth strategy for commonwealth countries would be a gamechanger.”

The Tourism Minister stressed however, that for Commonwealth nations it would “require that they urgently rethink the existing framework of economic partnership with the goal of realigning it with the boundaries of international trade in their favour.”

Mr. Bartlett said that the move will “contribute to more value-added economic exchanges among smaller countries and with larger countries of the Commonwealth,” noting too that “this will enhance their intra-regional capacity to generate economic surpluses and retain more of the benefits derived from microeconomic development.” 

Mr. Bartlett also urged Commonwealth countries to take proactive steps to foster greater tourism and trade convergences in order to reap economic benefits. This as Minister Bartlett expressed concern that despite the development of tourism over the years, Commonwealth states are yet to reap the real rewards.

He explained that the tourism industry has the potential to significantly boost economic convergence among Commonwealth countries, noting however that despite “the phenomenal pace of tourism growth and expansion over the years, it has delivered insufficient benefits to commonwealth states.”

He outlined that most Commonwealth countries are exporting mainly to states located in their immediate geographic zones, adding that this has “prevented them from retaining much of the revenues generated from the tourism industry.” This he laments, is contributing to low levels of tourism trade with larger economies.

Mr. Bartlett underscored that fostering greater economic convergences among Commonwealth countries could aid in accelerating the economic development of the Commonwealth, which collectively constitutes a sizable market based on the world’s population. He noted also that this can be leveraged to promote growth in the area of export trade.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 20, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has been invited to participate in a high-level panel discussion on ways to future-proof the international tourism industry to enable it to withstand global shocks, at the Commonwealth Business Forum 2022, being held in Kigali, Rwanda.

On Wednesday June 22, Minister Bartlett will join several other global thought leaders to discuss “Sustainable Tourism and Travel.”

The other confirmed panellists include Gibraltar’s Minister for Business, Tourism and the Port, Hon. Vijay Daryanani; Founder and CEO, Space for Giants, United Kingdom, Dr. Max Graham; CEO, Rwandair, Rwanda Yvonne Makolo; CEO, Africa Wildlife Foundation, Kenya, Kaddu Sebunya; and Vice Chairman, Luxmi Tea, India, Rudra Chatterjee.

Minister Bartlett underscored that the forum is well-timed.  “This discussion is quite timely in light of all the challenges that are facing the global economy in general as well as industries such as tourism. It is the coming together for discussions such as this that will help us find suitable solutions to protect our destinations and our economies.”

The panel discussion will focus on how Commonwealth countries will ensure that the efforts towards industry recovery and growth will prioritise environmental sustainability and conservation, among other key areas.

The Minister noted that “the tourism industry will only be sustainable if we continue to take proactive steps to ensure that we foster tourism development that meets the current needs of tourists, the tourism industry and host communities without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Following his stop in Rwanda, Minister Bartlett will travel to Lisbon, Portugal on Monday June 27 to attend the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference. Co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, the Conference will focus on, among other things, shared solutions to boost the recovery of the tourism sector that are anchored in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. Prime among them will be - “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: Stocktaking, partnerships and solutions.”

The discussions will also surround “promoting and strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, in particular for Small Island Developing States and Least developed Countries.”

Minister Bartlett will be the Keynote Speaker during the Sustainable Coastal and Marine Tourism Launch Event, which has been convened by the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) as well as an official side event, convened by the Ocean Panel, the Government of Jamaica and the Stimson Center.

Minister Bartlett left this island today, (Monday June 20), and is slated to return on Saturday July 2, 2022.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 17, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS) now has over five thousand members, and over 15,000 potential applicants.

The scheme is expected to benefit thousands of persons employed in the Tourism Sector, both directly and indirectly, and will require mandatory contributions by employees and employers alike.

Updating Parliament in his 2022/23 Sectoral Debate Closing Presentation in Parliament recently, Minister Bartlett announced that the Board of Trustees for the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme met recently to review the scheme’s performance since its launch in January.

Minister Bartlett said the Board indicated that the scheme now has some 5,500 members, adding that the majority of those members have so far paid nearly $90 million into the fund. Mr. Bartlett also noted that these developments occurred since February of this year, and that there are some 15,000 employees “pending to become members” of the Pension Scheme.

Mr. Bartlett said he is anticipating that adding the new pool of funds that will be created from the Scheme will be a gamechanger for the country’s economy.

The Minister said he estimates that the figure will be between “$400 billion to $500 billion as the Scheme matures,” adding that he expects more than 350,000 tourism workers to be engaged in the programme. Mr. Bartlett assured that “this will be a gamechanger in terms of the pool of capital that will be made available for development of infrastructure and other businesses.”

In the meantime, Mr. Bartlett emphasized that the Pension Scheme “is not just a plan to provide social security, but also a strategy for the economic security of the country” adding that it will allow for the growth of the economy when the domestic savings become a key pool of funds for investment and there will be less of a need for the country to go beyond its shores to borrow money.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 15, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has indicated that 2022 will be a historic year for the tourism sector, with record arrivals and groundbreaking agreements.

In his 2022/23 Sectoral Debate Closing Presentation in Parliament yesterday (June 14), Mr. Bartlett pointed out that having eclipsed the one million-visitor mark in May, the Ministry’s projections for 3.2 million visitors in 2022 are on track, and Summer 2022 will be the best summer in the history of tourism in Jamaica.

The Minister said “at the end of May, we surpassed the one million-visitor mark for this year, and we are well on our way to achieving our 2022 projections of total visitor arrivals of 3.2 million and total revenue of US$3.3 billion.”

The Tourism Minister outlined that this figure is just “US$400 million shy” of the pre-pandemic 2019 figure, adding that it is an indication that “by early 2023 we would have been back to 2019 records” and moving beyond that by the end of the year.

He stressed that “well before 2024, we will have 4.5 million visitors” and earn US$4.7 billion for Jamaica in gross foreign exchange revenues.

Mr. Bartlett pointed out that Jamaica is “seeing excellent signs of recovery”, reiterating that the tourism industry is driving the country’s post-COVID-19 economic resurgence. He noted also that “Jamaica is leading the Caribbean” as it relates to flight bookings, adding that “arrival figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) signal that the sector is proving its resilience and a return to pre-pandemic performance is on the horizon.”

He further noted that for February to May of 2022, “we are seeing record arrivals out of London,” adding that in February alone, “Jamaica saw its highest number in UK arrivals in the country’s history with a record of 18,000 visitors coming to Jamaica.”

Mr. Bartlett highlighted that “preliminary data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica revealed that stopover arrivals (January to March 2022) increased by 230.1 percent to 475,805 visitors, and cruise passenger arrivals totalled 99,798 when compared to the same period last year.”

Meanwhile, Minister Bartlett underscored that “Emirates Airlines, the largest airline in the Gulf Coast Countries (GCC), is selling seats to Jamaica” adding that “this arrangement, a historic first for Jamaica and the Caribbean, opens gateways from the Middle East, Asia and Africa to our island and the rest of the region.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 13, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has warned tourism stakeholders to desist from charging individuals seeking to secure jobs in the sector. Noting that it is tantamount to scamming, Minister Bartlett said “nobody is to pay an agent or any intermediary for any recruitment opportunity for work in the tourism sector at this time.”

Speaking at the official handover of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) tools to players in the tourism sector at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel recently, Mr. Bartlett said he has heard of cases where potential workers were being charged up to $200,000 by recruiters.

Stopping short of calling the act criminal, Minister Bartlett noted that anyone caught partaking in this activity will be treated as scammers, adding that “the law will take its course.”

Mr. Bartlett also noted that there is high demand for Jamaican workers not just locally, but globally, adding that the tourism sector has a responsibility to ensure that its workers are not being scammed in the process.

Minister Bartlett then handed over the DRM tools to tourism stakeholders, which included the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Plan Template and Guidelines, and a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Template and Guidebook. He encouraged them to take the DRM tools to the next level of innovation and convert the information into applicable and physically useful action. He noted that converting the information into action builds capacity and boosts resilience. The Minister reminded the stakeholders that resilience is the “ability for us to respond quickly and well, to recover fast, and grow afterwards.”

As part of the Ministry’s initiative to develop and implement comprehensive strategies to build resilience, the DRM Plan Template and Guidelines, and the BCP Template and Guidebook for the tourism sector, were developed. The primary objective of the DRM Plan is to provide clear guidance to the management and staff of tourism entities on the basic infrastructure and operating procedures required to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazard events or emergency situations; while the BCP Guidebook provides guidelines to tourism entities on creating the BCP to enhance risk reduction and recovery strategies.

In the meantime, Executive Director of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Camille Needham, after receiving a batch of the DRM tools, said “the JHTA is fully committed to a sectorial approach to issues like the management of natural and anthropogenic hazards and climate change and their impacts.”

Adding that the sector’s high dependence on natural resources and climate-based activities is also what makes it vulnerable, Mrs. Needham said the JHTA appreciates the importance of resilience and sustainability as a strategic priority for the tourism industry. She stressed that “tourism risk management is critical for our analysis, assessment, treatment, and monitoring of the risks faced year after year.”

Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr. Carey Wallace, Acting Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Richard Thompson, and Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Mr. Wade Mars, were among the stakeholders who participated in the event.

The function ended with the presentation of certificates to participants in the recently concluded BCP Training Programme facilitated by the TEF.