KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 03, 2021:   Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett today joined forces with tourism industry leaders from Kenya and Saudi Arabia to encourage other policymakers at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, to make tourism part of the solution to climate change and COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

During his remarks, Bartlett noted that vaccines have become the big elephant in the room that is defining the global recovery levels. “Recovery from the pandemic is being affected by two critical elements – vaccine equity and vaccine hesitancy. Equity in relation to distribution so that all countries can recover together. The second is the use of technology to facilitate better communication and factual information about the vaccine and its application and efficacy so that more people are less hesitant,” said Bartlett.

“Unless we get to the point where more than 70 per cent of us are fully vaccinated, the recovery process is going to be painfully slow. We may very well find ourselves in another pandemic, worse than COVID-19,” he added.

Minister Bartlett, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife, Hon. Najib Balala, and Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, shared their views on these issues during a panel discussion at the Conference, which was moderated by the Former President of Mexico, His Excellency Felipe Calderón.

During his remarks, Minister Al Khateeb stressed the importance of the tourism industry to the climate change recovery efforts. “The tourism industry, it goes without saying, wants to be a part of the solution to dangerous climate change. But, until now, being part of the solution has been far easier said than done. That’s because the tourism industry is deeply fragmented, complex and diverse. It cuts across so many other sectors,” he said.

Also on the panel were Rogier van den Berg, Global Director, World Resources Institute; Rose Mwebara, Director & Head of Climate Technology Center & Network at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Virginia Messina, SVP Advocacy, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC); Jeremy Oppenheim, Founder & Senior Partner, Systemic; and Nicolas Svenningen, Manager for Global Climate Action, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UNFCCC is being hosted by the United Kingdom in partnership with Italy. The summit has brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. More than 190 world leaders are participating, along with tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks.

London, United Kingdom; November 2, 2021: Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett yesterday (November 1) said that Jamaica will later this month start receiving at least 16 flights per week from the United Kingdom, bringing the island back to approximately 100 percent airline seat capacity as the nation’s tourism numbers rebound.

Bartlett is currently in the United Kingdom (UK) with a high-level team from the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) participating in the World Travel Market, one of the largest international tourism trade shows in the world. Bartlett is joined by JTB Chairman, John Lynch; Director of Tourism, Donovan White; Senior Advisor & Strategist, Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright; and JTB Regional Director of the UK and Northern Europe, Elizabeth Fox.

“We have had very good engagements with our key partners in the UK and have reassured them of Jamaica’s readiness for them and our safety as a destination, with a less than one percent Covid infection rate on the Resilient Corridor. Additionally, I am happy to see airline seat capacity between the UK and Jamaica at around 100 percent of what it was pre-Covid when we were on a very strong growth path. We are very serious about action and strong results, and I am pleased with what we are achieving so far,” Bartlett noted.

Meanwhile, Delano Seiveright noted that “TUI, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are the three airlines carrying passengers between the UK and Jamaica with TUI operating six flights per week, Virgin Atlantic to increase to five flights per week and British Airways to operate five per week. The flights run out of London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Beyond that, we are likely to see further schedule changes as our teams continue discussions with our stakeholders.”

The engagements in the UK bring to an end a global markets blitz led by Bartlett and his senior officials which included Jamaica’s two largest source markets, the United States and Canada, which reaped massive successes in dramatically boosting airlift to the island and reassuring stakeholders on the Covid related safety of the destination. The Minister also led engagements in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which in part will result in the opening up of tourism and investment opportunities for Jamaica.

London, United Kingdom; November 2, 2021: Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett today welcomed news that the United States of America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed Jamaica from its Level 4 “Avoid Travel to this Destination” risk assessment.

“This is a very positive development. I want to commend our health authorities and the people of Jamaica for working to bring down the rates of COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations, which augurs well for our risk assessment rankings. Beyond that, the Resilient Corridor remains a very safe space for visitors and workers alike with comparatively high vaccination rates and extremely low infection rates.”

Jamaica is now ranked at Level 3, which urges US travellers to be fully vaccinated before travelling. Despite CDC risk assessments, Americans by and large continue to travel to destinations they want to visit.

Senior Advisor and Strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright noted that “this is good news indeed. The previous Level 4 ranking caused jitters in some circles and was certainly not good optics. However, with this improved ranking it will be most helpful in our current and very aggressive efforts to boost tourist arrivals from all our markets.”

Minister Bartlett is currently in the United Kingdom (UK) with a high-level team from the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) participating in the World Travel Market, one of the largest international tourism trade shows in the world. He is joined by JTB Chairman, John Lynch; Director of Tourism, Donovan White; Senior Advisor & Strategist, Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright; and JTB Regional Director for the UK and Northern Europe, Elizabeth Fox.

The engagements in the UK end a global markets blitz led by Minister Bartlett and his senior officials which included Jamaica’s two largest source markets, the United States and Canada, and reaped massive successes in dramatically boosting airlift to the island and reassuring stakeholders on the COVID-related safety of the destination. The tourism minister also led engagements in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which in part will result in the opening of tourism and investment opportunities for Jamaica.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 31, 2021: As Jamaica seeks to accelerate tourism recovery with a focus on non-traditional markets Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has announced that plans are in train to boost air connectivity between the Middle East and the Caribbean, with Saudia Airlines set to expand flights to Jamaica by summer 2022.

This announcement follows Minister Bartlett’s recent travels to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to explore investment opportunities and boost tourism travel to Jamaica.

“The last two weeks have been very eventful for us in trying to carve out the new markets in the Middle East that will give us the connectivity to Africa, Asia and Asia Minor. We have had discussions in Dubai and in Riyadh. The discussions with Saudia Airlines are well advanced and we’ve had an understanding that there is an ambition for engagement by summer of 2022,” said the Tourism Minister.

“The details of that arrangement are being worked out with Saudia and another carrier that will make the possibility for connectivity easier and more seamless in the short run. So we are very excited about seeing the Middle Eastern gateway opening to Jamaica,” he added.

Minister Bartlett noted that the broader strategy is to have Jamaica become the hub for connectivity from the Middle East through to the Caribbean, Central America, South America and areas of North America. This will position Jamaica as being central to air connectivity between the East and West. “We are very confident that we will see results from this in short order as both airlines that we have spoken to have shown a strong appetite for the Caribbean and, more so, Latin America,” he said.

Saudia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia. It is the third largest in the Middle East in terms of revenue, behind Emirates and Qatar Airways. It operates domestic and international flights to over 85 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 29, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the scheduled return of cruise ships across the island’s ports, beginning in mid-November, is a strong vote of confidence by major international stakeholders in the safety of and demand for brand Jamaica. It also signals the nearly full reopening of an industry that is crucial to Jamaica’s tourism recovery efforts and will aid greatly in bringing back much-needed jobs.

“Our tourism industry is quickly recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arrivals figures are climbing, airlift for the winter season is looking good, and the winter cruise schedule will be very busy, with an uptick in November which will see multiple ships docking in Ocho Rios, Falmouth and Port Antonio,” said Bartlett.

These cruise lines include The World, a boutique cruise line for Port Antonio; the Carnival Sunrise, Norwegian Gem, MSC Meraviglia, AIDAdiva, among others, for Ocho Rios; and the Emerald Princess for the Port of Falmouth.

”Cruise is an integral part of our tourism product and an important driver in terms of visitor arrivals and expenditure. Thousands of Jamaicans depend on the cruise shipping industry,” he added.

Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise line, has committed to sending 110 or more cruises (200,000 cruise ship passengers), by its various brands, to the island between October 2021 and April 2022.

While Royal Caribbean International, the second largest cruise line in the world, will resume limited operations to Jamaica in November of this year. Also, cruise executives reiterated a strong desire to employ thousands of Jamaicans across a wide range of jobs and are awaiting government regulatory amendments to make it a reality.

With Carnival's 16-call itinerary over the next three months, MSC Meraviglia's return, and Royal Caribbean, Disney, and other cruise lines ready to begin sailing in the Caribbean, Jamaica could have cruises back on track by December, with nearly the whole fleet. By the end of the year, Bartlett expects just under 300,000 cruise passengers to visit Jamaica.

“We have been heavily marketing Port Royal to our international investors during our various marketing engagements overseas. During our meeting with TUI, they disclosed several planned visits and calls on the Port Royal Cruise Port, starting in January. We expect to have five calls from January through April 2022 in Port Royal.  We have also been in discussion with key partners in Dubai regarding plans to also invest in the tourism product in Port Royal,” said Bartlett.

This season, the Nieuw Statendam and Nieuw Amsterdam of Holland America Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, and Seabourn Cruise Line's Seabourn Ovation, Royal Spirit of Adventure from Saga Cruises, are all scheduled to dock at Port Royal.

Cruise shipping will return to Montego Bay in January 2022.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 25, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that he has initiated discussions with top representatives of Emirates Airlines, with the aim of introducing a unique flight between Dubai and Jamaica early next year. The announcement comes as the Minister concluded marketing activities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday, with a crucial meeting with senior executives of Emirates Airlines at their Dubai Headquarters.

A major element of the wide-ranging discussion was the possibility of introducing a special service between Dubai and Jamaica, in celebration of Jamaica Day at Expo 2020, Dubai in February 2022. “We agreed to explore the feasibility of arranging this flight, details of which are to be worked out as soon as possible. There was also a productive discussion around tourism and airline recovery prospects and the positive V-shape pattern being experienced by Jamaica and Dubai,” said Bartlett.

He anticipates further discussions in the context of multi-destination strategies being formulated in the northern Caribbean to enable a more fulsome engagement of the Emirates and other partners in the Middle East. Emirates is the largest airline in the UAE, and the Middle East overall, operating over 3,600 flights per week.

While in the UAE, Minister Bartlett and his team also met with the country’s Tourism Authority to discuss collaboration on tourism investment from the region; Middle East tourism initiatives; and gateway access for North Africa and Asia and facilitation of airlift. There were also meetings with executives of EMAAR, arguably the largest and most prestigious hospitality and Real Estate/Community developer in the Middle East; DP World, one of the world’s largest port and marine logistics companies; DNATA, the single largest tour operator in the UAE and TRACT, a powerful tour operator in India.

“The round of marketing activities my team and I had with the key tourism and logistics partners in the UAE, were very fruitful.  This will undoubtedly result in the process of securing new investments, markets and gateways from the Middle East, Asia/Asia Minor and Africa to Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean,” Minister Bartlett explained.

From the UAE, Minister Bartlett will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will speak at the 5th edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII). This year’s FII will include in-depth conversations about new global investment opportunities, analysis of industry trends, and unparalleled networking among CEOs, world leaders, and experts.

He will be joined by Senator, Hon. Aubyn Hill in his capacity as Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), with responsibility for Water, Land, Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), the Special Economic Zone Authority of Jamaica and special projects.

Minister Bartlett will return to the island on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 22, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that TUI, the world’s largest tourism company, has added Port Royal to their January 2022 schedule. He indicated that the company has confirmed the resumption of their flights and cruises to Jamaica, with cruise activities scheduled to begin in January.  The company specifically outlined plans for homeporting in Montego Bay, and the inclusion of calls to Port Royal on their cruise schedule.

This announcement was made in Dubai recently, during a meeting involving Minister Bartlett, Director of Tourism, Donovan White and TUI Group Executives: David Burling - CEO Markets and Airlines; and Antonia Bouka - Group Head Government Relations & Public Policy-Destinations.

“Today TUI, one of our largest tour operators and partners in the distribution segment of the tourism industry, confirmed homeporting activities for cruise in Montego Bay. More importantly a number of planned visits and calls on the Port Royal Cruise Port, starting in January. We expect to have five calls from January through April 2022 in Port Royal,” said Bartlett.

During the discussions with TUI, the company executives advised that their data shows that the demand for cruise is high and they have managed to retain cancelled bookings.  They also shared that air capacity for this winter season will be 79,000, which is only 9% less than pre-COVID winter figures.

Bartlett assured the TUI executives that Jamaica remains a safe destination with very low instances of COVID-19 transmission within the resilient corridors, as well as a very robust tourism workers’ vaccination campaign.

“Our worker vaccination drive has been very effective in Jamaica, with many of our workers opting to become fully vaccinated. It is our hope that soon we will be celebrating 30-40% of Jamaica’s tourism workers being vaccinated as well as a significant increase in the vaccination of the rest of our population by January,” said Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett noted that he and his team, have also had discussions with other key partners in Dubai regarding plans to invest in the tourism product in Port Royal.

“I have had other important discussions in regards to Port Royal, which may see much more activity coming through for the remainder of the year. I have just concluded some discussions with DP World, which could result in significant improvements in the European traffic into the Caribbean, mostly in Jamaica, with Port Royal being a critical area of consideration,” said Bartlett.

“I am pleased with our discussions so far here in Dubai and I am expecting that Jamaica will see some significant investments from these engagements here,” he added.  

DP World is an Emirati multinational logistics company which is based in Dubai. The organization specialises in cargo logistics, maritime services, port terminal operations and free trade zones. It was formed in 2005 following the merger of Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International. DP World handles some 70 million containers that are brought in by around 70,000 vessels annually, which equates to roughly 10% of global container traffic accounted for by their 82 marine and inland terminals present in over 40 countries. Up until 2016, DP World was primarily a global ports operator, and since then it has acquired other companies up and down the value chain.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 22, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, recently concluded a series of important cruise investment meetings with DP World, a major multinational logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“I am very happy to announce that our meetings with one of the world’s largest port and marine logistics companies, DP World, have been very successful. During three consecutive days of meetings, we have had serious discussions about investments in the Port Royal Cruise Port and the possibility of homeporting.  We also discussed the development of a logistics hub, a Vernamfield multi-modal transport and aerotropolis, as well as other infrastructural investments,” said Bartlett.

DP World Chairman, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, through his emissary, Executive Vice President of DP World, Mohammed Al Maullem, expressed interest in Jamaica and conveyed greetings to Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.

Bartlett and executives of DP World are to continue these discussions in the near future with the Port Authority of Jamaica and the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

DP World specialises in cargo logistics, maritime services, port terminal operations and free trade zones. It was formed in 2005 following the merger of Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International. DP World handles some 70 million containers that are brought in by around 70,000 vessels annually, which equates to roughly 10% of global container traffic accounted for by their 82 marine and inland terminals present in over 40 countries. Up until 2016, DP World was primarily a global ports operator, and since then it has acquired other companies up and down the value chain.

While in the UAE, Minister Bartlett and his team will also meet with representatives of the country’s Tourism Authority to discuss collaboration on tourism investment from the region; Middle East tourism initiatives; and gateway access for North Africa and Asia and facilitation of airlift. There will also be meetings with executives of DNATA Tours, the single largest tour operator in the UAE; members of the Jamaican Diaspora in the UAE; and three major Airlines in the Middle East – Emirates, Ethiad and Qatar.

From the UAE, Minister Bartlett will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will speak at the 5th Anniversary of the Future Investment Initiative (FII). This year’s FII will include in-depth conversations about new global investment opportunities, analysis of industry trends, and unparalleled networking among CEOs, world leaders, and experts. He will be joined by Senator, Hon. Aubyn Hill in his capacity as Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), with responsibility for Water, Land, Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), the Special Economic Zone Authority of Jamaica and special projects.

Minister Bartlett will return to the island on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 19, 2021:  Jamaica and several players in the local tourism industry have emerged big winners at this year’s prestigious World Travel Awards. The island was named the “Caribbean’s Leading Destination’ and ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination,’ while the Jamaica Tourist Board was named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board.’

The island was also victorious in two new categories: ‘Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination’ and ‘Caribbean's Leading Nature Destination.’

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett expressed delight at this recognition, sharing that, “Jamaica is truly honoured to be recognized in this way by the esteemed World Travel Awards group. Indeed, these accolades are a testament to the confidence the global travel industry has in Jamaica and all we have to offer.”

“I humbly accept these awards on behalf of the hardworking team at the Ministry of Tourism, the Jamaica Tourist Board and our other public bodies as well as all our tourism partners. I also wish to thank all of our stakeholders who have remained committed during these uncertain times, who emerged winners. Brand Jamaica is indeed very strong and I am so proud of all we have accomplished together,” he added.

The Hotel and Attractions sub-sectors also walked away winners, with Dunn’s River Falls named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction’ and Eclipse at Half Moon, also received the ‘Caribbean’s Leading New Hotel’ accolade.

Sandals Resorts International were also big winners.  The group was named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Hotel Brand’, with the winners among its Jamaican portfolio including Sandals South Coast (‘Caribbean's Leading Honeymoon Resort’); Sandals Montego Bay (‘Jamaica’s Leading Resort’) and Beaches Negril (‘Jamaica's Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort’).

Other hospitality winners included Round Hill Hotel & Villas (‘Caribbean’s Leading Villa Resort’ and ‘Jamaica's Leading Hotel’); GoldenEye (‘Caribbean’s Leading Boutique Resort’); Fleming Villa (‘Caribbean's Leading Luxury Hotel Villa’); Jamaica Inn (‘Caribbean's Leading Luxury All Suite Resort’); Strawberry Hill (‘Jamaica's Leading Boutique Hotel); Spanish Court Hotel (‘Jamaica's Leading Business Hotel’); Tryall Club (‘Caribbean's Leading Hotel Residences’); Margaritaville (‘Caribbean's Leading Entertainment Venue’); Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall (‘Jamaica's Leading Conference Hotel’); Half Moon (‘Jamaica's Leading Luxury Resort’) and Jamaica’s Sangster International Airport, as the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Airport.’

Other successful entities included Club Mobay (‘Caribbean's Leading Airport Lounge’); Island Car Rentals (Caribbean's Leading Independent Car Rental Company); Montego Bay Convention Centre (‘Caribbean's Leading Meetings & Conference Centre’); Island Routes (‘Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tour Operator’); GO! Jamaica Travel (‘Caribbean's Leading DMC’ & ‘Caribbean's Leading Tour Operator’).

Port Royal was named ‘Caribbean's Leading Tourism Development Project’; Port of Montego Bay selected ‘Caribbean's Leading Home Port’; and Port of Falmouth voted ‘Caribbean's Leading Cruise Port’.

World Travel Awards is regarded as the leading authority that recognizes and rewards excellence in travel and tourism. It was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Today, the World Travel Awards™ brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence. World Travel Awards celebrates its 28th anniversary year in 2021.

The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands. Votes were cast by travel industry professionals, the media and the general public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sunday, October 17, 2021: Following his highly successful markets blitz in North America, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett left the island yesterday, accompanied by a high-level team to explore investment opportunities and trump up tourism travel to Jamaica from the United Kingdom (UK) and the Middle East.

Prior to his departure, Minister Bartlett said, “As we seek to accelerate the recovery of the tourism industry, I will be leading a delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom to explore opportunities for foreign direct investment (FDI) in our tourism sector as well as shore up arrivals from our third largest source market.”  He said investment would play a critical role in tourism recovery by providing the funds necessary to construct and upgrade projects essential to the development and growth of tourism capacity.

The blitz starts with targeting the travel market at the Dubai World Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates. Jamaica is among the more than 190 exhibitors at the expo with a pavilion highlighting the destinations latest products and innovations under the theme “Jamaica Makes it Move”, connecting the world through its unique music, food, sports and other aspects of its rich heritage.

While in the UAE, Minister and his team will meet with the country’s Tourism Authority to discuss collaboration on tourism investment from the region; Middle East tourism initiatives; and gateway access for North Africa and Asia and facilitation of airlift. Also, there will be meetings with executives of DNATA Tours, the single largest tour operator in the UAE; members of the Jamaican Diaspora in the UAE; and three major Airlines in the Middle East – Emirates, Ethiad and Qatar.

From the UAE, Minister Bartlett will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will speak at the 5^th Anniversary of the Future Investment Initiative (FII). This year’s FII will include in-depth conversations about new global investment opportunities, analysis of industry trends, and unparalleled networking among CEOs, world leaders, and experts. He will be joined by Senator the Hon. Aubyn Hill in his capacity as Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), with responsibility for Water, Land, Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), the Special Economic Zone Authority of Jamaica and special projects.

The recent lifting of the UK Government’s advisory against all non-essential travel to Jamaica has paved the way for Minister Bartlett to lead a high-level team to London, October 30 to November 6, targeting the UK market. Key stakeholder engagements will be held with Virgin Atlantic, China Forum and British Airways at World Travel Market London (WTM), one of the most important annual meetings for the international travel sector.

Also, the tourism minister will be a special guest at the 9^th Advocacy Dinner of the Pacific Asia Travel Association. In continuation of his international responsibilities, he will also participate in a UN World Tourism Organization, World Travel and Tourism Council and WTM Ministers’ Summit.

The packed itinerary also includes media interviews, speaking engagements at City Nation Place Global Conference in London, a board meeting of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), and a meeting with the Jamaican Diaspora community in the UK.

Minister will return to the island on Saturday, November 6, 2021.