KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 28, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has issued a stern warning that breaches of the established protocols put in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, will not be tolerated in the tourism sector. This as he underscored that the controversial staging of the Mocha Fest event at Rick’s Café in Negril was in direct breach of the Government’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Mr. Bartlett stressed that “the Tourism Product Development Company Ltd. (TPDCo), which is a public body of the Ministry of Tourism, has acted immediately to ensure that appropriate steps were taken to punish the entity that was in breach of the protocols.”

“I want to make it very clear that the Ministry of Tourism will not tolerate any breaches whatsoever of the protocols that we have established to facilitate the safe operation of the sector. All our partners, local and international, who will engage our tourism product over the next few months – and as long as the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) exists – must be compliant in all regards,” added the Minister.

Earlier today, TPDCo withdrew Rick’s Café’s COVID-19 compliance certification with immediate effect. Consequently, Rick’s Café will be required to undergo a re-certification exercise to ensure strict adherence to the established COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols before it can be allowed to accept visitors again.

Additionally the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has announced that it has ordered Rick’s Café closed for seven days and that the management of the establishment has been summoned to a meeting with officials from the Ministry and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) on Monday.

“I am deeply saddened by the fact that such a breach has occurred, however the various arms of Government have acted immediately and firmly,” said Minister Bartlett.

“As Minister, I am deeply saddened by any activity whatsoever which breaches any element of the DRMA. These breaches undermine the protocols that we worked so hard to create and the resilient corridors which have gained international recognition because of the high compliance level which we have had and the impeccable record of very low instances of infection,” said Bartlett.

“All activities which are being undertaken within the sector must comply with the protocols established. Failing which, the security forces are well aware of their actions and their rights in that regard,” he warned. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 28, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has stepped up his lobby for players in the global community to make their voices heard about the issue of vaccine equity and its implications for global economic recovery, as well as the full restoration of the tourism industry.

The Minister renewed his appeal during the just concluded Global Tourism Recovery Summit, chaired by the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The summit focused on efforts by the global community to restart the tourism industry with leadership and coordination.

During the summit, Bartlett, who was supported by his colleague, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator, the Hon. Aubyn Hill, said that the unequal distribution of vaccines may lead to a global humanitarian challenge, that will have direct implications for smaller states such as Jamaica.

“We are concerned that a greater humanitarian challenge will emerge if this process of vaccine inequity continues. Too many countries will find their economies in tatters and the livelihood of their people in peril. Jamaica is at risk because we have a low vaccination level of less than 10% and that is of concern. If categorization is to be made in relation to levels of vaccination, countries like Jamaica will be left behind due to our limited access to vaccines,” said Minister Bartlett.  

During his presentation to several of the top ministers of tourism across the Middle East and other sections of the world, he emphasized that a few countries had cornered the global supply of vaccines. He shared that as of May 26, 2021 “a total of 1.7 billion doses of vaccine were administered across the world, but it only represented 5.1% of the globe.”

“The issue that faces the global tourism family is whether or not we will accept the positioning of bigger countries with more resources, who are more highly vaccinated as being the ones who will be able to participate in the global recovery, as the way that this recovery programme will be configured,” said the Minister.

He called on participants at the summit to deepen their resolve and strengthen their sense of understanding of what tourism recovery means.

“Tourism recovery cannot mean recovery for certain countries in Europe and North America and not for the Philippines, the Maldives, the Caribbean, countries in the Indian ocean and Africa for example… We are concerned because like Bob Marley said, there can be absolutely no equity and justice unless we all are together in this struggle. His words resonate because he made the point very well that what will happen to recovery will be a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained,” said Bartlett.

Bartlett and Hill are currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Tourism Recovery Summit as well as the 47th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Middle East, scheduled for May 26 and 27, respectively. Bartlett is also using the visit to continue discussions with Saudi officials on tourism cooperation and investment. Minister Bartlett left the island on May 17 and is slated to return on May 30, 2021.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 27, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is mourning the passing of tourism stalwart and prominent businessman, Ernest Smatt, who died today (May 27, 2021) at the age of 88. Smatt died in Miami, Florida, while receiving treatment in hospital.

“Jamaica mourns the passing of a real tourism icon. Ernie Smatt was the quintessential tourism man. He understood the game and had the swagger that created the phenomenon he was during a period when Jamaica was the playground of the rich and famous, “said Minister Bartlett.

Smatt owned and operated a number of tourism enterprises over the years, such as Watersports Enterprises Ltd., Shaw Park Hotel in St. Ann, Brimmer Hall Great House in St. Mary, and Mangos Beach Resort in Trelawny.

He also had investments in tourism businesses in Grand Cayman and served as Chairman of The White House, which is a popular restaurant and venue there.

“Ernie brought entrepreneurship to another level. He invested in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. He brought a level of distinction that was noticeable because of how he conducted himself and how he comported himself. He was suave and classy. He had a knack for getting to the hearts of the beautiful people who visited Jamaica,” added the Minister.

“He had a way with the stars and almost every known celebrity of the 50s and 60s who came to Jamaica had an acquaintance with Ernie Smatt. I think that as a Portland entrepreneur, in particular, he will be well remembered,” he outlined.

In 2016, the Government of Jamaica recognized Smatt, for his outstanding contribution to the development of tourism in Jamaica by honouring him with the Order of Distinction (Commander Class).

“Jamaica has lost one of its fine tourism sons. On behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, I offer sincere condolences to his family and other loved ones, as well as to his staff, who I am sure will all miss him dearly. We wish that the legacy he left behind will be an inspiration that will help them go through this period in a manner that will give them solace. May his soul rest in peace and light perpetual shine upon him,” Minister Bartlett said. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 19, 2021: Stakeholders in the tourism sector have expressed that the recovery of the industry is being driven by the unity among tourism partners, which has been further concretized following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many emphasise that the sector has never been more united.

“I believe that the way that we have been pivoting is due to the fact that the sector has never been as united,” said Managing Partner, Chukka Caribbean Adventure Tours, John Byles. He adds that all subsectors, inclusive of the airports, ground transportation, hotels, attractions, shops, to name a few, “have never communicated at the level that we’ve communicated” to restore the industry.

His view was endorsed by Anup Chandiram, Chairman of the Shopping Network of the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN); Brian Thelwell, President of the Jamaica Co-operative Automobile and Limousine Tours (JCAL) and Vernon Douglas, Chief Financial Officer of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS). They were featured presenters in a virtual forum, held recently, on: “How Tourism has Impacted Other Sectors.” The moderator was Lisa Bell, Managing Director of the Exim Bank. The session is the latest in a five-part online forum series, spearheaded by the TLN’s Knowledge Network.

It was revealed that over 70 licensed attraction operators and more than 5,000 ground transport operators have been impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic. In shopping, many once thriving retail establishments have gone out of business. 

Mr. Byles said after suffering major fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, attractions were now tracking at about 45 percent of 2019 levels. He said the sector is recovering steadily, with a sense of confidence returning to the industry, generated by high levels of vaccination in Jamaica’s main source market, the United States, and Jamaica having a strong tourism product.

Sounding an optimistic note for the way ahead, Mr. Byles said the key to success was “coming together and finding ways to improve the overall value of the product. We all are going to win and more importantly, the guests are going to want to come back,” he explained.

In the case of the transportation sector, Mr. Thelwell said it has been forced to scale down drastically. With income for nine months being totally wiped out, many operators have dropped out of the sector, parked or sold their buses and have turned to other activities to survive.

Nevertheless, Mr. Thelwell sees positive signs on the horizon, but said for the sector to be fully prepared when the industry begins to open up more, banks needed to be more lenient with clients with outstanding loans. “Even when the sector comes back it will not be all flourishing right away, it’s going to be gradual progression and persons have obligations that they can’t meet now,” he said.

Speaking for the shopping subsector, Mr. Chandiram said when the industry gets back on its feet “our product must be better than when we closed in March of 2020.” He pointed to strengthening the linkages framework as one of the paths to success in the future. “The fact that we want our visitors to spend their money on services and goods produced in Jamaica that employ Jamaicans, have value added in Jamaica, I see a lot of that happening,” he said.

Mr. Chandiram said standards had to be raised, with many of the shopping centres providing an experiential offering, “so instead of just going to buy goods you go there to experience something unique.” He said this was happening with Main Street Jamaica in Rose Hall, along Montego Bay’s Hip Strip, Island Village in Ocho Rios and was conceptualized for the Artisan Village in Falmouth.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 18, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed heartfelt congratulations to the management and staff of several Jamaican hotels that have received major accolades in the prestigious TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice 2021 Best of the Best Awards.

Six Jamaican properties each secured a coveted spot on TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Hotels in the Caribbean list, including, Kingston’s Spanish Court Hotel; Negril’s Cliff Hotel and Sandy Haven Resort; Ocho Rios’ Jamaica Inn and Montego Bay’s Round Hill Hotel and Villas and The Tryall Club.

“I am very proud of the strong Jamaican representation on TripAdvisor’s Top Caribbean Hotels list.  These properties were ranked among the highest-rated locations in the entire region. This is a major achievement for these properties and by extension destination Jamaica. We are certain this will have a positive impact on our tourism industry, which is steadily rebounding,” said the Minister.

The S Hotel in Montego Bay was also listed among the Top 25 ‘Most Saved’ hotels in the world, which TripAdvisor described as “hotels that topped every traveler's list.”

“I offer my congratulations to the management team and staff of the Crissa Hotels Group for being the only Jamaican entity to be named on the Most Saved list, while their other property, Spanish Court Hotel, also made the Top Caribbean Hotels list. This proves that they have remained top of mind during what has been a very difficult year for travel and tourism globally,” said Minister Bartlett.

Established in 2002, the Travelers' Choice Best of the Best awards are the highest honour TripAdvisor bestows. It is the only travel industry awards based on millions of reviews and opinions from travelers across the globe. These annual awards reflect "the best of the best" for service, quality and customer satisfaction, from hotels and accommodations to destinations, attractions, restaurants and experiences.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 18, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is set to attend the highly anticipated annual international travel and tourism tradeshow, FITUR, which will be conducted in person, in Madrid, Spain from May 19-23. FITUR was the last major global in-person trade fair to take place before the COVID-19 pandemic, and is the first of its kind to return, in a non-virtual format.

“Jamaica is happy to be one of the tourism destinations represented at one of our industry’s most anticipated annual events. I am hopeful it will result in a number of investment opportunities for Jamaica, which will undoubtedly impact how we rebound from the devastating effects of this on-going pandemic,” said Minister Bartlett.

While in Madrid, the Minister will attend a number of meetings with potential investors, as well as key industry stakeholders, such as Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Melia Hotels International and Carmen Sampol, CEO of SAMPOL, a leading engineering company.

“FITUR is the global meeting point for tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. This year's staging will be crucial for re-establishing and maintaining networks and business for the rebound of tourism,” said Bartlett.

“We will be networking and securing new investment opportunities. A key meeting we hope to have is one with INVEROTEL as well as Melia regarding their investments in Jamaica and the continuation of relevant projects,” he added.

Organizers indicate that at its 2020 staging, FITUR surpassed its participation record with some 11,040 companies from 165 countries and regions, 150,011 trade visitors and 111,089 visitors from the general public.  This year’s event will be a ‘Tourism Recovery Special Edition’.

The Minister will then travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to participate in the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Tourism Recovery Summit as well as the 47th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Middle East, to be held on May 26 and 27, respectively.

Bartlett will also use this visit to continue discussions with Saudi officials on tourism cooperation and investment. Minister Bartlett left the island on May 17 and will return on May 30, 2021.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 10, 2021: As regional stakeholders ramp up efforts to woo back tourists and rebuild the sector in the aftermath of the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has called on Caribbean leaders to raise their voices collectively against the inequitable distribution of vaccines.

“While one in four people in high-income countries has now been vaccinated against COVID-19, only one in more than 500 people in poorer countries has received a jab. Based on the current trend of vaccine inequity it is estimated that the world’s poorest 92 countries will not be able to reach a vaccination rate of 60 percent of their populations until 2023 or later,” Minister Bartlett lamented.

He was delivering the keynote address during a virtual forum on: “Tourism Diplomacy: Rebuilding Tourism Safely”, hosted by the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). The session was the first in a five-part online forum series, spearheaded by the TLN’s Knowledge Network.

Underscoring the importance of the industry, Minister Bartlett said credible evidence suggested that tourism has now earned the status of an industry that is too big to fail. In that regard, he added, “It is therefore imperative that the sector survives during and beyond the current crisis so that it can continue to fulfill its vital role as a significant catalyst of global economic recovery and growth.”

However, he stressed that without equity in the distribution of vaccines, there would be no recovery for tourism, especially for Caribbean islands which depend heavily on the industry.

“The tourism industry, at both the global and regional levels, must speak up about the vaccine inequity louder than it already has and must play a more significant role in tackling the issues if the industry is to return to any sense of normality, as without vaccine equity there will be no travel recovery,” he warned.

He emphasized that tourism players in the region need to be vigilant. Minister Bartlett said, “Persons within the industry have platforms, connections, expertise and global influence and are therefore able to articulate clearly and loudly to policymakers about the consequences of how things are going and also how they can function in a more morally-appropriate manner.”

He posited, “In the final analysis, if Caribbean economic recovery is to begin this year, if employment is to be restored and tourism returned in a significant way, many more vaccines need to be made available very soon,” not just to safeguard public health but for longer term economic recovery and stability.

Director of Tourism, Donovan White said with the onset of the pandemic in 2020, regional tourism inflows declined by 11 million or 66 percent, relative to 2019 and was felt hard in Jamaica, with revenue generated through tourism taxes and other charges evaporating.

So far, he added, “Only 30 percent of local tourism workers have been back on their jobs full-time with another 10 to 20 percent on part-time, with reduced wages as tourist visits continue to rise steadily.”

On the issue of vaccination inequality and hesitation, he saw the need for public/private sector partnership in educating the public, to ensure success at achieving herd immunity.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 27, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett today convened a high level meeting with regional tourism ministers in Cancun Mexico, to discuss the finalization of arrangements for the implementation of a multi-destination tourism framework and agreement to bolster arrivals.

Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Panama and Cuba were key players in the discussions and are hoping to finalise this agreement, the first of its kind, to commence by the start of the 2022/2023 Winter Season. This follows years of ongoing discussions between countries in the region to develop multi-destination tourism, in order to fuel growth within the sector.

The meeting, chaired by Jamaica, also focused on establishing a task force, to be led by Mexico and Jamaica, to prepare a draft document by June 2021. “This is being done with the hope that the draft document will be ready for discussion and acceptance at the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Commission of the Americas (CAM) meeting, which will be held in Kingston on June 19, 2021,”Minister Bartlett explained.

“This agreement will enable joint marketing arrangements between these countries, while also providing tourists with the option to enjoy multi-destination experiences during their vacations at attractive package prices. It will be a game changer in tourism diplomacy and economic convergences in the Caribbean region,” Mr. Bartlett added.

Present at today’s multi-destination meeting were: His Excellency, Miguel David Collado Morales, Minister of Tourism for Dominican Republic; His Excellency, Ivan Eskildsen, Minister of Tourism for Panama; and His Excellency, Miguel Torruco Marqués, Secretary of Tourism, Mexico.

The parties will re-convene tomorrow with the addition of His Excellency,
Julián Guerrero Orozco, Vice Minister of Tourism for Colombia, to discuss the provision of aid to volcano affected St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Her Excellency, Nicole Marrder, Minister of Tourism for Honduras has also been invited to attend.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Cancun, Mexico for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit 2021. The event is being held in partnership with the Government of Quintana Roo, under the theme ‘Uniting the World for Recovery,’ and will run from April 25-27 in Cancun.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 26, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett today participated in a very successful meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, to discuss investment opportunities and other possible areas of collaboration between both nations.

During their meeting, the Ministers discussed the possibility of Jamaica benefiting from the US$100 million development fund the Government of Saudi Arabia has established in collaboration with the World Bank for small enterprises.

“We also discussed how Jamaica can benefit from investment in a number of areas including tourism infrastructure. I told him about the new destination we are developing in St. Thomas and the possibility for Saudi investment in that area,” said Bartlett.

Both Ministers also examined the issue of boosting tourism resilience. “We also spoke about the collaboration that Jamaica and Saudi Arabia will have in tourism development. These include the establishment of a Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in Riyadh and collaboration with regards to sustainability and resilience projects,” said Minister Bartlett.

Established in 2017 and housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona, the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) has a mission to assist global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises. The GTRCMC currently has offices in the Caribbean, Africa, and the Mediterranean and affiliates in over 42 countries.

Minister Al Khateeb extended an invitation to Mr. Bartlett to sit on the Board of Governors of the Tourism Academy that is being established in Saudi Arabia. He also asked Minister Bartlett to participate in a mega conference of global tourism ministers in observation of the establishment of the first United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) office outside of Spain, which is being built in Riyadh.

Minister Bartlett outlined that he extended an invitation to Minister Al Khateeb to visit Jamaica, adding that he intends to visit the island in September.

Mr. Bartlett is currently in Cancun, Mexico for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit 2021. The event is being held in partnership with the Government of Quintana Roo, under the theme ‘Uniting the World for Recovery,’ and will run from April 25-27 in Cancun.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 22, 2021: Cruise shipping, a key component of Jamaica’s tourism sector which suffered the greatest fallout of all tourism activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is gearing up for a major comeback.

During his 2021 sectoral presentation in parliament on Tuesday (April 20), Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett said Jamaica was seeing “a glimmer of hope” in cruise shipping despite a pandemic-induced standstill in the global cruise industry.

Even as major cruise lines engage the US Center for Disease Control for the right to sail the seas again, Minister Bartlett reported that: “We are pivoting in this crisis to take advantage of a new collaborative approach that will bring greater value for passengers, cruise lines and Destination Jamaica.” The plan, he said, was not only to attract the cruise lines back to the ports of Jamaica, but facilitate greater benefits from partnerships by way of spend and inclusiveness. 

Discussions with cruise partners have already produced an agreement with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) for the home-porting of its vessels in Montego Bay, starting August 7, this year. This development he says, will be a game-changer.

“Home-porting will provide much greater opportunities to strengthen linkages with other key sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing.  Cruise ports will see increased spend, which will benefit small businesses and entrepreneurs in the industry,” said Minister Bartlett. He has projected that with the reopening of cruise likely in June 2021, Jamaica could anticipate receiving 570,000 cruise ship visitors. Since March 1, 2020, there has been no cruise arrivals to the island.

This first time home-porting arrangement by a major cruise line will mean revenues for supplies, including water taken on in Montego Bay, and passengers overnighting in hotels. This as homeporting often generates more airlift in and out of destinations and drives additional business for local services such as bunkering, fresh water provisioning, hotel accommodation, garbage disposal and sludge removal.

The Minister explained that NCL will operate two itineraries, one of which will see a ship stopping in Ocho Rios before heading on to Cozumel in Mexico and Honduras, then returning to Montego Bay. The other schedule also includes Ocho Rios, but from there passengers will sail to the ABC Islands, namely, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.

Each vessel, which typically has an occupancy of approximately 3,800, passengers, will operate at 50 per cent capacity and passengers will be required to be fully vaccinated and tested prior to boarding.

Mr. Bartlett also outlined that there were plans for another “upscale luxury liner”, The Viking, with capacity for 950 passengers, to also home-port in Montego Bay, starting next August. “What is significant about that home-porting,” he said, “is that they are going to have a Jamaican itinerary, starting in Montego Bay, going to Falmouth, then to Ocho Rios, on to Port Antonio and Port Royal, returning to the western city.”

While convinced that Jamaica could effectively provide its own cruise ship itinerary, Minister Bartlett pointed to the need to improve the ports on the island’s coasts “so we can have a full itinerary for vessels.”