KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 09, 2020:  The Spanish Jamaica Foundation has donated US$200,000 (J$28 million) to the Government of Jamaica’s COVID-19 Recovery Programme. The donation will go towards the procurement of well-needed protective gear and ventilators. The announcement was made during a digital press briefing hosted by the Ministry of Tourism earlier today.

The Spanish-Jamaican Foundation includes members from various Spanish-owned hotels and companies that hold investments in Jamaica. It is a non-profit organization objective is to foster partnerships between both countries through projects and initiatives of educational, cultural and social character.

“This donation is very important to us because the Tourism industry is a critical part of the whole recovery programme for COVID-19. We are impacted greatly by it, as you know, but we also must be a central part of the management and recovery activities,” said Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

Ambassador of Spain to Jamaica, His Excellency Josep Maria Bosch, stated that “The members of the foundation have expressed a will to cooperate with the Government of Jamaica…Almost every dollar that was in their accounts has been allocated for special donations to the Ministry of Health to support the fight against the virus. Spain will try to be closer to Jamaica, it may be a small part of the fight, but we are very happy to be contributing to this effort. The amount will be US$200,000 and some of the companies are thinking of doing special new donations. So maybe the figure will be increased in the future.”

Minister Bartlett added that this donation is one of many donations and gestures being done by the sector. He shared that in some instances, workers who have been laid off have been given care packages to help sustain them through this period among other incentives.

“The donation from the Spanish Jamaica Foundation now brings us to over US$1.2 million from our hotels to various aspects of the recovery programme for COVID-19,” said Minister Bartlett.

Senior Advisor and Strategist, Delano Seiveright noted that many stakeholders are doing their part to assist the Government in its aggressive efforts to manage Covid-19.

“Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) members are collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to provide well-needed rooms for recovery/quarantine of COVID-19 patients. Sandals Resorts International has provided rooms, transportation for healthcare workers, hand held thermometers and ventilators in excess of J$20 million; the Issa Trust Foundation has donated J$32 million in critical supplies; Round Hill Hotel and Villas is working with Hanover Charities to use all perishables to support soup kitchens in Lucea, where they will continue to feed up to 700 persons on a frequent basis; the Hendrickson group are putting together major support and many others have or are coming onboard.” Seiveright noted.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 2, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett today announced that his Ministry donated communication equipment, valued at approximately J$1.5 million, to assist farmers affected by the now-dormant tourism sector, which was their primary market.

Farmers, who supply the tourism industry, have been severely impacted by the closure of hotels and attractions as well as the downturn in businesses from restaurants, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The equipment, which included six laptops and six mobile phones, was donated to the staff of the Agri-Linkages Exchange Project (ALEX), who typically communicate directly with farmers to facilitate the distribution of their produce to the tourism sector. The donation will allow the six members of staff to work from home and find new distribution channels for the produce.

Speaking at a digital press briefing hosted at the Ministry of Tourism’s Kingston office earlier today, the Tourism Minister said, “One of our biggest partners in the tourism industry is agriculture. We know at this time the hotels are closed but hopefully for a short time.

However, the need for the ALEX app is more critical now because small farmers, who have been producing for the industry, would now have an excess in produce and would need an opportunity to connect with other entities, so they know what you have, where you have it and the cost.”

With the closure of the hotels, the Centre, which is housed at RADA’s St Andrew office, will be focused on selling the produce to restaurants and supermarkets.

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, welcomed the donation sharing that it would help reduce the large amount of excess produce, which may be wasted.

“For the month of March, due to the downturn in tourism, we have approximately 9000 tonnes of produce that would normally go into the tourism sector that are now an excess. We are talking about billions of dollars that would have been taken up by the tourism sector, that have no place to go.

But every challenge presents an opportunity and we want to thank the Ministry of Tourism for recognising that even in this time of difficulty, we can innovate and strengthen the things we do,” said Minister Green.  

He added that members of the public are being encouraged to utilise the platform to purchase fresh produce in smaller quantities and support the farmers.

“If the general public is wondering how they can get access to this excess produce that we have, they can visit www.agrilinkages.gov.jm.

The site used to be for big orders but the platform is so configured that you can order even two pounds of tomatoes. Now that the team is working from home, they can call the farmers and get them to deliver right to your gate,” he said.

The Agri-Linkages Exchange Project (ALEX) is a joint agreement with the Ministry of Tourism, through the Tourism Linkages Network, and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture & Fisheries (MICAF), through the Rural Agricultural Authority (RADA).  

It was developed in 2017 to establish a bridge between sellers (farmers) and buyers (tourism stakeholders) to facilitate the exchange of goods.

Through this exchange centre, farmers have had access to a physical space dedicated to calling or emailing about the produce they have available to supply the tourism sector. The Centre then markets this information to the hospitality sector and provides support to other key agricultural stakeholders. 

There are currently over four hundred farmers registered on the platform.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 2, 2020: Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett this morning announced the launch of a free online training programme for tourism workers affected by the negative impact of Covid-19.

“Faced with the dramatic consequences of Covid-19, the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) which is in the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is acting to face this emergency, to serve sector. The JCTI will provide on-line certification programmes to employees who have been laid off, and who want to use this time to improve their qualifications. These courses will be offered Free of Cost.” – Bartlett noted.

The programme will be undertaken in collaboration with employers, to ensure that they are aware of the persons with the best possible skills to support their companies when they reopen after Covid-19.

“The programme will become active after Easter and will be piloted by the head of the JCTI Carol Rose Brown. The Holness administration and Minister Bartlett are very concerned about the welfare of our tourism workers and want to ensure that many strategies are activated to ensure their continued advancement despite the challenging circumstances” noted Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor/Strategist, Ministry of Tourism.

 This intervention will be implemented in collaboration with local and international partners, as follows:

 -        The National Restaurant Association (NRA)/ The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and

 -        Human Employment and Resource Training-National Service Training Agency (HEART-NSTA Trust)

“This is a demonstration of the importance of the Government’s Human Capital Development strategy, being implemented by the JCTI.  One of the important goals of this strategy is to find ways to help tourism workers become certified.” – Bartlett highlighted.

The programme will support the development of people in the sector by offering opportunities for them to achieve the certification required to support themselves as we move forward. It will prepare employees to return to their jobs with better skills, help businesses ensure that the workforce meets the highest standards, and ensure employees and their families are not left alone in the face of these challenging times.

This initiative is also intended support the future development of our economy and foster social protection.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 27, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has met with craft vendors, one of the key subsector groups in tourism, to discuss strategies to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses.

“With the closure of our borders and general measures instituted to reduce the spread of the disease, tourism has come to a halt leaving many workers and businesses displaced.

In my meeting yesterday, held via teleconference, with heads of various craft associations, i had fruitful discussions on the way forward and highlighted some of the financial arrangements being put in place to help these vendors,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister has also had meetings with travel agents and the transportation subsector to discuss strategies to help reduce the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses as well.

The island’s tourism has come to a halt following restrictive measures to help reduce the spread of the disease.  

“I am aware of the severe difficulties being encountered by our suppliers and recently devised, with my colleague Minister of Finance, a grant of 1.2 billion dollars to businesses operating in tourism and related sectors,” said Minister Bartlett.

In addition to this grant, the government has been implementing fiscal actions to cushion the economic impact of Covid-19. These include:

·         Discussions with commercial banks for them to provide temporary cash-flow 

·         support to businesses and consumers in affected sectors through deferral of principal payments, new lines of credit and other measures

·         Introduction of the Covid Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme which has four elements:

a. Introduction of the Business Employee Support and Transfer of Cash (BEST Cash) – which will provide temporary cash transfer to businesses in targeted sectors based on the number of workers they keep employed.

b. Supporting Employees with Transfer of Cash (SET Cash ) – which will provide temporary cash transfer to individuals where it can be verified that they lost their employment since March 10, (the date of the first Covid case in Jamaica) due to the Covid virus and this will be available for a specific period.

c. Special soft loan fund to assist individuals and businesses that have been hard hit.

d. Supporting the poor and vulnerable with special Covid related grants.

 Minister Bartlett added that, “This is a unique time as we all grapple with this novel pandemic but together we are working to come up with the best possible solutions to ensure we recover.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 24, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry along with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), will be partnering to provide rooms for COVID-19 patients, should the need arise.

“I am in discussions with my colleague Minister of Health and the president of the JHTA to identify suitable rooms in the event they may be required to deal with recovery cases with COVID-19. Right now it is all hands on deck and tourism stands ready to support in any way it can to mitigate against the impact of this pandemic,” said Minister Bartlett.

The COVID-09 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on several countries globally. To date, there has been over 400 thousand cases with over 18 thousand deaths associated with the disease.

“Partnerships at the local, regional and global levels are critical at this stage to help manage this disease and this is just one such example,” added Minister Bartlett.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon Christopher Tufton has welcomed the initiative, which he says will help to ease the burden on the already limited public health resources.

Speaking on the response by the JHTA, President Omar Robinson said, “The JHTA has requested from our members with closed properties to enter into a partnership arrangement with the Ministry of Health & Wellness in the provision of rooms for quarantine/isolation purposes. We have also requested of our members to donate linens and other soft goods for use at hospitals, and isolation/quarantine rooms.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 20, 2020: Senior officials at Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism yesterday participated in a virtual meeting with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), to discuss a global coordinated partnership to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus on the world travel and tourism sector.

The partnership will include UNWTO, governments around the world, global private sector organizations and other international organizations.

Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett pledged his support for this initiative which will mitigate the impact of the pandemic that has made tourism particularly vulnerable.

During the discussions, Minister Bartlett noted that, “For the Caribbean and other countries in the Americas, the stakes are much higher than for most other regions. The Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world, one in every four Caribbean national is employed in the tourism sector while tourism supports 16 of 18 economies in the region.”

He added that, “Despite the initial positive outlook for global and regional tourism in 2020, we can now reasonably anticipate negative repercussions from the unexpected fallout associated with the COV1D pandemic. These repercussions will likely extend into 2021.”

The Minister also provided the international body with an update on the response taken by the Government of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. He shared that key issues so far include:

·         Effective management of public health systems in our territories

·         Maintenance of the tourism product quality during this period to ensure a strong recovery

·         Human capital and welfare concerns for employees

The meeting also included senior executives from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), World Health Organization (WHO), Chairs of UNWTO Regional Commissions in Africa, South Asia, Europe and the Middle East, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), European Commissions, International Maritime Organization (IMO), Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), International Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as the Airports Council International (ACI).

“The crisis at hand also reaffirms the important role of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. The Centre represents the primary institutional framework in the region for assessing, forecasting, mitigating and managing risks to the tourism sector,” said Minister Bartlett.

To respond to the COVID-19 threat, the Centre recently appointed Dr. Elaine Williams as Coordinator of Pandemics at the Centre. Dr. Williams, who is a well-known pathologist, will be working with key stakeholders in health to build clinical resilience in the industry.

“We are also actively engaging all our stakeholders and partners, including travel agencies, cruise lines, hoteliers, booking agencies, marketing agencies, airlines etc. WTO, CTO CHTA etc. – and we will be announcing more measures shortly,” he said.

The UNWTO is the leading international organization in the field of tourism. UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

The UNTWO’s membership includes 159 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 18, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has been working with the Ministry of Finance and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) to institute fiscal arrangements that will help to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on workers in the sector. The pandemic, whilst negatively impacting all sectors, has brought global tourism to a standstill. 

“I want all workers in the sector to know that we are aware of the challenges and ripple effects of this pandemic as activities grind to a halt and questions surrounding job security arise. Based on these new developments, I have been in discussion with my colleague Minister of Finance and the JHTA to iron out a plan of action to help safeguard all our workers, over the last several weeks,” said Minister Bartlett.

Already, the Government is in short order implementing fiscal actions to cushion the economic impact of Covid-19. These include:

·         Discussions with commercial banks for them to provide temporary cash-flow 

·         support to businesses and consumers in affected sectors through deferral of principal payments, new lines of credit and other measures

·         Introduction of the Covid Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme which has four elements:

a. Introduction of the Business Employee Support and Transfer of Cash (BEST Cash) – which will provide temporary cash transfer to businesses in targeted sectors based on the number of workers they keep employed.

b. Supporting Employees with Transfer of Cash (SET Cash ) – which will provide temporary cash transfer to individuals where it can be verified that they lost their employment since March 10, (the date of the first Covid case in Jamaica) due to the Covid virus and this will be available for a specific period.

c. Special soft loan fund to assist individuals and businesses that have been hard hit.

d. Supporting the poor and vulnerable with special Covid related grants.

“I am appealing to all workers in the sector to remain safe by following the hygienic protocols we have laid out and to listen to credible news reports to get the necessary updates to stay abreast of the situation,” added Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett noted that he and senior members of his team have been in touch with all key stakeholders here and overseas and will maintain in contact as part of his efforts to work together to find the best possible solutions to lessen the impact on the sector.

March 16, 2020 – Kingston, Jamaica – Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton and other senior Government officials hosted a video conference call with over 30 Hotel Executives inclusive of the leadership of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) last night (Sunday March 15) to get frank and detailed sector specific situation analyses in light of COVID-19.

Also on the video conference led from the Health Ministry’s Covid-19 Emergency Operations Centre in New Kingston was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dunstan Bryan; Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie; Senior Advisor and Strategist in the Tourism Ministry, Delano Seiveright. Video Conference participants included President of the JHTA, Omar Robinson; Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Chairman, John Lynch; JTB Director, Donovan White and executives of several major resorts including Sandals, Beaches, RIU, Bahia Principe, Royalton, Half Moon, Round Hill, Moon Palace, Iberostar, Jamaica Pegasus among several others.

Senior Strategist, Delano Seiveright noted that, “Minister Bartlett and the Ministry’s leadership has been working closely with the Ministry of Health over the last several weeks. This was further deepened following Prime Minister Andrew Holness chaired National Disaster Risk Management Council meeting on COVID-19 recently and now established tourism health protocols that have been adopted by all tourism entities. The Protocols cover three basic elements – developing the required infrastructure, providing support to the Ministry of Health and educating all stakeholders about the COVID-19 virus.”

“It is clear however that with escalating travel restrictions and broad discouragement of non-essential travel, here and abroad, the sector will be reduced to a trickle for some time.”, Seiveright noted.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has appointed Dr. Elaine Williams as Coordinator of Pandemics at the Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM). Dr. Williams, who is a well-known pathologist, will be working with key stakeholders in health to build clinical resilience in the industry.

Minister Bartlett made the announcement Wednesday [March 11, 2020] during a Forum on Disruptive Forces in Tourism which was put on by the Knowledge Network of the Tourism Linkages Network and the GTRCM at the Knutsford Court Hotel.

“The move comes at a period where global pandemics, such as the coronavirus, threaten the lives and livelihoods of so many and there is need to build capacity for clinical resilience to mitigate against them.

Dr. Williams will be collaborating with health authorities locally and internationally to assist in building this capacity especially as it relates to our workers,” said Minister Bartlett.

The World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee recently declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. 

“The need for clinical resilience is not just about this current virus but for all other epidemiological issues that will affect us all. Dr. Williams will now be connecting with WHO and other agencies but primarily with countries that are highly tourism dependent such as the Caribbean, to build new arrangements that can mitigate the impact,” added Minister Bartlett.

Dr. Williams recently retired from the UHWI and UWI where she served in the capacity of Consultant Anatomical Pathologist and Senior Lecturer for over forty years. She comes with a strong background in Viral Epidemiology, having been a Co-investigator on the Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus 1 (HTLV-1) Research Project conducted locally in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

First announced during the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Conference on Sustainable Tourism in St. James in November 2017, the Centre, which is the first of its kind, will be tasked with creating, producing and generating toolkits, guidelines and policies to handle the recovery process following a disaster.

The centre will also assist with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry has established measures that should be adopted by all tourism entities, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Specially assigned staff-members of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), who are a part of the newly developed Stakeholder Risk Management Unit, will closely monitor the implementation of the protocols.

The announcement was made today, during an emergency press briefing at the Ministry of Tourism offices in New Kingston.

“As a Ministry, we have the responsibility to ensure the safety and health security of all the people who are involved in the industry, at any level. It is also critical for us to build clinical resilience, which is the bedrock of what will make the industry survive over time.

It is for this reason that we have set up, along with the Ministry of Health, a protocol which we have worked very hard on – over the last few days in particular,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister noted that the nine-page document, which is now in circulation to all tourism stakeholders, covers three basic elements – developing the required infrastructure, providing support to the Ministry of Health and educating all stakeholders about the COVID-19 virus.

“The first element of our new protocols, has to do with the required infrastructure …We want to ensure that all hotels are equipped with all the necessary chemical components that are needed for thorough sanitization,” he said.  

He also added that temporary holding facilities must be designated at all entities, for anyone who is displaying symptoms of the COVID-19.

“We want to establish facilities that will be available for quarantining where we can, in a limited way, ahead of the arrival of a health personnel to remove individuals with an official designated quarantine area. We are encouraging medical support be readily available in every tourism entity in Jamaica. Some hotels have already identified rooms for quarantine,” said Bartlett.

The final element of the protocol is public education. Therefore, the Minister has charged his Corporate Communications Division with the task of creating and distributing educational material about COVID-19 and the newly established protocols to all tourism entities.

Additionally, a COVID-19 Coordinator will be assigned at all tourism entities, who will be the point of contact with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and Ministry of Tourism.

This person has to keep abreast of health protocols and preventative measures and also maintain communication with booking agencies, to ensure that information on travel precautionary measures are observed.

“We know that the health security of Jamaica is the bedrock of any future tourism arrangements in the country. We want to be inserted in the centre of ensuring that the communities that serve particularly around the tourism centres are equipped and have the necessary public education.

We are going to be printing and distributing in every tourism entity, important facts and practices that must be embraced by everyone who is serving in the industry,” said the Minister.