LONDON, United Kingdom - November 4, 2019: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett today handed over US$50 thousand to Director General of the Bahamas Tourism and Aviation Ministry, Mrs. Joy Jibrilu at the second Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM) Board of Governors Meeting in London today.

The money, forms part of the overall relief fund established by the GTRCM to support tourism-ravaged economies impacted by disruptions such as natural disasters and pandemics.

Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm, hit the Bahamas last month as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall. The storm caused widespread flooding and destruction. 

“This donation symbolizes the Centre’s commitment to assisting tourism dependent states that are vulnerable to disruptions to recover and rebound. Two islands of the Bahamas suffered much damage from the passage of hurricane Dorian and still needs support to rebuild and this contribution will go towards that,” said Minister Bartlett.

In collaboration with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), the GTRCM is providing US$100,000 in support of the tourism ravaged economies of the Bahamas and other areas in the Caribbean that may be impacted in the future.

In accepting the donation, Director General, Mrs. Jibrilu said “On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and Government of the Bahamas, I am pleased to accept this contribution which will help with our recovery and rebuilding efforts. This show of support is deeply appreciated and shows the importance of collaboration on issues of disaster and crisis management.”

The fund will also go towards the commissioning of a baseline study to assess the vulnerabilities of the Caribbean to major disruptions such as hurricanes, pandemics and epidemics and building capacity to deal with them.

“Global trends show that given the dynamic and devastating nature of these disruptions, building resilience to predict, manage and recover from these disruptions has become even more critical and that is what the GTRCM has been established to do,” added Minister Bartlett.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre's mission includes assisting global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.

LONDON, United Kingdom; November 4, 2019: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has made a call for investment in the tourism industry to go beyond the development of hotel rooms and other infrastructure. Minister Bartlett made the call during his presentation on the opportunities for investment in travel and tourism development projects, Infrastructure and Services at the International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC) in London.

The ITIC is a global platform for policymakers, tourism ministers, investors and the tourism business community. It addresses the concerns and challenges facing destinations worldwide in areas such as capacity building, infrastructure, human capital, resources, safety and security.

“The tourism industry is rapidly changing with the onset of new technologies which are changing the way we do business. To keep apace of these changes to be able to meet the growing demands of the industry, our investment focus should be on building the capacity of the suppliers in the industry who are the main drivers of tourism,” said Minister Bartlett.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to Latin America and the Caribbean rose 8% to reach $151 billion, according to UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2018. For Jamaica, FDI flows accounted for USD 888 million.

“Small tourism players, which I refer to as Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) are the backbone of the industry. It is through their creativity we have been able to tap into the passion points of our visitors whether through food or entertainment, to give authentic experiences to our visitors.

Building their capacity will build their ability to be even more creative to enhance our tourism offerings,” added Minister Bartlett.

Through the Tourism Enhancement Fund, SMTEs in Jamaica have access to a J$1Billion revolving loan programme that is administered through the EXIM Bank. In total, since its inception, as at last month, September 2019, TEF has disbursed more than $868 million in loan funds to 367 borrowers.

Over the two day period, Minister Bartlett participated in two panel discussions titled, ‘Opportunities for Investment in Travel and Tourism Development Projects, Infrastructure and Services,’ and ‘Climate Change and Tourism Resilience Management.’’

Other panellists include senior officials such as Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Tourism and Wildlife, Hon. Najib Balala EGH; Malta’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Konrad Mizzi; and Chairman of ITIC/ former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Dr. Taleb Rifai.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 31, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry is in talks with the Argentine Republic to forge partnerships in areas such as education, destination marketing, and resilience building.

The Minister made this announcement during a courtesy call to his New Kingston office by the Argentine Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Luis Del Solar on October 29, 2019.

“The first area of collaboration we are interested in forging is in human capital development for our tourism workers.  Therefore, the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation will seek to collaborate with a university in Buenos Aires on a conversational Spanish curriculum for tourism workers. This will ensure that the average worker can become conversant in the language,” said the Minister.

He noted that this is against the background of the expected increase in visitors to the island from the South American market because of additional airlift from the region beginning in December.

LATAM Airlines will inaugurate three weekly flights from Peru and other South American countries to Montego Bay. This is in addition to 11 flights now offered by Copa Airlines out of Panama, to bring the total weekly flights between South America and Jamaica to 14.

“LATAM Airlines, flying out of Peru, will be making connections from several gateways in South America countries, including Argentina which is the largest partner in South America for Jamaica, providing some 5,000 visitors annually,” he said.

Ambassador Del Solar expressed interest in learning more about strategies used by the Jamaica Tourist Board to market the destination.

“We are very interested in sharing experiences with marketing the country as a tourism destination. I think the marketing of Jamaica is very interesting and I think there are a lot of possibilities to exchange of experiences,” said Del Solar.

“To be honest, you have been able to protect the image of the country with many positive things. We need to learn how to do it better. We have a strong industry but we could do much more,” he continued.

During the discussions, the Minister and Ambassador Del Solar also explored corporation in the area of resilience and the possibility of setting up a satellite of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRMC) in Buenos Aires.

The satellite centre will focus on regional issues and will share information in nanoTime with the GTRCMC. It will also function as a think tank to develop possible solutions.

The GTRCMC, which was first announced in 2017, assists in destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally. There are plans also to establish satellite centres in Kenya Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria, and Seychelles.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 31, 2019:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to participate in three major global travel trade shows in London, England.

The Minister, who is accompanied by senior officials from his Ministry and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), will participate in the International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC) on Global Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Tourism; World Travel Market (WTM) and the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council’s fourth annual Global Resilience Summit.

The ITIC, which starts tomorrow at the InterContinental London Park Lane, is a global platform for policymakers, tourism ministers, investors and the tourism business community. It addresses the concerns and challenges facing destinations worldwide in areas such as capacity building, infrastructure, human capital, resources, safety and security.

During the event, Minister Bartlett will participate in two panel discussions, alongside senior officials such as Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary of Tourism and Wildlife, Hon. Najib Balala EGH; Malta’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Konrad Mizzi; and Chairman of ITIC/ former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Dr. Taleb Rifai.

His panel discussions are titled, ‘Opportunities for Investment in Travel and Tourism Development Projects, Infrastructure and Services,’ and ‘Climate Change and Tourism Resilience Management.’’

He will later join colleagues from the JTB at the World Travel Market on November 4, 2019, in Excel, London.

The Minister is scheduled to participate in discussions on ‘Taking Responsibility for Safety & Security,’ as well as ‘Resilient Destinations in an Age of Increased Disaster Risk and Impact.’

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB. It will feature many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals. Through its industry networks, the WTM also creates personal and business opportunities while also providing customers with quality contacts, content and communities.

During the WTM, he will also use the opportunity to increase in outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets.

The Minister’s final official event in London is the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council’s fourth annual Global Resilience Summit, where he will join world leaders to discuss the latest developments in resiliency planning, using a combination of case studies, best practices and lessons.

This series of events was created to reflect the increased need for preparedness and crisis management in the modern world and serves to empower delegates with the necessary knowledge to execute resiliency.

Minister Bartlett will return to the island on November 8, 2019. 

Chiba, Japan; October 24, 2019:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says Japan is among the most resilient nations in the world, based on its unprecedented recovery system, after being struck by one of the worst Typhoons in their nation's recent history.

“Japan has a sound record of bouncing back quickly and building back better, from a series of disruptions, notably the 2011 earthquake, major fires and mega-typhoons including the latest No 19 Hagibis. They are deserving of emulation and greater international recognition for being one of the most resilient nations in the world," said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister made this statement during a tour of the typhoon-affected areas of Ichihara, Chiba, alongside the city’s Mayor, Mr. Joji Koide and other key officials. The tour highlighted elements of the extraordinary relief operations undertaken and the cutting-edge technologies utilised (including drones and robots).

Chief among these, was a one-of-a-kind, multi-purpose, fire truck called Scrum Force, which has a state-of-the-art rescue and relief equipment and facilities, as well as a surveillance software integrated with drone technology and capacity. The technology behind the Scrum Force allows users to have coverage that is more expansive. This includes monitoring and responding to disasters at unprecedented speeds.

“I am very impressed with the highly-technologically advanced nature of the special fire truck. I believe it has the life-saving potential for Caribbean islands focussed on building resilience against natural disasters,” said the Minister.

The Tourism Minister called on the Mayor to not only document his town's highly effective recovery and resilience mechanism, but to also consider paying a visit to Jamaica, to share best practices on disaster risk reduction and management with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), in the spirit of deepened cooperation and friendship between Jamaica and Japan. 

"The world has much to learn from Japan... It is important that we strengthen our relationship with Japan in this regard, by developing Memorandum of Understanding between the University of the West Indies and the International University of Japan, on resilience practices in keeping with the objectives of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre we have housed in Jamaica," said the Minister. 

In registering his deep appreciation for the Minister’s and Jamaica’s solidarity with Ichihara and the wider Japanese society, the Mayor welcomed the opportunity for greater cooperation on disaster risk reduction and management, given his Town’s similar focus.

The Mayor also indicated his interest in having further dialogue with the Minister on potential partnership and participation in the GTRCMC. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 18, 2019: In his capacity of co-chairman of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM), Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is set to visit typhoon-affected areas in Japan, during his visit to the country next week.

He will visit affected areas of Chiba, which is being coordinated by the Jamaican Embassy in Japan. He will also City Mayor of Ichihara, Mr. Joji Koide, and other officials at the Mayor’s office when he arrives in Tokyo on October 23, 2019.

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall on October 12, triggering landslides and catastrophic flooding. It is now being considered as one of the deadliest typhoons to have hit Japan in the past decade.

“Our resilience centre stands ready to advance on discussions to establish a satellite centre of the GTRCM in Japan as both countries have a wealth of expertise, good practices and experiences in effectively managing the aftermath of natural disasters,” said the Minister.

He further noted that, “The establishment of satellite centres in countries such as Japan which have a track record of effectively responding to and recovering from natural disasters and other disruptions to sustainable development will enhance the growing body of research and innovative solutions for recovery.”

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, launched earlier this year, was established to  assist global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally, including climate and seismic events.

While in Japan, Minister Bartlett will be meeting with key airline representatives and tour operators to advance discussions on the recovery of the Japanese market.

Over time, Jamaica has lost significant market share from Japan and since 2013, has lost annually, an average of 6% of stop over arrivals due to a number of factors, including a downturn in the Japanese economy.

“Japan was a very good market for Jamaica 20-30 years ago. We lost that market because of a number of factors, one of which had to do with the economy of Japan and a fire that took place. The Japanese economy has rebounded and they are doing extremely well. Their outbound market is over 20 million and the appetite for Jamaica and the Caribbean is returning,” said Bartlett.

He will also meet with the Japan Tourism Agency, as well as the Chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents, Mr Hiromi Tagawa to establish new marketing arrangements. A meeting is also scheduled with the Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Hon. Kazuyoshi Akaba on broader areas of collaboration.

The Minister will be accompanied by officers from the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Tourism Linkages Network and the Ministry of Tourism. They will depart Jamaica on October 21, 2019.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 17, 2019: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, is urging all employers in the sector, to participate fully in the Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme, which is scheduled to become operational early next year.

The first of its kind Tourism Worker’s Pension Scheme, is a contributory one that embraces some 350,000 full-time, part-time, self-employed and contract workers across the sector, including red cap porters, front desk managers, craft traders, housekeepers and raftsmen.

Speaking yesterday at the third Graduation Ceremony of the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Minister Bartlett said, “The Tourism Workers’ pension scheme represents the final prong in our commitment to human capital development.

Our workers deserve financial security at the end of their tenure, which this pension scheme will provide and so I urge all employers to get on board and support this landmark legislation.”

The Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme is also designed to cover all workers ages 18-59 years in the tourism sector.

“We are well on our way to ensuring the scheme becomes operational. The Governor General has given his assent and i have just recently established the Board of Trustees which met earlier this week,” added Minister Bartlett.

The Board of Trustees will play a critical role in the management of the scheme starting with the review of the regulations required to make it operational. The Board’s mandate will also include management of all moneys paid, or assets transferred into the Scheme and the appointment of a Fund manager.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 14, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has indicated that Jamaica has welcomed an unprecedented seven hundred thousand (700,000) more visitors over the last three years. The tourism Minister also highlighted that the island is set to earn US3.7Billion by the end of the year, which represents an almost doubling of foreign exchange over the same period.

Speaking at the 15^th anniversary celebration of Sunset at the Palms Resort in Negril yesterday, Minister Bartlett said, “The growth in our arrivals and earnings is underpinned by strategic targets set in my 5x5x5 plan. In 2016, our target was to bring 5Million visitors and earn US5Billion by 2021, now we are already at 4.5Million visitors of the 5Million and US3.7Billion of that 5Billion in earnings.”

Current data from the Jamaica Tourist Board, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, has forecasted growth in stopover arrivals for September to December of 7% or 807,796, which would end the calendar year 2019 with 2.68M arrivals or an 8.4% increase over 2018. The earnings from the full year of stopover arrivals is estimated at US$3.49Billion or a 12% increase over 2018.

Data also shows that overall, Jamaica’s winter season is trending strong with the Canadian market up by 29,000 new seats; the United States showing double digit growth and South America and the Caribbean doing well.

With stopover and cruise arrivals combined, the island is expected to welcome 4.303 million visitors by the end of the year.

“Based on these figures, tourism has become the leading contributor to the growth in GDP in Jamaica. We recognize also that with this growth, comes an even greater responsibility to ensure safety, security and seamlessness in the destination and we remain committed to keeping our enviable record of visitor safety.” added Minister Bartlett.

The Minister also highlighted that the unprecedented growth in arrivals and earnings could not be done without the sector’s dedicated workers who remain the key ingredient in the continued success of the sector.

Sunset at the Palms resort, which recently marked its 15^th anniversary, was the first in the world to receive certification for Environmentally Sustainable Tourism by the U.K.’s Green Globe. The resort has also won the prestigious Governor General’s Award for overall architectural design among many others. The management of the hotel, led by Mr. Ian Kerr, recognized several members of staff for their years of service to the hotel at their celebration yesterday.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 07, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has called for the establishment of a Tourism Resilience Fund, which will be the region’s first funding facility specifically designed to assist highly-susceptible tourist destinations in the region.

The call was made in Incheon, South Korea today at the second edition of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) global conference on private investment for climate change.

The Minister was speaking on the panel “Raising the bar for private sector Climate Action— Latin America & the Caribbean” at the Green Climate Fund Private investment for climate conference.

The GCF Private Investment for Climate Conference is a global marketplace and ecosystem where leading private sector actors including project sponsors, institutional investors, financial institutions, climate leaders, and the public sector come together to accelerate climate action in developing countries.

Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness was Keynote speaker at the event, which had representatives from over 200 countries.

The Fund would be designed to help to build capacity to respond to disruptive threats to the region’s economic sustainability, particularly those related to climate change impacts.

The call for the establishment of this special fund comes against the backdrop of the acute existential threat that environmental disasters, linked to the phenomena of climate change and global warming, have been increasingly posing to Caribbean economies, which are the most tourism-dependent in the world.

During his presentation, Minister Bartlett argued that the devastation caused by hurricanes Maria and Irma to thirteen of the region’s most tourism-dependent economies during the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, resulted in the region losing over US $1 billion in tourism revenues.

He also noted that the recent devastation of the Bahamian islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, following the passage of hurricane Dorian, which battered the islands for almost 72-hours, underscore the importance and urgency of establishing a funding facility of this nature.

Given the enormous economic impact of the tourism industry on regional economies, Minister Bartlett stated that the Resilience Fund will not only enhance tourism resilience in the region but it will also help to avert the widespread socio-economic fallout that is usually associated with major disasters in the region by ensuring that countries are better prepared. 

The Fund will particularly target those destinations which are deemed as experiencing high climate vulnerability and which have demonstrably insufficient financial capacity to prepare for and recover from disruptions. 

Minister Bartlett made the call as the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which he co-chairs, prepares to host its second Tourism Resilience Summit from October 9-10 at the University of the West Indies’ Regional Headquarters, in Jamaica.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 7, 2019: Luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler, has ranked S Hotel in Montego Bay  and the Kanopi House in Portland as #1 and #6 best hotels in the Caribbean and Central America, respectively, in its 32nd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey.

The 120-room S Hotel, owned and operated by the Crissa Group, was also ranked the 36th Best Hotel in the World.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett extended congratulations to the hoteliers, whose accolades   will further promote Jamaica as the destination of choice for the region.

“I wholeheartedly congratulate the management and staff of the S Hotel and the Kanopi House for being listed in the 2019 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards list.  These accolades will go a far way in helping us to promote brand Jamaica to new audiences,” said the Minister.

He further noted that, “I am particularly proud of the S Hotel which has ranked #1, after being operational for less than a year. The S Hotel is Jamaican owned and Jamaican managed and we are exceptionally proud of Christopher Issa’s undivided commitment and dedication to the tourism sector and to his country. We look forward to hearing more about the many other accolades to come.”

The Best Hotels in the World list ranked the 50 best hotels in the world according to 600,000 registered voters from the Condé Nast Traveler’s site.

The magazine described the S Hotel property as having “a bit of South Beach glitz” with ocean view rooms that “are big enough to pass for apartments in some big cities.” It also lauded the property for “artfully combining discreet urban sophistication and a laidback resort lifestyle offering guests an authentic Jamaican cultural experience.”

The Kanopi House is a collection of eco-chic treehouses nestled high amongst 100-foot Banyans and rooted deep in Jamaican culture.  The treehouses were designed and built by owners Brian and Jennifer Hew on six-acres in Portland, Jamaica.