MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Tuesday, January 29, 2019: Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett have welcomed the return of the EP (European Plan) model of hotels as part of the expanding tourism industry.

Sunday’s official opening of S Hotel along Montego Bay’s Hip Strip was the first significant hotel of its kind to open its doors using this model, in more than three decades. Large all-inclusive hotels make up about 80 percent of resort destination’s room stock.

Minister Bartlett described S Hotel as special “because the S is bringing back the model of tourism that has escaped us for a while, the EP model which offers an opportunity for more involvement and more participation.”

This sentiment was endorsed by Prime Minister Holness who said, “We must find ways to make tourism inclusive and beneficial to all the people of Jamaica.”

According to Prime Minister Holness, the strategy for tourism must be to ensure connectivity with the rest of the economy. He said, “The benefit of tourism must be shared with the people, because all tourism is, if you take away the block and steel, it is the people, it is the culture, it is our music, it is our language, it is our dance. It is all of that put together to form a package that distinguishes us from the rest of the world that makes people want to come here and enjoy.”

The Prime Minister expressed the view that the industry must create an instrumental approach to ensuring that the benefits are shared. “Buy more Jamaican, employ more Jamaicans as entertainers; put them in your package, make people see them because that is what is going to create the value for your product,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister Bartlett was elated “that tourism in Jamaica is outstanding,” stating that the new hotel signalled the start of a momentous week for tourism in Jamaica “because the opening of this very critical addition to the room stock and more so the variety of offering that we are providing in the accommodation subsector, begins a week of tourism celebration and marketing.

Outlining several activities planned, he said Jamaica would take centre stage Monday night at the World Travel Awards and Tuesday morning “we welcome the world with the second Global Conference on Job Creation and Inclusive Growth with emphasis on small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs).”

Sunday’s opening of S Hotel was also attended by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen; former prime ministers P.J. Patterson and Portia Simpson Miller; Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips and Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Dr Wykeham McNeil.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica: January 29, 2019:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that there is a growing need to build a smart and sustainable framework to better integrate Small and Medium Enterprises into the tourism value chain and to prevent leakages of the earnings from the industry.

“Tourism with its enormous capacity for economic development suffers from leakages, our job is to commence the discussion on how to create the linkages to stem the leakages in tourism.

So if we can build the platform for the Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises, that represent 80% of global tourism, if we can bring creative ideas and innovation to capital so the transformation can take place, then the inputs of tourism will be provided by the recipient destinations and the retention from tourism input into the economies, can stay into the countries,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister made this statement at the staging of the 2nd Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), hosted at the Montego Bay Convention Centre by the government and the United Nations World Tourism Association.

This signature event is a direct response to the global conference on jobs and inclusive growth hosted in Jamaica in 2017, which brought to the fore many of the perennial challenges faced by SMTEs, including issues of access to credit, marketing, technology and business development.

The conference organisers therefore saw it prudent to have another event focused solely on SMTEs and best practices that have direct relevance to their development.

“This conference will help us to do two things. It will help us to channel the path that will enable the vision and the promise of inclusiveness from this great industry, to find a way to be realised. Secondly, for us to look at how we can bring ideas and capital together, to create that synergy that enables the transformation from concept and ideas into material goods and services that have a value to our people,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also added that, “Tourism is the single most important cohesive economic force in the world today. That cohesion cannot occur when there is huge disparity between those who are providers, conceptualisers and owners of the product and those who are the investors and the drivers that product needs.” 

At the end of the conference, The Ministry of Tourism and the UNWTO hope to achieve tangible outcomes which will help to build sustainable economies that positively influence the lives of people around the world. 

MADRID, Spain; January 27, 2019: The largest block of Spanish Hoteliers and Investors, Inverotel, has indicated they are fully on board with training through the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) as well as the Ministry's pension scheme.

The group sees training and development of their staff as critical to their overall operation and supports them being trained through the JCTI. They are also on board with the Ministry’s pension scheme. Support for both initiatives follows a meeting at FITUR in Spain with Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett. 

"I am very pleased by the support received by our Spanish partners and their willingness to help develop Jamaica's human capital through training and our pension scheme.

This shows that they understand that our people are crucial to the growth of the sector and as such need to the tools to build capacity," said Minister Bartlett.

President of Inverotel, Encarna Pinero, who lead the discussions for the group also discussed strategies to increase locally supplied goods for the sector and safety and security.

Minister Bartlett added that, “We believe in continued dialogue among our partners to ensure we are all on the same page and working towards the same goals. This meeting was extremely productive as we sought to strategically improve on our growth figures from last year.”

Through Spanish stakeholders, Jamaica’s tourism industry has seen investments amounting to approximately US1.7billion and about 25% of the rooms constructed.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Spain participating in FITUR, the largest International Tourism Trade Fair for inbound and outbound Ibero-American markets. After several business meetings with tour operators, airline representatives, other industry partners and hoteliers, it was announced that Jamaica would be benefitting from USD750Million in Foreign Direct Investment and 3000 new rooms from hotel chains H10 and Princess Resorts.

The Minister is accompanied by Director of Tourism, Donovan White, and the Ministry’s Senior Director for Corporate Communications Fiona Fennell. Minister Bartlett and delegation are scheduled to return to the island on January 27, 2019.

NEW YORK, New York; January 24, 2019: Less than two months after Jamaica swept the World Travel Awards in Portugal, the island nation scored big at the 2019 Travvy Awards held in New York City last night taking five major awards. This included Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett copping the inaugural Chairman’s Award for Global Tourism Innovation and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) attaining the best Tourist Board in the Caribbean award.

Jamaica also won Best Wedding destination, Best Honeymoon destination and Best Culinary destination to thunderous applause from the packed hall of primarily American travel industry stakeholders.

Jamaica’s team of officials was led by Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor/Strategist to the Minister of Tourism and Donnie Dawson, Deputy Director of Tourism, the Americas and other JTB managers. 

Minister Bartlett was recognized with the inaugural Chairman's Award for Global Tourism Innovation for the development of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM).  The award was collected by Mr. Seiveright, on behalf of Minister Bartlett who is attending the international tourism trade fair FITUR in Spain and concluding negotiations with two new hotel brands that are set to develop in Jamaica.

“I am truly humbled. We accept these awards on behalf of Jamaica and our tourism stakeholders who continue to be thought leaders. As for the Global Tourism Innovation award, it is very timely given the fact that we are about to officially launch the Centre which is one of a kind and will be a serious game changer for tourism worldwide,” Minister Bartlett noted from Madrid, Spain.

The Travvy Awards team in its official comment on the award noted that the “introduction of the Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management by Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon Edmund Bartlett, and the foreseen positive impact it will have on tourism, placed Mr. Bartlett and his beloved Jamaica at the top of the list. His role within the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is a clear representation as to his commitment to advancing tourism financially, culturally and in a sustainable manner.”

The official launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is scheduled for January 30 2019, during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The Centre, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies Mona, was first announced during the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, held in Montego Bay in November 2017, as a response to political turmoil, climatic events, pandemics, shifting global economies as well as crime and violence which can be devastating to travel and tourism.

The annual Travvy Awards—known as the Academy Awards of the travel industry—was held on Wednesday, January 23 at Gotham Hall in New York City to recognize the highest standards of excellence in the travel industry by honoring travel companies, travel products, travel agencies, and destinations for their outstanding achievement. 

This year, over 100,000 votes—the largest voting block of travel agents in history—were cast to determine the 2019 Travvy Awards winners.

MADRID, Spain; January 23, 2019: Following discussions with two major Spanish Hotel chains, H10 and Princess Resorts, Minister of Tourism, Honourable Edmund Bartlett has secured USD750Million in investment. The investment will see the construction of three thousand (3000) new rooms in Jamaica by 2021.

H10 Hotels, which will construct 1000 new rooms in Trelawny at a value of approximately USD 250Million, is a hotel chain with over 55 hotels in 18 destinations. Princess Hotels and Resorts, ranked 8^th in the Spanish market has 19 hotels. They will construct 2000 new rooms in Hanover, to the tune of some USD500Million.

In highlighting the significance of these agreements, which were made at FITUR in Spain, Minister Bartlett said, “The value of this investment cannot be overstated as it will transform our tourism product and allow for heavier marketing of the destination. More rooms mean more visitors and more visitors mean more foreign exchange earnings and ultimately more economic growth, which is in line with our 5x5x5 growth strategy.”

Currently Jamaica’s room stock is 32,000. As part of the Ministry’s 5x5x5 growth strategy, the aim is to have 15,000 additional rooms by 2022.

“These mega projects are ready to go. Funding is in place, lands have been purchased and development ready to begin following the requisite approvals being granted. In fact, H10 will officially break ground on February 6 and Princess Hotels will do so by mid-February,” added Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Spain participating in FITUR, the largest International Tourism Trade Fair for inbound and outbound Ibero-American markets. He will also host business meetings with tour operators, airline representatives and other industry partners. He will also meet with the chair persons from major Spanish investors such as Iberostar, Grand Bahia, Grupo Pinero and Grand Palladium.

The Minister is accompanied by Director of Tourism, Donovan White, and the Ministry’s Senior Director for Corporate Communications Fiona Fennell. Minister Bartlett and delegation are scheduled to return to the island on January 27, 2019.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 22, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett travels to Spain today to participate in FITUR, the largest International Tourism Trade Fair for inbound and outbound Ibero-American markets.

The event facilitates exchanges between tourism suppliers and industry leaders from around the world. It also displays hotels, tourist boards, destination management companies, tour operators, airlines and other segments related to the travel industry.

According to organizers, last year’s event saw 10,190 exhibiting companies from 165 countries/regions, 140,120 trade participants and 110,860 people from the general public, who participated in 6,800 business appointments.

As a key partner, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) uses the staging of FITUR to host a series of tourism-related activities in which Minister Bartlett has been invited to participate.

While in Spain, the Minister will also host business meetings with Spanish investors, tour operators, airline representatives and other industry partners.

“Securing new investments continues to be a key part of our growth strategy, so we are very eager to use this opportunity to meet with stakeholders who can improve Jamaica’s tourism product. This augurs well for the further development of the economy,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also noted that his meetings with airline representatives are of particular importance as, “the Ministry in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board has increased its push to target new markets and boost airlift.”

“We are always seeking new opportunities to market the destination with the intention to see increased airlift arrangements and bring more visitors into Jamaica,” he said.

The Minister is accompanied by Director of Tourism, Donovan White, and the Ministry’s Senior Director for Corporate Communications Fiona Fennell. Minister Bartlett and delegation are scheduled to return to the island on January 27, 2019.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 21, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has committed to the construction of a Reggae Museum to the tune of J$25Million. The move forms part of the Ministry’s effort to build out the reggae product to create more authentic Jamaican experiences for visitors and locals alike. The project will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

Funding for the project will be done through Tourism Enhancement Fund which has also committed, through the Tourism Linkages Network, J$15Million towards the marketing of Reggae month events.

Minister Bartlett, in making the announcement at the official launch of Reggae month yesterday, said “We have to invest in the product called reggae and build out the capacity of reggae to drive 24/7experiences in different locations across Jamaica. Through the Linkages Network and collaboration with my colleague Minister, Hon Olivia Grange, we will use this funding to build out the product of reggae across the island.”

The Reggae Museum will seek to curate artifacts and other objects specific to the history of Jamaica’s reggae music. This will allow for the preservation of reggae artifacts for the education of the public.

Minister Bartlett said, “A reggae museum will not only benefit our people and history of this globally recognized art form, but will pull many people from across the world to our shores to learn more about our infectious culture.”

Reggae Month 2019 is being organized as a joint project between the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and Ministry of Tourism through the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

“The building out of a consistent reggae product will also include the development of reggae trails.

These trails will be developed based on the locations from which the real icons of reggae emerged such as Trench Town, Nine Miles, Belmont and Somerton in St. James where the most highly recognized living Jamaican artiste, musician and actor Jimmy Cliff lives,” added Minister Bartlett.

The coordination of reggae month activities is also being driven by the Tourism Linkages Network’s Sports and Entertainment Network (SEN). The mandate of SEN is to develop the Jamaican tourism product while fostering growth and job creation through the development and/or enhancement of targeted sports and entertainment tourism niche products such as Reggae Month.

Reggae Month will run from February 1 – 28, 2019.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 16, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the 37^th Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM), being hosted in Jamaica later this month, will welcome 140 buyers — the largest number in the event’s history since 2012.

Speaking at a media briefing earlier today at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston office, the Minister said, “We have to date 140 buyers from companies seeking to purchase rooms, which is very important to us.”

The Caribbean Travel Marketplace is the Caribbean’s largest marketing event, starting January 29 through to January 31, in Montego Bay.

“We are excited about these three days of active trading with the larger number of buyers meeting with our suppliers here in the Caribbean and hopefully to drive the Caribbean tourism activities to another level. The projections for growth in the Caribbean is 2.5% with Jamaica and the Dominican Republic leading in terms of expected volume of growth and the CTM is the center which enable this growth to happen,” said Minister Bartlett.  

The event is produced by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association (CHTA) and brings together hotel and destination representatives; wholesalers and tour operators; online travel agencies; Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) planners; and members of the media for several days of business meetings, including a busy programme of thousands of pre-scheduled appointments. For this year’s staging, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association will be integral to coordinating the event with the CHTA.

The Minister noted that the event will also have “major representation from China and India which represents the two largest potential travel countries.”

“The truth is that today China is the largest outbound destination in the world. The impact of Chinese tourism to the Caribbean could be a huge game changer. India and China together will represent more than 40% of global tourism by 2030.

We are expecting about 20 tour operators and media from China and about 6 from India. This is critical as it will bring in a new dynamic into the marketplace as it is a new demographic,” said Minister Bartlett.

Hundreds of regional and local tourism stakeholders are expected to converge at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, to engage with industry peers and promote travel to the region. This will include delegates from at least 24 Caribbean destinations.

“We are hoping that a number of contracts will be signed and that the world will see the best Jamaica has to offer,” said the Minister.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 15, 2019:  Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Network intends to leverage public private partnerships to build out a framework to stimulate entrepreneurship in the coffee sector and related industries.

“Coffee has the potential to become a commodity that can change communities through linkages with tourism. This is particularly important as our coffee farmers continue to experience challenges due to shrinking international markets and low prices,” the Tourism Minister said.

He was giving the main address at the press launch for the second annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival today (January 15) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. This year’s festival will take place March 1-3 at Newcastle in St. Andrew.

Describing tourism and coffee as two of Jamaica’s most important economic industries, Minister Bartlett said the build out will be done through the Tourism Linkages’ five networks: Gastronomy; Health and Wellness; Shopping; Knowledge; and Sports and Entertainment.

He advocated using 100% of the coffee berry to do so, instead of the 20% now used in coffee production.  It will include the development of an entire cottage industry around the supply of spa products to a growing health and wellness sector as well as building out the retail market for coffee by-products.

“The coffee festival is one such offering.  Yet, while Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is our value proposition, we must work together to build a sustainable coffee sector with a multiplier effect that creates more jobs, businesses and revenue for rural communities and beyond,” Minister Bartlett told the large gathering of tourism and coffee stakeholders.

In his address, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, said we must use the opportunity of events like the festival “to not just talk about a revival but put in clear, specific, unambiguous strategies and plans to revive the Blue Mountain coffee industry in Jamaica.”

Declaring we must market real Jamaican coffee, Minister Shaw said, “We want to see more of our farmers increase their productivity and produce more of all Jamaican coffee varieties, including high mountain coffee, which can then be blended with the Blue Mountain coffee, so that we can have a totally Jamaican coffee brand.  Jamaican coffee must be the gold standard. We do not want the Jamaican brand to be watered down or bastardised.”

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, the Most Hon. Juliet Holness, promised her unwavering support to the festival, which is providing additional income and building entrepreneurship in the Blue Mountain Coffee communities.

Acting Director General of the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Authority (JACRA), Gusland McCook, lauded the festival for providing another avenue to create awareness around Jamaican coffee in general and Blue Mountain coffee in particular, which will help to attract not only consumers but also investors.

Last year’s inaugural Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival saw some 1000 patrons, 37 booth holders and 64 farmers participating in a three-day event.

The Festival, which showcases Jamaica’s rich tradition of coffee production in the Blue Mountain region, is an initiative of the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

It features Blue Mountain coffee and coffee related products, food stalls, entertainment, cultural presentations, tastings and demonstrations, and workshops. A key component of the festival is the Farmers Trade Day, which includes presentations and networking opportunities with industry stakeholders.

The festival also pairs with the Jamaica Blue Mountain Culinary Trail, which this year features 14 stops at bars, restaurants and attractions, including Belcour Lodge, Café Blue, Crystal Edge Restaurant, Strawberry Hill, Blue Ridge, Holywell National Park, Old Tavern Coffee Estate, Mavis Bank Coffee Factory, among others in the Blue Mountains.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 09, 2019:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica saw an 8.6% increase in tourism revenue in 2018.

He told a news conference, held at the Ministry’s New Kingston office yesterday that, the preliminary figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board on the performance of the industry, has shown a new record for the industry, in terms of arrivals and spend.

“At the end of December 2018 Jamaica had 4.31 million visitors, which represents the second year in a row that the county has had over 4.3 million visitors in a single year. But, the earnings is the area of greatest performance for us in 2018 because we had an 8.6 % in earnings from 3 billion in 2017 to 3.3 billion in 2018,” said the Minister.

He went on to state that,” this means that Jamaica had 40 years of tourism earnings to make its first billion, which came about in 1995. The second billion was earned in 2010 and the third came in 2017. This year we are 300 million in pursuance of the next billion. This means that we are in line with the projections made to earn 5 billion dollars from tourism within the period that we’ve indicated.”

The Minister also highlighted that the increase in earnings has had a great impact on the local economy, primarily to the small and medium tourism enterprises.

“Tourism is growing at a phenomenal rate but because the retention of the dollar is hovering at 30% we can say that there is more than US $1 billion in circulation across Jamaica coming directly from tourism. The impact of this is seen in the growth of the small and medium enterprises, who are more involved in the industry than ever before. The dollar is being retained because more and more of our people are supplying against the demands of the industry,” he said.

The Minister also used the opportunity to provide an update on the security audit of all hotels and attractions being led by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) as part of efforts to ramp up the island's destination-assurance programme.

International Security Expert Dr Peter Tarlow as well as Global Rescue – a leading global provider of medical evacuation, repatriation, and security-extraction services for individuals, enterprises, and governments – have joined the audit to collaborate with the Ministry’s destination assurance managers to construct a new architecture for tourism ethics and visitor safety.

“I have had the opportunity to meet with people in all aspects of tourism over the past two days. It seems to me that this is a country that is working hard to become not only a safe place but is struggling to become a world model that can be adapted to other parts of the world,” said Dr Tarlow.

He also shared that, “what impresses me about Jamaica is the openness to look at problems, analyse those problems and then be willing – instead of putting them under the table – to say let’s bring them into the sunlight, examine them and solve them.” 

The Tourism Working Group, which was recently established by Minister Bartlett to conduct a comprehensive review of issues in the sector, and is headed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers Senior Partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, will also be a part of the process. 

The security audit, which is to be completed by the first half of 2019, will identify gaps and ensure that the destination remains safe, secure and seamless for visitors and locals alike.

Security arrangements are part of the licensing requirements for many sector operators and significant weakness or breaches will result in tough sanctions. So far, 16 properties have been audited.