KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 22, 2019: Tourism Minister Hon, Edmund Bartlett says that his Ministry’s Christmas in July tradeshow has been a resounding success for local manufacturers, noting  that last year at least 30 participants collectively received contracts valued at over J$16 million. 

Last year the event, which is hosted by the Tourism Linkages Network and partners, attracted 118 suppliers and 550 buyers.  A participants’ perception survey indicated that 50% of respondents received contracts worth $100,000 or less, 43% received contracts of over $100,000 to $500,000 while 7% received contracts worth over $1 million.

Minister Bartlett however stated that the Christmas in July exhibitors, while reaping the benefits of the exposure and contracts from the event, were unwilling to share information on the contracts they received, which limited the Ministry’s ability gauge the true success of this linkages initiative.

Speaking at Christmas in July, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last week, Minister Bartlett lamented, “It is a pity that we did not receive information from all participants. I hope that this year exhibitors will be more willing to share information on their successes, so we too can see the return on our investment.”

Richard Pandohie, President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (JMEA), also stressed the importance of data sharing during his address at the event.

“Companies, business support organisations and governments across the world can analyse a variety of information which can provide new insights to make better and faster decisions and decide where to allocate scarce resources, but we can’t have data analytics if less than three per cent of the data is coming in,” he noted.

Christmas in July is an annual tradeshow, which gives local producers of authentic Jamaican gift and souvenir items the opportunity to display their products and network with corporate entities and various industry players.

It is hosted in partnership with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), and seeks to provide Jamaican producers of corporate gifts and souvenirs with the opportunity to access an alternative market segment while adding uniqueness and creativity to product offerings.

“Our linkages initiatives are challenging the private sector to do business differently, they are increasing the consumption of local goods, they are creating employment, and they are generating and facilitating the infusion of tourism spending into the local economy.

I am positive that this year’s staging will be equally fruitful for all participants, if not better. We have pumped some $10 million into this event,” said Minister Bartlett.

This year, some 120 local producers of authentic Jamaican gift and souvenir items displayed their products to corporate entities and various industry players at the event’s fifth staging.

Activities for this year's staging included a “Style Jamaica Pop Up Fashion Show” - which featured jewellery, bags and accessories made by local artisans.

It is also included a mini Artisan Village, where patrons were able to see products being made from start to finish. This is a preview of the Tourism Enhancement Fund-led artisan village that is being constructed at Hampden Wharf in Trelawny, slated to be ready by the end of the year, to coincide with the start of the traditional winter tourist season in December. 

All products on display had to be made with materials sourced locally, proven to be at least 70 per cent locally manufactured or assembled highlighting strong Jamaican cultural influences and themes.

An online catalogue featuring all exhibitors will available in October 2019 for people to view products and place orders.

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica, Friday, July 19, 2019: In anticipation of passing its final hurdle in the Senate, the Ministry of Tourism has embarked on another round of awareness and sensitization sessions to get workers signed onto the Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme.

The scheme has already received parliamentary approval and is expected to get the Senate’s seal of approval after inclusion of a number of recommendations from that body. It will then go to the Governor General for his assent after which regulations will be drafted for the plan to be rolled out in January 2020.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, joined by Chair of Pension Scheme Oversight Committee, Hon Daisy Coke, sold the scheme to a representative gathering of various tourism stakeholders from the Ocho Rios area Wednesday July 17, at the Anglican Church Hall.

Describing it as a defined contractual scheme, Mrs Coke said for the first three years of its operation, employees will contribute 3 percent of their salary, matched by 3 percent from their employers. Thereafter, the rate will be increased to 5 percent. Self-employed persons will also be subjected to the 3 and 5 percent but will not have the benefit of a matching amount.

Minister Bartlett underscored the importance of getting more from the tourism industry by developing the capacity to be able to contribute better, more efficiently “and more fulfilling to ourselves because when we work we’re working just for the employer, we’re not working to boost productivity that will enhance the bottom line of some government; we’re working also for self-satisfaction.”

He said it was also important for workers to feel happy about what they do and having security of tenure, being remunerated appropriately and knowing that there was a social security arrangement with a social security net awaiting them after working very hard, would engender that happiness.

According to Mr Bartlett, “the potential size of this Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme is going to be of a magnitude that Jamaica has never seen.” He said it was eight years in the making and was the first of its kind in the world.

With the ongoing expansion of the industry providing increased employment, Minister Bartlett stressed the importance of human capital development and training as the number one priority to improve the quality of what is being offered as the product and create an opinionated experience for visitors who will want to return and improve the 42 percent repeat business that the country now enjoys.

With the Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme already in place through 33 high schools offering an associate degree in hotel management; the Tourism Product Development Company’s TEAM Jamaica sensitizing to what the industry is all about; HEART NTA measuring and building competence; and the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation offering on-the-job certification at various levels, he said the next step would be to have tertiary level training.

“The next level now for us is tertiary and post graduate qualification because our industry is one that is changing every day; it’s a new tourism that is emerging where technology is going to play a far more important role in the delivery of the experiences and services of the industry,” said Minister Bartlett, adding that “more and more hotels are going to become automated so that is going to have implications for the lower level employees in the sector. Our job therefore is to make sure that we are preparing the next workforce to be ITT competent and to be able to operate well within this post-industrial revolution.”

Starting October a partnership will begin with the University of the West Indies to establish a graduate programme in tourism that opens the door for persons to work through the system, write a thesis and obtain a Master of Science in Tourism. Minister Bartlett said utilising data, “we are going to find new ways of doing the same things that we have done over the years but better ways that are more efficient, more cost effective and offer more value.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 17, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme will be a landmark plan for tourism social legislation in the world, as it will be the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive pension plan for all the workers of the tourism sector — whether permanent, contract or self-employed.

Speaking at a Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme Awareness and Sensitization Seminar at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston yesterday, the Minister noted that “We now as a result of collective efforts over a period of time, have come together with a plan that will be a landmark plan for tourism social legislation in the world. Jamaica will be the only country in the world that has a comprehensive pension plan for all the workers of the tourism sector.”

The Tourism Workers’ Pensions scheme is designed to cover all workers ages 18-59 years in the tourism sector, whether permanent, contract or self-employed.  This includes hotel workers as well as persons employed in related industries, such as craft vendors, tour operators, red cap porters, contract carriage operators and workers at attractions.

The Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme, which will receive $1 billion in funding from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), will see benefits being payable at age 65 years or older.

“This landmark piece of social legislation in the industry is going to represent in time, the largest pool of domestic savings that this economy would have provided. Real growth comes when we are able to convert domestic savings into investments,” he said.

He further noted that the plan will be of particular interest to workers in the industry who have been employed at a number of organizations over the years on short-term employment contracts.

“The plan will protect contract workers by providing them with a social safety net. It will enable them to join as a self-employed person. So you can move from one company to the other, change your contract, knowing that your retirement plans are secure,” said Minister Bartlett.

According to the Tourism Minister, the scheme is the final piece in a four-point human capital development plan to enhance Jamaica’s tourism workers.

The other three initiatives in the human capital development plan are training, capacity building and creating the ability of tourism workers to have knowledge and convert that knowledge into practical applications; providing a pathway to professionalism and jobs; and improving the social conditions around which the tourism worker lives.

“If we are to build the capacity of tourism to deliver on the prosperity agenda, we must build the capacity of the people, the human capital must be enhanced. We think that there is no equity in this game, if this industry is so big, and it cannot secure the safety, future and social requirements of the people who work in it,” he said.

The Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme Bill was passed in the House of Parliament on June 25 and is in keeping with the Government’s focus on creating a social security network within the tourism sector.

The Ministry of Tourism will host three other Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme Awareness and Sensitization Seminars in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril within the next two weeks, as part of their public awareness campaign.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 13, 2019: Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed deep regret at the passing of former Jamaica Tourist Board marketing executive, Marie Deeble Walker.

“It is with great sadness that I learn of the passing of Marie Deeble Walker. She dedicated more than 30 years of her life working in hospitality tourism. The Jamaican tourism industry remains grateful for her contributions to the development and marketing of our industry.

We remain particularly grateful for her work with the diaspora community, including the staging of reggae music concerts in New York City Central Park's Summerstage.,” said Minister Bartlett.

Marie Deeble Walker worked at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), starting in Kingston in 1979, and was later transferred to the New York office as the advertising relations manager.

“I wish to offer my condolences to her friends, family and loved ones as they mourn her sudden passing.  She was the consummate professional with a very warm and jovial personality. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the industry and for those who knew her personally,” said Minister Bartlett.

At the time of her passing, she was the principal of Turnstyle Marketing and Collections — a boutique marketing and public relations agency that provides destination management and sales support services for a number of Caribbean destinations.

She passed away on July 10 in South Florida, United States. She was 58 years old.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Friday, July 12, 2019:  A new marketing gateway is being opened by way of the tourism linkages strategy, for the “the ordinary Jamaican” to benefit from dollar resources of the growing industry.

An indication of this working was given by Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett yesterday as he delivered the keynote address at a ceremony renaming a street in honour of Hon. Godfrey Dyer. As of yesterday, the Sunset Boulevard which links directly with the Sangster International Airport, is to be known as Godfrey Dyer Boulevard.

Regarding the dollar-earning plan, Minister Bartlett divulged that “We’re looking at how to make the ordinary Jamaican who lives within the areas of the hotels to become suppliers of the inputs of tourism.”

The initiative is evolving in Lilliput, St James, home of the Iberostar Hotels. According to Minister Bartlett, there “small suppliers, using old tyres, discarded pans and other receptacles and borrowing on the technology of hydroponics, are now producing tomatoes and bell peppers that are now ready for the market, and Iberostar is ready to buy.”

The Tourism Minister said while that may seem to be a little thing, “it is big thing because once that is replicated you will find that the ordinary man who thought that living around the hotel only meant working for the hotel, is now going to find that he can be a big supplier to the hotel that is across the road from him.”  That, he said, was a “big thing for inclusiveness in terms of this industry.”

Mr. Dyer and the Tourism Linkages Network, which falls under the Tourism Enhancement Fund, were commended for this innovation “because it is going to be a big game-changer in terms of the ability to retain the dollar that we earn in tourism in the communities that are around the tourism area.”

Regarding Mr. Dyer, Minister Bartlett catalogued an encyclopaedia of his achievements and lauded him for a lifetime of unstinting service in both the public and private sectors. He said the event was really about extolling Mr Dyer’s virtues “and who has dedicated himself and his life to the building and enhancing of this great city of Montego Bay.”

Having played a pivotal role in the creation of the Tourism Enhancement Fund while serving as president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association, Mr Dyer is now in his second term as chairman of TEF. Under his Chairmanship Minister Bartlett declared, “Godfrey has done a tremendous job with the fund especially as it relates to the level of development it has supported.”

Montego Bay, regarded as the main pillar of the island’s tourism industry, has seen more development than any other entity, said Mr Bartlett. “Absolutely no entity has provided more capital injection in the development of Montego Bay than the Tourism Enhancement Fund under the chairmanship of Godfrey Dyer,” he said.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; June 29, 2019: The recently established Global Tourism and Crisis Management Centre is set to partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to conduct research on the potential threat of sargassum to the destination and wider Caribbean.

Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they inhabit shallow water and coral reefs.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announcement at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s 58^th Annual General Meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Montego Bay today, said, “The issue of managing sargassum has become more urgent since large quantities of different species of the algae accumulated along the shores of many of the countries on the Caribbean Sea in 2015.

Sargassum, as a disruptive phenomenon, can negatively impact our destination as when washed up on shore, it often causes a foul odour, releasing fumes of sulphur compounds that rust metals, and damage modern conveniences.”

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will open its door in October at the University of the West Indies, Mona, is tasked with assessing (research/monitor), plan-for, forecast, mitigate, and manage risks related to tourism resilience and crisis management. This will be achieved through five objectives - Research and Development, Advocacy and Communication, Programme/Project Design and Management, as well as Training and Capacity Building.

“The Centre will be partnering with MIT, one of the leading research institutions out of the U.S, to explore the best possible strategies that Jamaica and the Caribbean can implement to be proactive and prevent sargassum from populating our shores,” added Minister Bartlett.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; June 29, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that he will be reviewing the report on the intensive island wide security audit of the sector soon. The audit was carried out by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) with support from well-known international security expert Dr. Peter Tarlow.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announcement at the 58^th Annual General Meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) at the Hilton Hotel in Montego Bay today, said, “I am pleased to inform all stakeholders that the report on this very critical security audit is nearly completed and I will be reviewing the document next week.

The findings, which will be used to help reshape safety, security and seamlessness in the sector, are also being reviewed by the team from the TPDCo and the Ministry of Tourism.”

Minister Bartlett commissioned the security audit to ensure that the destination remains safe, secure and seamless for visitors and locals alike.

Minister Bartlett added that, “My ministry remains committed to safety and security which is at the core of destination assurance. Once the findings are reviewed, we will inform the public of the next steps.

As security arrangements are part of the licensing requirements for many sector operators we will be applying tough sanctions to any significant weakness or breaches that are found.”

Additionally, the highly anticipated report from the Tourism Working Group, headed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers Senior Partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, is now ready. The Working Group was established by Minister Bartlett to conduct a comprehensive review of issues in the sector including entertainment, work permits and transportation, among others.

“This is another very important report that will help inform our next steps. The Ministry is studying the report and will discuss the findings with the sector ahead of crafting a new architecture for indigenous stakeholders and inclusiveness in the tourism value chain,” Minister Bartlett concluded.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 26, 2019: The Tourism Worker’s Pension Bill is closer to becoming a reality following the passage of the Bill by the House of Representatives yesterday.

Speaking at the close of the debate for the Bill in Parliament, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, said the move represents, “A landmark legislation and the passage of this Bill will make Jamaica the world leader in providing tourism workers with social security.

It represents a commitment by the government to the social market arrangement which is to ensure that the appropriate legislation and regulations are developed to protect the most vulnerable.”

The Bill, which was tabled in Parliament on April 30 by Minister Bartlett, will now be put to the Senate to be passed. It will establish a defined pension scheme for tourism workers and self-employed tourism workers to be known as the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, from which retirement benefits will be paid in respect of each member and ancillary benefits for beneficiaries.

Minister Bartlett said, “This Bill is coming at a time when tourism is experiencing unprecedented growth globally and locally. For the first half of the year, Jamaica has welcomed 2 million visitors and earned close to US2Billion.

All this development and growth means tourism must take greater responsibility to ensure a greater sense of equity for our most treasured assets, our human resource.”

The new pension Bill will start with an endowment of $1 billion from the Ministry of Tourism, which will be paid in installments and will ensure that immediate benefits accrue to qualified pensioners who have met the vested period of five years.

Minister Bartlett added that, “The Bill represents a prong in our human capital development plan to professionalize our workers and allow them to have stackable credentials. We have looked a series of training arrangements, from high schools to tertiary and within the working environment itself, to ensure their marketability.

This Bill, which is the first of its kind anywhere in the world, will include everybody who works in the sector, no matter the category or contract period, and they will have an equal opportunity to become a member of this pension plan.”

Baku, Azerbaijan; June 18, 2019: Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that for tourism to be truly sustainable there must be greater equality among all stakeholders and a more equitable distribution of tourism earnings.

He was speaking at the 110th Executive Council meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Monday (June 17) at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.  The three-day Executive Council meeting is taking place from June 16 – 18, 2019.

With revenues from international tourism totalling US$1.7 trillion in 2018 and one in 11 of the world’s jobs generated by tourism, Minister Bartlett said, “It begs the question of the distribution of this enormous wealth and the impact that it is having on the highly tourism dependent regions of the earth.”

He noted a real concern as many of the countries that have the highest level of tourism dependence, like the Caribbean with a GDP dependence of 40% or more and the US Virgin Islands with 98.5% dependence on tourism, are characterized also by high unemployment, a high debt to GDP ratio, social concerns and high levels of income inequality.

He also pointed to statistics which indicate that 80% of global tourism is owned by Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) but less than 20% of the returns go to them.

“This is hugely disturbing and creates asymmetry and imbalance, and that picture doesn’t look so good,” Minister Bartlett said.  

He said the tourism focused discussions at the UNWTO Executive Council meeting, provided “an opportunity for us to take a greater dive into understanding how this great industry of ours must impact the world in a more positive way by creating greater elements of equality, inclusiveness and most of all to build the capacity of tourism-dependent regions to not just recover and grow but to thrive”.

Minister Bartlett took the opportunity to welcome the announcement by the United States of America that it is considering returning to the UNWTO.  The announcement was made earlier in the day by Ms. Emma Doyle, Assistant to US President Donald Trump and Principal Deputy Chief of Staff in the White House.  “The return of the US can only help to make the Americas stronger as a tourist destination,” he noted.

Baku, Azerbaijan; June 17, 2019: Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett yesterday (June 16) met with some of the leading partners in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM) to discuss projects and deliverables the Centre will commence following the opening of its new physical facility on Mona campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in October this year.

The special dinner meeting was held at the Hilton Baku in Azerbaijan in the margins of the 110th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Executive Council Meeting, taking place June 16 – 18, 2019 in Baku.

Minister Bartlett gave an overview of four critical projects, including the establishment of a barometer to measure resilience and set the standards for certification/accreditation of countries across the world; setting up an International Journal of Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management; building a  compendium of best practices based on the experience of countries that  have managed disruptions well and those that  have not; and establishing an Academic Chair at the UWI with responsibility for studies in innovation, resilience and crisis management.

The issue of Corporate Social Responsibility was also raised at Sunday’s meeting. “Corporate Social responsibility is central to the sustainable development of tourism as it is for most industries but particularly tourism because of its extractive nature,” said the Tourism Minister.

“Tourism pulls a lot from communities so we need to have them involved. We need also to have inclusiveness for people with special needs and lifestyle differences in providing the world with the best opportunity to access the rich resources that exist within the people of these communities,” he added.

Minister Bartlett said the meeting brought a fresh energy to the discussion while bringing a new commitment to resource development. “So after the Centre’s official opening in October, we can get into action so that it fulfils its role of not being just a Centre for academic research but an action Centre where results are realized and implemented,” said Minister Bartlett.

In attendance were Ms. Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jamaica; Ambassador Dho Young-Shim, a member of the GTRCM Board of Governors; Ms. Elena Kountoura, a member of the European Union for Greece; Mr. Spiros Pantos, Special Advisor to Elena Kountoura; Hon. Didier Dogley, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine for the Seychelles; and Ms. Isabel Hill, Director, National Travel and Tourism Office, US Department of Commerce.

The GTRCM is dedicated to helping vulnerable states across the world recover quickly from disruptions and crisis that threaten economies and livelihoods globally, using real time data and effective communication. It recently took on a new global perspective with the announcement of regional Centres to be established over the next eight weeks in Nepal, Japan, Malta and Hong Kong.