KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 10, 2020:  Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica’s tourism sector is critical to Jamaica’s economic recovery from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking recently at the Rotary Club of Kingston East & Port Royal 22nd Anniversary and Virtual Board Installation Ceremony, the Minister said: “Tourism is very resilient, and the sector will be at the heart of Jamaica’s economic recovery. However, it cannot be business as usual.”

He added that: “The pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to look at tourism through a different lens.  As we rethink – reimagine – tourism for the post-COVID-19 world, we must ensure that it is rebuilt on a safer, more resilient and equitable framework.”

The Ministry of Tourism is therefore considering a number of new strategies in an effort to mitigate the economic fallout caused by the pandemic.  This is being led by the Land Based Working Group of the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Task Force, which has put together a strategy report with recommendations to build resilience along the tourism value chain. 

“Jamaica is facing one of the greatest economic challenges of this century.  This is why my Ministry, Agencies and tourism partners are exploring measures to ensure that the tourism sector comes out on the right side of history. In this way, the tourism sector will live up to its potential as a catalyst for economic and social prosperity,” said the Minister.

He explained that “one key strategy will be to strengthen linkages and create a tax incentive programme for large-scale farms and warehousing, aimed at purchasing from local farmers and selling in the industry. The investment size would range from US$12 to US$15 million. Also, we are creating an enabling financial environment through collaboration with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), EXIM Bank and Small and Medium-sized Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs).”

Mr. Bartlett also noted that the Ministry will be exploring the island’s competitive advantages with the aim of transforming Jamaica into a logistics supply hub for the region’s tourism sector.

“We are one of the largest tourist destinations in the Caribbean, we have the largest international airport and have the potential to develop our agriculture and agri-processing, and we are close to the bigger supplier markets: USA, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.  We must take advantage of this. In addition, we want to promote island cruises by creating a homeport and moving guests over the island for five to seven days,” he said.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 1, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that a report published today by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) outlining the projected fallout for the global economy and in particular countries like Jamaica, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, further underscores the need to restore the sector by reopening on a phased basis and in a safe manner. 

The report outlines that the “world’s tourism sector could lose at least US$1.2 trillion or 1.5% of the global gross domestic product (GDP), having been placed at a standstill for nearly four months due to the coronavirus pandemic.” It further indicates that “the loss could rise to US$2.2 trillion or 2.8% of the world’s GDP if the break in international tourism lasts for eight months, in line with the expected decline in tourism as projected by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).”

The report also lists Jamaica as the country which stands to suffer the greatest economic fallout, with an estimated decline of 11% of GDP, ahead of Thailand (-9%), Croatia (-8%), Portugal (-6%) and the Dominican Republic (-5%), to name a few.

The Minister noted that “as I recently indicated in Parliament, restoring our tourism sector is a matter of economic life and death. The reality is that Jamaica’s economy is dependent on the tourism industry. It contributes 50% of the foreign exchange earnings of the economy and generates 354,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.” He added that: “Sadly, most of our tourism workers have been displaced due to the pandemic. So the UNCTAD report underscores the fact that we have to restore the sector as quickly as possible to reverse the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s GDP.”

He explained that “the report also comes against the background of our own projections that Jamaica is expected to lose JA$146 billion from April 2020 to March 2021, due to the downturn in tourism caused by COVID-19.”

Minister Bartlett emphasized that: “The month of July, which promises to show the strongest surge of recovery, must be managed well and the new protocols that we have introduced are designed to enable a more seamless entry of Jamaicans and visitors alike.” He said that “the appointment of a new Resilient Corridor management team, led by Mr. John Byles, further underpins the surveillance and compliance of entities along the corridor and is an added step as we seek to secure the integrity of the process and continue to safeguard the health and well-being of our people.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 24, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says global tourism players must prepare to meet the new demands of the post-COVID generation, whose return to travel will be crucial to the recovery of the global economy. 

Making his sectoral debate presentation in Parliament earlier today, the Minister noted that: “As we get to the fulsome recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming weeks and months or even a year, we will all have had a shared global experience that is intergenerational.  We are now all part of Generation C - the post-COVID generation. GEN-C will be defined by a societal shift in mindset that will change the way that we look at and do many things.”

He added that: “Post-social distancing, we will go back to offices and workplaces, and eventually back to a world that will include seeing friends and family, perhaps smaller gatherings, reimagined cultural and sporting events, and eventually to GEN-C travel. We must therefore prepare to welcome these GEN-C travellers in a safe and seamless way, to protect lives while securing our livelihoods.”

The Minister pointed to data that shows that the impact of their return to travelling will be significant, as across the world, travel and tourism account for 11% of the world’s GDP and creates more than 320 million jobs for workers serving 1.4 billion travellers annually.

“These numbers do not tell the whole story.  They are just part of a connected global economy of which travel and tourism are the lifeblood — various sectors from technology, hospitality construction, finance, to agriculture are all interdependent with travel and tourism,” said Minister Bartlett.

One key initiative that the Ministry of Tourism has undertaken to facilitate GEN-C travel is the formulation of world-class tourism health and safety protocols. The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), an agency of the Ministry, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), formulated the tourism protocols, following extensive consultation with the Ministries of Health, National Security and Foreign Affairs as well as other local and international partners.

Minister Bartlett explained that “our protocols have received the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) ‘Safe Travels’ stamp, which will allow travellers to recognize governments and companies around the world that have adopted health and hygiene global standardized protocols.” He underscored that the fundamental elements of the tourism protocols include sanitization, face masks and personal protective equipment, physical distancing, training and real-time health monitoring and reporting.

Another key initiative, which is critical to restarting the tourism economy and GEN-C travel, is the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. The Centre, which is housed at the University of the West Indies, has so far developed satellite centres around the world, including in Seychelles, South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco.

The Centre is set to host a virtual panel discussion tomorrow (June 25), with experts from around the world, who will be sharing ideas and solutions around issues vital to restarting the global travel industry.