MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; November 19, 2020: Health and wellness tourism has been identified as a key area that will help to drive growth in Jamaica’s tourism industry moving forward, in light of the new norm created in the global travel and hospitality market, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This position was outlined by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett at the opening of the two-day Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference now underway at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. This is the second such conference being hosted by the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and with physical attendance restricted by COVID-19 protocols, this year’s event is being streamed live to online participants.

Minister Bartlett said: “Health and Wellness will become one of the key cornerstones for destination differentiation in our tourism marketing. This is primarily because the new demographic emerging, Gen C, are going to be the new drivers of travel and they are going to require destinations that have strong health security properties.”

He noted that the Jamaican people are key players in the new thrust. “This is one of the reasons why we are going to be focusing heavily on building the capacity of our people to better take care of themselves and also to provide those elements of care that are going to be fitting the need that the visitors have when they come to the country,” said the Tourism Minister.

He proffered that the coronavirus pandemic has provided a new opportunity in the health and wellness tourism arena while also creating great demand for the island to be more pristine by making a greater investment in destination assurance. “Jamaica is going to have to establish itself as a destination where the confidence that the visitor wants, that he is going to be safe and secure, and he will have a seamless experience, is never second guessed,” underscored Minister Bartlett.

He says Jamaica’s tourism marketing will focus heavily on that as it seeks to woo back hundreds of thousands of visitors whose travel plans have been derailed since February this year by the pandemic. In that regard, Mr. Bartlett disclosed that an international team has begun work on Jamaica’s Destination Assurance Policy which will become the guiding light for the country’s own strategies to ensure better management of the destination.

The new tourism marketing thrust is supported by President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Clifton Reader who said “coming out of COVID-19 there will be a great demand, especially for older people travelling; they have the money to travel and they are going to bring their families, but, of course, they have preexisting conditions.”

Stating that health and wellness tourism was a very lucrative US billion dollar industry, Mr. Reader said: “When you look at the economic viability of this area, it is tremendous and Jamaica is so poised with all the facilities we have.” The JHTA president also said it was very important that through collaboration with government and private stakeholders, that the medical facilities within Jamaica be developed to attract more travellers.

Kingston, Jamaica; November 13, 2020: As part of efforts to encourage the adoption of national and international standards by spas across the island, the Tourism Linkages Network will be hosting a free two-day Spa Standards Workshop, beginning next Monday, November 16, 2020. The workshop will seek to sensitize the industry about the Linkages Network’s newly developed COVID-19 Safety Manual for Jamaican Spas, which is the first of its kind in the region.

The manual incorporates existing protocols for spas from the Ministry of Tourism’s COVID-19 protocol document as well as the standards outlined by the International Spa Association.

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, highlighted that: “This year a record 498 persons have registered for the workshop, which will be streamed on the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s social media pages, on November 16 and 17.”

“This is a very important workshop which will include presentations on topics such as: ‘Visioning the Spa Industry through destination integrity and assurance,’ Understanding the requirements of the Spa Standard JS319, as well as a presentation on the new COVID-19 Safety Manual for Spas,” he explained.

The Ministry’s training arm, the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation, will also be collaborating on this initiative to offer Spa Certification training for qualified spa practitioners.

The Spa Standards and Certification programme began in 2017, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Jamaica Bureau of Standards and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo). To date, over 250 stakeholders across the island have benefited.

The Tourism Linkages Network will also be hosting its second annual Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference from Wednesday, November 18 to Thursday, November 19 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, under the theme: “Reset, Reimagine, Restore”.

“The conference will bring together leaders in the health and wellness tourism industry from Jamaica, the Caribbean and around the world for one of the most important conferences on Jamaica’s tourism schedule. This year’s conference will be a hybrid event with limited in person attendance and live streaming via social media, which will bring the activity to the entire global wellness tourism community,” Minister Bartlett outlined. 

Additional information on both events can be accessed at: wellnessinja.com.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 13, 2020: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett was yesterday awarded the prestigious Gusi Peace prize from the Gusi Foundation of Manila, Philippines.

“I’m greatly honoured to be considered by the esteemed Gusi Foundation in this critical period of global history. Certainly our work with regards to tourism and global resilience has made a mark. I think Jamaica, and certainly all of us who have been in the tourism management business in the island, can feel justly proud that we are being considered and our work is recognized well beyond our shores,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Gusi Foundation is a charitable organization, whose main objective is “to give proper recognition, through the conferment of awards of excellence and distinction, to individuals or groups worldwide who have distinguished themselves as brilliant exemplars of society.”

Specifically, the organisers have noted that these individuals or groups must make exemplary contributions to peace and human rights, in scientific discoveries, politics, academe, performing arts, literature, medicine or physiology, journalism, humanities, physics, chemistry, religion, business and philanthropy, economics and internationalism.

The Award is named after the late Captain Gemeniano Javier Gusi, a World War II veteran who fought against Japanese oppression and became a popular active advocate of human rights. 

It is deemed to approximate the honor and respect accorded to the Nobel Peace Prize of Norway, and the Pulitzer of the United States of America. 

“I am pleased to accept this award, though virtually, and it is my hope that I will be able to go next to receive it physically in Manilla. On behalf of all of us, this is indeed a very humbling but significant moment in my life and certainly for all of us in tourism,” said the Minister.

Bartlett joins distinguished past laureates such as Jamaican veteran advertiser and diplomat Arnold Foote Jr, who received the honour in 2010; Dr. Isaias Salas Hererra of Costa Rica who received the award in 2016; Jamaican Businessman, Lascelles Chin, awarded in 2017 and Jamaican Humanitarian, Father Richard Ryan Ho Lung, awarded in 2011.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 12, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett recently participated in a global ministerial panel discussion on rethinking the global travel and tourism industry with a comprehensive recovery plan, which encourages innovation and investment to rebuild destinations.

The discussions took place earlier this week during the annual International Tourism and Investment Conference in London, held in partnership with the World Travel Market (WTM), which took place on a virtual platform, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, consequent social distancing and global travel restrictions.

“The aspirational objectives of destinations for recovery in the   post-COVID era are increasingly being reflected in the rolling out of comprehensive recovery plans for the tourism sector which seek to leverage the collective power and resources of key stakeholders including: governments, international tourism bodies, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, booking agencies etc.,” said Bartlett.

“Recovery has become almost synonymous with resilience-building. The sector needs to become more adaptable, resilient and agile.  This pandemic has presented us with a unique opportunity to transition towards a more balanced tourism as it is anticipated that more international tourists will opt for “sustainable” destinations in the post-COVID era,” he added.

Other Ministers joining the panel included Hon. Nigel Huddleston, Minister of Tourism, UK; Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Kenya; Hon. Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, Minister of Tourism, Brazil; and Hon. Elena Kountoura, Member of the European Parliament.

Minister Bartlett also reiterated the call for the establishment of a Global Tourism Resilience Fund to equip vulnerable countries to be able to respond, manage, and to then recover and grow after disruptions. The Fund would especially target destinations that are recognized as facing high vulnerability but have insufficient financial capacity to prepare for and recover quickly from disruptions.

“It is also important for policymakers, industry leaders, investors and financial institutions to collaborate more closely to support investments and provide incentives to support  product differentiation into areas such as health, wellness and the green economy which are linked to the promotion of more sustainable behaviours and practices by all involved in the tourism value chain,” said Bartlett.

The global tourism investment summit was organised with the goal of helping to accelerate the recovery of travel and tourism businesses and restore travellers’ confidence after the COVID-19 pandemic. It brought together global leading voices and luminaries across different segments to discuss the future of the travel and tourism industry, its challenges, opportunities, financial strategies and mechanisms required to aid its successful recovery.

The three-day summit began on November 9 under the theme: “Invest, Finance and Rebuild the Travel and Tourism Industry”. Bartlett also participated in the resilience panel discussion, on Tuesday November 10, 2020.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 11, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the Jamaica Cares mandatory travel insurance programme has received very positive feedback from global tourism stakeholders. He also outlined that international tourism partners would like to expand the programme globally.

The Minister made this announcement today during the Tourism Ministry’s two day strategic planning retreat, being held at the Terra Nova All-Suite hotel in Kingston, where heads of agencies, divisions and senior managers within the ministry and its agencies are discussing ways to reposition the sector and plot the way forward in light of the impact of COVID-19.

“This morning the world said to me, during a virtual meeting based in Asia, that Jamaica Cares is too large for Jamaica. We want to have a World Cares. The World Travel and Tourism Council and other leadership groups are putting it forward for other countries to borrow because they know that the fourth element of the response to the renewal during and after COVID-19 is health security,” said Bartlett.

Jamaica Cares, which is being led by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, is a ground-breaking travel protection and emergency services programme that provides visitors with cost of medical care, evacuations, field rescue, case management and patient advocacy in all circumstances up to and including natural disasters. As it relates to COVID-19, the protection plan also covers testing for symptomatic travellers, quarantine/isolation in a medical facility or in sanctioned quarantine facilities and evacuation, if necessary.

The initiative, is aimed at providing travel protection and emergency services to tourists coming into the island, as well as to ensure the safety and protection of workers in the tourism sector and, by extension Jamaican citizens.

“Jamaica Cares says to the visitors everywhere: that when you come to a destination, do not put the burden of your health arrangements on the destination that you are coming to; don’t displace the locals from beds in hospitals if they are affected; enable them to manage with you and that your costs become your burden, shared by the billions who travel across the world,” said Bartlett.

“And in that context, the economies of scale chips in and the unit cost of doing it becomes small. Little countries like Jamaica and elsewhere can manage properly and provide you with safety and security and a good time. That reasoning resonated with the rest of the world,” he added.

The resilience centre has signed an agreement with Global Rescue for the implementation of the programme, which will become effective later this month.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 09, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the industry is a key driver of the Jamaican economy and urges stakeholders to view the unprecedented crisis brought on by the pandemic as a transformational opportunity to help get tourism back on track.

Speaking at the opening of the first-ever virtual staging of the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the Minister said, “Tourism must get back on track. Pre-pandemic, there were 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals; travel and tourism accounted for 10.3% of global GDP, and it employed 1 in 10 persons around the world.  At home, as we welcomed 4.3 million visitors, the sector earned US$3.7 billion, contributed 9.5% to the nation’s GDP and generated some 170,000 direct jobs.”

Bartlett noted that the Government is doing its part to rebuild the economy and tourism will play a key role. He shared that despite Covid-19, proactive measures were being implemented that will ensure a tourism product that is safe, attractive for visitors, and economically viable for all tourism stakeholders.

Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, Bartlett remains cautiously optimistic as data from the Jamaica Tourist Board indicate that the industry is slowly rebuilding.

Preliminary JTB figures indicate that since reopening on June 15, the country has recorded a little over 211,000 passengers to the island; June to September earnings amounted to US$231.9 million, and hotel occupancy rates are slowly inching up. A 40% increase in arrivals over the winter season when compared to the preceding periods of massive downturn, is also projected.  

“In terms of airlift, most of the major airlines serving the destination are increasing service as the demand picks up. These include the following airlines in the Americas: American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United, Southwest, Air Canada, WestJet, and Copa,” he said. 

Expedia also reported that searches for Jamaica’s Montego Bay rose 15 percent in July, and Jamaica was among the most-searched-for destinations in the Caribbean.

“I have received reports that some of our hotel properties have reported that they are reaching up to 60% occupancy through a combination of international and local guests, with numbers reaching nearly 90% around holiday weekends,” he said.

The Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) is the premier trade event and the single most important business generator for Jamaica's tourism industry. It facilitates pre-scheduled appointments for leading wholesalers and tour operators with hundreds of Jamaica's leading tourism suppliers to conduct business negotiations.

Since its 1990 inception, The Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) has been a joint project of The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB). It is supported by every Jamaican organization involved in the development, promotion and sale of the Island's tourism product.

According to the organizers, the three-day event, which is being held virtually  this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, has more than 2,000 buyer and supplier delegates, travel agents and media representatives from countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, China, India, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 06, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for global policymakers to implement a more empathetic leadership style, while also remaining cautiously optimistic about the future of the industry.

The Minister was speaking yesterday at the A World for Travel virtual international event, which focused on the recovery and the development of global travel and tourism activities.

“Empathetic leadership during this time cannot be sufficiently stressed. It allowed for greater understanding of the people on whose behalf I worked, greater connection with the structure of teams, as well as for my colleagues and other leaders. It is important too that, as leaders, we create space for others to demonstrate empathy towards us. These are trying times and togetherness for strength is useful,” said the Minister.

“A hallmark of leadership and highly relevant in times of crisis is the ability to remain cautiously optimistic – without spiraling into doom and gloom – is necessary in these times,” he added.

When asked about how governments help and what policies could support a quicker recovery of the sector, beyond the use of stimulus packages, the Minister noted that to ensure effective recovery post-pandemic, one has to re-imagine the product, service, market and responses.

“Having considered our market and our packages, the promotion of the destination will flow along similar thoughts. In this new normal, people are motivated to “live their best lives” and we must ensure that our partners and stakeholders have bought into the relevant plans to foster alignment and harmony in the implementation for success,” he said.

In addition, Minister Bartlett noted that COVID-19 has placed the spotlight on the marginalized in society and the sector. “In this regard, inclusion has been equally highlighted as a tool for emerging from this pandemic, possibly bent but not broken, Inclusiveness along all links in the chain - supply, marketing, delivery - will become indispensable, especially as we remain committed to the Sustainable Development Agenda,” he said.

The Minister was speaking on a panel moderated by Guillaume Thibault, Partner at leading international management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, discussing the topic “Leadership in the times of Covid-19”.

He was joined by Gloria Guevara, President  & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council; H.E. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Secretary of State for Tourism, France, and Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association

Other speakers at the event included Hon. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General, United Nations World Tourism Organization; Rita Marques, Secretary of State for Tourism, Portugal and Ramzi Khoury, Head of News, ROYA TV.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 06, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed deep regret at the passing of long-time friend and industry colleague Edith Baxter, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Canadian publishing group Baxter Media.

“I wish to offer my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Baxter’s daughter Wendy McClung, along with her extended family and the entire Baxter Media management and staff during this difficult time. Ms. Baxter was a powerful voice within the Canadian travel industry for more than five decades and her legacy will be remembered for years to come,” said Minister Bartlett.

Edith, or Mrs. B as she was fondly known among friends, was an unparalleled leader in Canada’s travel industry. For more than 50 years, she served at the helm of Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier – two of the country’s most respected and widely read weekly travel trade publications.

She founded the prominent media group in 1968 alongside her late husband and business partner William (Bill) Henry Baxter, who passed away in 2004.

Reflecting on Baxter’s passing, Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) John Lynch said, “She will be remembered fondly as a brilliant journalist, a savvy businesswoman and a true friend of Jamaica. She made dozens of trips to the island – particularly enjoying her time at Half Moon Resort – and she developed strong friendships with former JTB Regional Directors Pat Samuels and Sandra Scott.”

Under the leadership of Edith Baxter, Baxter Media has played an integral role in spotlighting Destination Jamaica in the Canadian market over the last five decades.

In 2018, Baxter was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in recognition of her contributions to the tourism industry and the important work she had done behalf of Jamaica.

For the last 25 years, Baxter Media has organized the popular Canadian Travel Industry Golf Tournament, hosted on island in partnership with Sandals Resorts. The annual industry event brings dozens of travel agents, tour operators, airline representatives and tourism partners together in Jamaica for a week of networking events, friendly competition on the links and vibrant island hospitality.

Jamaica has also been featured prominently as an award-winning destination and tourism board at Baxter Media’s annual Agents’ Choice Awards, the largest and most comprehensive survey of travel agents in Canada. For 15 consecutive years, Jamaica has been named ‘Favourite Tourist Board – Caribbean’ at the annual readers’ choice awards.

“Edith Baxter was a true trailblazer who made an enormous impact on the travel community here in Canada and beyond,” recalls Angella Bennett, Regional Director, Canada, JTB.

“Whenever I had the pleasure of meeting with her, I always found myself in awe as she spoke about her career and shared stories of her travels to Jamaica. She had a true love affair with the island and will be dearly missed.”

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Friday, October 30, 2020: Buoyed by the success of the resilient corridor in safeguarding Jamaica’s tourism against the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), discussions have begun regarding the return of cruise ships to the port of Falmouth.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett disclosed that as recent as Wednesday, he was in was discussion “with Disney Cruise about their plans for coming back to Falmouth shortly. They made reference to our resilient corridor as the signature statement of how destinations can make their areas safer for travel and tourism in the future.”

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new development at The Shoppes at Rose Hall, St. James, on Thursday (Oct 29), Minister Bartlett said, “Although concerns continue in our major markets, we are already seeing positive signs of buoyancy which offer encouragement as we rebuild the tourism economy and continue to contribute meaningfully to the rebuilding of the national economy.”

He said preliminary figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) indicated that since reopening on June 15, Jamaica has recorded a little over 200,000 passengers to the country with June to September earnings amounting to just over US$250 million.

Meanwhile, he noted that with the reopening of global economies, air travel was being restored “and we are cautiously optimistic that we will see a 40 percent increase in arrival over the winter season when compared to the preceding period before the massive downturn.”  Also, “airlift continues to increase and this is a good indicator that there is demand by travelers, waiting or indeed making bookings to travel.”

Mr. Bartlett said the JTB,  the Ministry of Tourism’s marketing arm, was maintaining strong engagements with operators and airline companies to drive bookings for the winter “and already seat support out of key markets include the US 567,427, Canada 166,032, the United Kingdom 1,801 and continental Europe overall, 45,311 seats.”

The Tourism Minister publicly thanked Jamaicans both at home and in the diaspora for their contribution to the occupancy levels hotels have been enjoying. To date, there has been no known case of the COVID-19 virus among hotel guests or staff and about 30 percent of tourism workers were back on their jobs.

Strides are being made in laying the groundwork for the full reopening of the tourism sector in Jamaica, in a safe and responsible manner, he said.

“We understand the eagerness of all our tourism workers to get back on the job to support their families and the industry, and assure them that every possible effort is being made to expedite the recovery of the industry. In the meantime, however, they can play their part by encouraging those with whom they come in contact to practice the protocols laid down by the Ministry of Health that will facilitate an early  recovery from COVID-19,” said Minister Bartlett.

He noted that while Jamaica’s health and safety protocols were working and stand out as testament to the high level of compliance by tourism stakeholders, so much so that other tourism destinations were seeking to follow suit, there is no room for complacency.  “But there is a measure of comfort in the fact that the united effort taken in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, is paying off handsomely as we take bold and decisive steps to safeguard everyone,” He said.

Earlier this week, another layer was added to existing health and safety measures to reassure visitors of Jamaica’s resilience against the coronavirus with the launch of an end-to-end health insurance, repatriation, and logistics programme branded as “Jamaica Cares”. 

In an effort to protect the environment and preserve Jamaica’s tourism product, the Ministry of Tourism through its agency, the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), has donated a well-needed box truck to the Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ). The truck will allow for more efficient collection of plastic items and other pollutants in the resort town of Negril.  

Funding for the truck was provided under a Memorandum of Understanding, between TPDCo and its sister agency, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), at a cost of approximately seven million dollars.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, at the official handing over of the truck yesterday (October 21), Acting Executive Director of TPDCo, Stephen Edwards said: “This worthwhile venture between the Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) and the tourism sector is a necessary move towards a better future, which includes a more diverse and responsive tourism sector.”

“We have adopted many strategies that are geared towards the preservation of our tourism product. The procurement of this box truck is one such way in which we are assisting in mitigating the impact of pollution and the destruction of the environment,” he added.

Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Pearnel Charles Jr.,  shared Minister Bartlett’s sentiments and added that the government of Jamaica remains committed to promoting and fostering environmental protection island-wide. “We are inviting Jamaicans to join in the journey towards action, climate resilient houses, urban renewal initiatives, environmental protection…this is the Jamaica we want. This is the Jamaica we deserve,” he said. 

Also present at the handing over ceremony at their Lakes Pen Depot was the Chairman of the Recycling Partners of Jamaica, Dr. Damien King. He expressed appreciation for the donation and noted that environmental awareness has been rising locally, which is reflected in the recent bans by the Government of single-use plastic and Styrofoam items. He revealed that plans are being finalized to target plastic bottles.

“The country is going to continue along those lines, and the next step in that journey is plastic bottles.  We are going to do so in a public-private partnership — the likes of which, we may not have seen before —between the government and the manufacturers of the products which are distributed in plastic bottles,” said Dr King.

According to Dr King, this partnership will organize a scheme to get the vast majority of the 800 million bottles that are distributed each year, to be recollected for recycling.  He said a campaign for this initiative will be launched in the coming months.