KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 25, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is slated to share insights on ways to boost the resilience and sustainability of the global tourism industry, during a series of high-level international discussions and meetings with international tourism partners, when he attends the much anticipated ‘A World for Travel’ tourism forum.

Minister Bartlett left the island today (October 25) for Nimes, France, to attend the prestigious event, where he will join fellow industry leaders in discussions on sustainable travel, which will entail case studies and targeted sessions throughout the two-day conference.   

He is slated to take part in a press conference which will examine the issue: “Transforming the Travel Industry – Destination by Destination/Supplier by Supplier” as well as a panel discussion on the theme: “Driving Sustainability and Preparedness Through Academic Rigor” on Thursday, October 27. The Minister will also partake in a fireside chat exploring global initiatives on travel.

Minister Bartlett explained that he is anticipating conversations on “how key players in the global tourism industry can work together to transform it sustainably as the event promises to ensure thought leadership that delivers ‘the how’ and ‘the what’ in sustainability.” 

A World for Travel is expected to have up to 400 C-level travel and travel-related private and public sector players in attendance. 

Commenting on his planned involvement in the event, Minister Bartlett expressed that he is “looking forward to the networking and learning opportunities that will come from an event filled with a vast selection of travel professionals, leaders and experts,” adding that “it will also serve as an excellent platform to promote brand Jamaica and our tourism product.”

Minister Bartlett will return to the island on October 30, 2022.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 10, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is set to participate in several high-level meetings with major players in the cruise tourism industry as he attends the 28th Annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Cruise Conference, which will be held in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, from October 11-14, 2022.

Minister Bartlett expressed that “cruise tourism is a fast-growing component of the tourism industry” and that he is looking forward to the takeaways from the conference. He also noted that “the event is timely as the cruise industry is experiencing a strong recovery after being at a standstill for some time due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Speaking to the interaction and networking opportunities that the conference will provide, Mr. Bartlett said, “it will serve to bolster existing partnerships and establish solid networks that should lead to profitable opportunities for Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery,” and “place us in a better position to capitalize on cruise tourism moving forward.”

The tourism minister has always stressed that cruise tourism is an integral part of Jamaica’s tourism product and an important driver in terms of visitor arrivals and expenditure.

While at the conference, Minister Bartlett will meet with various cruise executives, including Josh Weinstein, President & CEO and Chief Climate Officer, Carnival Corporation; Christine Duffy, President, Carnival Cruise Line; John Padgett, President, Princess Cruises; Michele M. Paige, CEO, FCAA; Richard Sasso, Chairman, MSC Cruises; Howard Sherman, President & CEO, Oceania Cruises; and Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International.

The FCAA Cruise Conference is the largest cruise convention and trade show in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America. It is expected to be attended by over 60 cruise executives from more than 40 countries globally, as well as more than 500 representatives from various parts of the world.

The conference will feature a series of meetings and workshops covering topics such as Operating in a Post-Pandemic World and The New Reality of Shore Excursion Operations: Challenges and Opportunities, which are open to all Conference attendees.

Minister Bartlett leaves the island on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, and returns on Friday, October 14, 2022.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 5, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has called on Jamaicans to embrace a culture of delivering excellent customer service, noting that it is the driving force behind successful businesses and industries globally.

Mr. Bartlett was giving the Opening Address at the Jamaica Customer Service Association’s (JaCSA) Virtual Service Excellence Conference today (October 5, 2022). The Minister spoke on the topic: “A Culture of Care: Catalyst to Jamaica’s Global Tourism Achievements.”

In underscoring the importance of good customer service to the growth of any business, Mr. Bartlett stressed that “the only way for any business or industry to thrive is by meeting and exceeding customer expectations through service excellence. However, I will take it a step further.  The only way for a nation and its people to advance is through a society-wide commitment to a culture of service excellence.”

He added that: “Excellence and only excellence will drive every facet of society, economy, industry, education, healthcare and tourism.”

The Tourism Minister also emphasised that service excellence was critical to the steady recovery of the island’s tourism sector and economy overall. “Our commitment to service excellence has enabled our tourism sector to bounce back much faster than initially predicted. So, by extension it has also helped to drive the recovery of the national economy,” he said.

Minister Bartlett stressed that “although our tourism product is recognized as among the finest in the world, it is our ability to consistently deliver excellent service and a quality product that sets us apart from the competition. It is the reason for our enviable 42% repeat visitor rate.”

In the same breath he challenged stakeholders to go above and beyond regarding good customer service, adding that this is how they will realize the true capacity of their businesses. He said “if service excellence is the primary driver of tourism’s profitability and growth; if it is the key differentiator in business then our service processes must exceed visitor expectations. This is the only way for the industry to realize its full potential and for stakeholders to reap its benefits.”

Mr. Bartlett also stressed that “if service excellence is the bedrock of our tourism sector, and tourism is the engine of the national economy, then we must pull out all the stops to ensure that we create a culture of care that ensures our beautiful island retains its position as a globally competitive destination of choice.”

In reminding the Conference that “tourism is everyone’s business,” Minister Bartlett expressed that “while the partnership between Government and industry stakeholders is central to sustained growth, we need the buy-in from all Jamaicans if we are to ensure that the quality, standards and integrity of our tourism product are maintained,” adding that “this buy-in is crucial, because, ultimately, when tourism wins then we all win.”

The Conference, in its 19^th staging this year, is expected to attract an audience of over 1,500 persons in Jamaica, the Diaspora and throughout the Caribbean. In 2008, JaCSA was instrumental in having Former Governor General, Professor Kenneth Hall declare the first full week of October annually as National Customer Service Week (NCSW). This year JaCSA is celebrating NCSW from October 2-8, under the theme “Celebrating Service Excellence: Reigniting a Culture of Care.”

Destination Welcomed Over 5 million Visitors in the same period

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, October 3, 2022 – Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund has announced that Jamaica has earned US 5.7 billion since reopening its borders in June 2020. The data also shows that the island welcomed over five million visitors over the same period. The announcement follows the destination’s strong tourism recovery efforts that saw its best summer ever according to arrivals figures.

For the summer period, the island recorded over 224 thousand stopover arrivals in June while 2019 June figures show 222 thousand arrivals.

“These phenomenal earnings and arrivals figures are truly a testament to the hard work of my Ministry, its public bodies and our many stakeholders and partners. Through our thought leadership, Jamaica was able to reopen its borders at the height of the pandemic and remain open to allow visitors to travel to the island safely and seamlessly.

This strong recovery is happening even amidst the disruptions that the pandemic is causing in the airline industry with flight cancellations and supply chain disruptions,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett.

The Minister made the announcement at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Travel Marketplace, in San Juan Puerto Rico, where he is participating in the private-public partnership panel to discuss intra-Caribbean air connectivity, multi-destination marketing, and public policies for labour and employment among other industry business matters.

Since reopening in June 2020, the island welcomed approximately five million one hundred and seventy-three thousand visitors which include stop over arrivals and cruise passengers.

“Tourism is a key driver in the overall economic recovery for Jamaica and these numbers augur well for the economy, lives and livelihoods. To have already earned US5.7 billion is huge given the major fallout from the pandemic,” added Minister Bartlett.

The island was one of the first destinations to reopen amidst the global coronavirus pandemic through its robust health and safety protocols and World Travel and Tourism Council approved resilient corridors. These innovative approaches allowed for the safe reopening of borders and travel and tourism activities.

“These numbers validate the hard work of our team and prove that our ideas and innovation are successful. We will continue our efforts to recover stronger as we work to surpass our 2019 achievements,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Monday, October 3, 2022: Entrepreneurs with an interest in the tourism industry have been urged not to limit themselves but be open to exploring the limitless opportunities that present themselves for profitable investment.

Three experts in tourism promotion laid out a slate of new ideas that could be adopted at a recent Tourism Opportunities Visionary Symposium hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) at the Half Moon Hotel, Montego Bay, and online as part of the Ministry of Tourism’s annual Tourism Awareness Week activities.

Award-winning American travel writer, world travel expert and travel trends futurist, Doug Lansky; globetrotter and travel influencer Scott Eddy and President of the Caribbean Maritime University, Professor Andrew Spencer outlined that tourism today is open to innovation and the economic potential of a range of non-traditional attractions.

With the theme for Tourism Awareness Week being “Rethinking Tourism,” Lansky said, “When we start rethinking tourism it means that we need to redefine what success means.” He also stressed the importance of destination management and assurance in delivering what is promised.

Lansky advised, however, that “We need to think long term; if you’re a property, a stakeholder, you need to think beyond what’s the trend that’s going to be over in another three or four months. You need to think big picture.”

Professor Spencer, a former Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), posited that “the future of Caribbean tourism will be dependent on how successfully the Caribbean region can adapt post-pandemic,” adding, “the region will either exploit the opportunities within the chaos or perish.”

He argued that for a successful re-emergence of the tourism industry there needs to be continuation of growth but this will require efforts of amalgamation by stakeholders in areas such as tourism operations and crisis and product management, among others.

Given the dynamic nature of travel trends, Professor Spencer noted that in the midst of the pandemic travellers shifted their desires to suit conditions and current trends, with potential influence on the Jamaican tourism landscape, including: the health and safety-conscious traveller, the experienced/immersive traveller, the nomadic lifestyle, the domestic traveller and the tech-savvy traveller.

In the process of rethinking tourism, Professor Spencer highlighted four areas that should be considered priority. First, health and safety should be at the core of destination marketing and tourism operations; second,  diversification of tourism products and carving out new niche markets should be a priority for sustainable tourism in Jamaica post-pandemic. The third area he identified was the creation of crisis management policies and frameworks for resilience in uncertainty while adapting to a digital mindset and investment towards advanced technologies; and fourthly, greater encouragement for inclusivity, sustainability, and collaboration at the multinational and regional level for economic recovery by way of tourism linkages.

According to Eddy, today’s tourism operations should invest heavily into maximising the use of social media. He also expressed the view that the days of large hotel chains were coming to an end and “eventually, they will be replaced by hotels that are not only aesthetically pleasing, unique and authentic, but that also consider the next generation guests.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 3, 2022: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will today (October 3) join other Caribbean Ministers of Tourism and key industry players from the region in a private-public partnership panel to discuss intra-Caribbean air connectivity, multi-destination marketing, and public policies for labour and employment, among other industry business matters. The panel discussion is one of the signature events of the 40th edition of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace, being held from October 3-5 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Other panelists include Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism and Transport, Cayman Islands and Chairman, Caribbean Tourism Organization CTO); Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Minister of Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture & Information, St Lucia; Adam Stewart, Chairman, Sandals Resorts International (SIA) and President, Sandals Foundation; and Brad Dean, CEO, Discover PR.

Mr. Bartlett said, “I look forward to participating in these critical discussions as we prepare for the future of tourism and improve the region’s tourism product” noting also that he anticipates the discussions will provide “useful problem-solving outcomes that will position the region’s tourism industry to be more resilient and in a better position to recover from natural disasters and pandemic-like situations that may face us in the future.”

Meanwhile on Tuesday, October 4, Minster Bartlett will provide updates on Jamaica’s arrivals and airlift as well as a primary focus on tourism resilience, including his support of Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness’ call for the official designation of World Tourism Resilience Day on February 17 annually. Given the recent hurricanes impacting the region, Minister’s advocacy for tourism resilience will be especially topical.

Hundreds of buyers from 26 territories have converged on Puerto Rico for the highly anticipated Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which was last held in person in Nassau in late January 2020, two months before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down borders and travel. The 2021 version last May was virtual.

Minister Bartlett left the island last Sunday, October 2, and is to return on Wednesday, October 5, 2022.

Kingston, Jamaica; September 30, 2022: Jamaica’s tourism sector is set to benefit from an injection of fresh innovative ideas for products and services through the introduction of the much-anticipated Tourism Innovation Incubator, which was launched by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) today (September 30).   

Speaking at the launch event Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett revealed that “this initiative targets young enterprising minds, for whom there are tremendous opportunities for jobs, creative products, and innovative ideas in tourism and hospitality.”

He added that the programme was developed “to nurture new and start-up tourism enterprises that will provide innovative products and ideas to power the Blue Ocean Strategy in order to boost the competitiveness of our sector.”

In simplifying the term “Blue Ocean Strategy” Minister Bartlett explained that it is about “having comparative advantage in the marketplace” adding that “to sustain the industry in the face of increased competition, we must market and promote Jamaica as an unmatched travel option and the Caribbean destination of choice for tourists. This requires us to not only rebuild stronger, but also to focus on our competitive advantages in the tourism value chain.”

He noted too that “it is creating a competitive edge by offering our visitors an experience or product that they can have only in Jamaica, and therefore, we do not have to be concerned with competing with the same things as everyone else vying for the tourist dollar. Our focus will be on developing and promoting things that are authentically Jamaican; maximising cultural and historical authenticity to provide a tourism product that is Jamaican in every way possible.”

Mr. Bartlett added that “tourism is about ideas and creating experiences, experiences that people consume when they visit your destination. So, the more ideas that you have are the greater the opportunities for new experiences and the greater the opportunity for more consumption.”

He explained that the Innovation Incubator was created to change the perception of tourism as a casual worker’s paradise and to appreciate it as a dynamic economic activity of great significance globally.

As part of the initiative the TEF's Research and Risk Management Department (RRMD) has collaborated with the University of Technology/Technology Innovation Centre and the Founder Institute to launch an Innovation Challenge as a pilot of the core Tourism Innovation Incubator process.

It was outlined that in this challenge, the Tourism Incubator will seek to find 25 innovative ideas then set the potential entrepreneurs who came up with these concepts on a commercial path through a challenge similar to the very popular Shark Tank on cable TV.

Minister Bartlett explained that the “selection of the ideas is being done by a committee of members from TEF and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), and in addition to being tourism products or representing technology in tourism, each idea must be an innovation or invention that will add value and must be significant to the tourism industry.”

Of note the Lead Applicant must be a Jamaican Citizen residing in Jamaica for the last 3-5 years and must be 18 years or older by the submission deadline.

Upon making the final selection of candidates, the incubator will offer numerous services, including executing workshops with participants in the refining of their ideas; providing research support; training in pitch delivery; providing opportunities for mentorship and networking; teaching participants about key topics such as intellectual property and the importance of being formalized through informational sessions and sourcing potential partners or investors to help participants in prototype and product development.

Additional submission criteria for the Tourism Innovation Incubator can be found on TEF’s website at https://tef.gov.jm/tourism-incubator/

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; September 29, 2022: Secondary and tertiary level students from across the island received well needed information on the many opportunities available in the tourism sector during an engaging Tourism Awareness Week Youth Forum, held yesterday (September 28) at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James. Many voiced their support for tourism and have indicated their desire to become more involved in the process of - “Rethinking Tourism,” which is the theme for the week.

The Youth Forum was organised as part of a series of activities to celebrate Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2022, which runs from September 25 – October 1. Delegations from some 17 Tourism Action Clubs from schools across the island gathered for the occasion, supported by a number of industry stakeholders for an interactive event in which they held sway in one of three panel discussions, voicing their thoughts on: “The Tourism We Want: Youth Response.”

The very outspoken and insightful panelists included Junior Minister of Tourism, Sanecia Taylor; winner of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Tourism Essay competition, Theondra Hamilton and Secretary of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Tourism Society, Britanie Hanson, with Xavier McFarlane as moderator.

The other panel discussions explored: “Opportunities for Non-Traditional Careers in the Tourist Industry” with Director of the Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald-Riley and entrepreneur Ashley Rousseau, moderated by Joel Nomdarkham, and: “New Vision: Adapting to Change while Remaining Authentic” with presentations by Kris DaCosta, Digital Marketing Manager, JTB; Fabian Brown, Director, Internal Organization and Corporate Social Responsibility, Bahia Principe and Tourism Entrepreneur and popular recording artiste, Jeffrey “Agent Sacco” Campbell.

With a number of suggestions being raised by the young people, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr. Carey Wallace said he was very pleased with the turnout of Tourism Action Clubs. “I was impressed by the brilliance of the answers and their commitment to sustainable tourism,” he said underscoring that it was “important to engage that generation.”

He believes a forum of that nature served to unlock the ideas of the young people and give them greater insights into the numerous traditional and nontraditional opportunities in what has become the world’s leading industry and “can give them a good quality of life.”

Dr. Wallace said: “We believe that we need to have more tourism entrepreneurs coming out from among our own people, as well as more tourism managers, team members, culinary experts as there are so many opportunities.” He felt that the average Jamaican still saw tourism opportunities as a bartender or housekeeper, “not knowing that there are so many more business opportunities that the industry generates.”

His views were supported by Mrs. McDonald-Riley who stressed the need for professionals who are benefitting directly from the tourism sector to share their success stories, so that young persons can be inspired to enter areas that are profitable.

Dr. Wallace added that for an industry generating US$4.2 billion in earnings, “surely there are opportunities or us Jamaicans to be benefitting from it” and the large portion which goes into making overseas purchases, “we believe can be substituted by local products, local services and local talent.” He underscored that TEF’s Linkages Network was working to build out local capacity in these areas “to form bridges between the productive sector and tourism.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 23, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has endorsed the global call made by Prime Minister The Most Hon. Andrew Holness for the official designation of February 17 as Global Tourism Resilience Day annually.

The Prime Minister made the call as he addressed the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday (September 22). He said: “We have been engaging countries across the world in our efforts to bolster resilience in global tourism and Jamaica is proposing the official designation of February 17th annually as Global Tourism Resilience Day.”

Mr. Holness outlined that the “annual commemoration would serve to encourage a consistent examination of resilience-building in the tourism sector, in the face of persisting global disruptions to sustainable tourism and sustainable development.”

He encouraged “the global community to work towards commemorating the first Global Tourism Resilience Day in 2023.”

In supporting the call Minister Bartlett, who officially launched Global Tourism Resilience Day during EXPO2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this year, noted that: “The Prime Minister’s call represents the latest step by Jamaica in our push to have Global Tourism Resilience Day observed across the world each year.”

He added that “this observance would assist in increasing the awareness and actions of global tourism stakeholders towards strengthening the industry’s capacity to effectively handle and recover speedily from major disruptions, such as pandemics and natural disasters.”

“It would also encourage larger states to provide support and assistance to small highly tourism-dependent countries in the area of resilience building” Mr. Bartlett expressed. The Day, which is the brainchild of Minister Bartlett has received support from tourism stakeholders globally.

Meanwhile, in calling for the official designation of Global Tourism Resilience Day, Prime Minister Holness also stressed that “as a highly tourism-dependent country, in the most tourism-dependent region in the world, Jamaica has invested heavily in building resilience in the tourism sector,” adding that “during the pandemic, we pioneered the introduction of “resilient corridors” on the island, which assisted greatly in fast-tracking the recovery for our tourism sector.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 21, 2022: The Ministry of Tourism, its public bodies and industry partners will highlight the importance of the sector to economic development and invite stakeholders to rethink how they approach tourism in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world, through the observance of Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2022, from September 25 – October 1.

The week will be observed under the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) theme for World Tourism Day (September 27) – “Rethinking Tourism.” The theme highlights the shift towards tourism being recognized as a crucial pillar of development.

In underscoring the importance of the theme, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett explained that: “Amid the uncertainties that have characterized the current post-COVID-19 period, an unprecedented opportunity has been presented for us to rethink strategies for building the resilience of Jamaica’s tourism industry.”

“The Ministry has always advocated for a sector that is economically sustainable, socially inclusive and environmentally friendly; however, the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated our commitment to rethinking tourism to maximize its contribution to the social and economic well-being of the nation and its citizens,” he added.

He noted also that the tourism sector is “the single largest contributor to GDP, the main source of foreign revenues and one of the country’s main sources of exports” adding that “overall, the tourism sector has grown by 36% over the past 30 years against total economic growth of 10%.”

Meanwhile, the Tourism Minister revealed that the “rethinking of Jamaica’s tourism is being guided by our Blue Ocean Strategy, which is playing a leading role in revitalizing Jamaica’s tourism industry. It calls for the creation of business models that depart from traditional ones based on competition and standardization.”

In endorsing the point Director of Tourism, Donovan White expressed that: “As a destination, using the key premises of the Blue Ocean Strategy framework, we have shifted our strategic focus to one of enhanced value-creation through product differentiation and diversification.” 

He explained further that “we are opening up new markets and creating new demand in uncontested market spaces instead of going down the well-trodden path and competing in saturated markets.”

The week will begin with a Thanksgiving Church Service at the Montego Bay New Testament Church of God, St. James on Sunday, September 25. The day will also see the latest installment of the Virtual Edmund Bartlett Lecture Series, which will be hosted by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and is open to all individuals, particularly tourism stakeholders.

A Tourism Opportunities Visionary Symposium is scheduled for World Tourism Day (Tuesday, September 27). This event will see international speakers being invited to speak on the future opportunities for tourism, new frontiers being explored and trailblazers on the front lines.

A Youth Forum has been organized for Wednesday, September 28, and will involve two panel discussions with industry stakeholders to discuss the way ahead as the world considers what tourism will look like in the future.

Other activities include a Style Jamaica Runway Show on Monday, September 26; a special virtual Knowledge Forum on Thursday, September 29; the official launch of the Tourism Innovation Incubator on Friday, September 30; school speaking engagements from Monday, September 26 to Friday, September 30; a youth poster competition; and the roll-out of an Online Tourism Resource Guide.