MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; January 31, 2019: The Organization of American States (OAS) has launched a US$500,000 project to assist the region’s small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) to build resilience to natural disasters.

The project was launched during 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 Organization on January 29.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett said, “We are so happy to have the vast expertise of the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Nestor Mendez, at the launch who I am pleased to say comes bearing gifts. This very important resilience project for our SMTEs will help build the capacity of our sector to better help us become more resilient when disruptions occur.” 

The project is funded by the United States Department of State and managed by the OAS Secretariat for Integral Development. It will assist small tourism enterprises in the Caribbean to overcome the various challenges that affect the ability of Governments and businesses alike to continue their business operations during and after catastrophic events in the Caribbean.

Participating countries set to benefit include: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago

It will be carried out in a two-year period, with the primary aim being to reduce the severity, impact and duration of disruptions caused by a disaster on the operations of the small enterprises in the Caribbean. 

“The Caribbean is among the most tourism-dependent regions in the world and there is no other region whose travel and tourism industry is as vulnerable to disasters as the Caribbean. It is undeniable that climate change presents an existential threat to small island developing states and low lying coastal areas, which include the countries of the Caribbean,” said Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Nestor Mendez.

He also noted that “The OAS identified, among the main long-term needs of the region, the need for tourism-related disaster preparedness and crisis management, communications plans as well as methodologies to follow before and after a disaster.”

This 2nd Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), 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.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; January 31, 2019:  Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says that greater effort has to be placed in strengthening linkages with key industries to create a more resilient and sustainable tourism industry.

 “Crisis management requires coordination and a joint-up approach from the point of view of government and stakeholders. So it is important that we get all stakeholders on board. I am very pleased with the performance of the tourism industry but tourism does not exist in a vacuum by itself.

It has to coordinate with all the agencies and so a part of the ability to be more resilient, and to adapt is how we connect and create linkages. Resilience depends on the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Education. Greater effort has to be placed in ensuring that, if we are going to be effective in managing crises, “said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister made these remarks during the launch of the Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on January 30, 2019.

“Jamaica’s strategy is not just to ensure that Jamaica is safe, but to collaborate with all other countries…visitors to the island can rest assured that they are in a safe, secure and healthy environment,” said Prime Minister Holness.

The focus of the Centre will include: Risk Assessment, Mapping and Planning; Cyberspace Policy and Counter-Terrorism; Resilience-Related Research Collaborations; Development of Innovation Systems; Coordinating resilience policies with the government, Resource Mobilization, Capacity Building and Cross-Border Intelligence-sharing.

Speaking at the launch, Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said, “There are four key deliverables that the Centre is focusing on at this time. One, is the establishment of an academic journal, which will be a compendium of scholarly publications, on various elements of the 5 segments of disruptions. The editorial board has already been established, headed by Professor Lee Miles of Bournemouth University, with the assistance of George Washington University. Within the next four months, that journal will be ready,” said the Minister.

The other deliverables include: a compendium of best practices/ a blueprint for resilience; a resilience barometer to measure the resilience in countries and provide benchmarks to guide countries; and to establish an academic chair at the University of West Indies for innovation and resilience.

“I am pleased to announce that we have two proposals before us for the funding of that Chair. One is from Spain and the other is from Jamaica. We are still looking because part of what we must have are the resources to manage the facilities over time,” said the Minister.  

The Centre which is housed at the University of the West Indies, will be staffed by local, regional and internationally recognized experts and professionals in the fields of climate management, project management, tourism management, tourism risk management, tourism crisis management, communication management, tourism marketing and branding as well as monitoring and evaluation.

“We are looking forward to the work that is going to be done and we want to work closely with the University of the West Indies because we believe it will be beneficial for us to understand how the rest of Government can benefit from the lessons that you can teach us, to ensure that we are resilient and can manage crises,” said the Prime Minister.

The Centre will also provide research fellowship opportunities for individuals seeking to either expand their knowledge or, gain experience in tourism resilience and crisis management, through postdoctoral research, and internships for undergraduate and graduate students in fields of study related to tourism resilience and crisis management.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; January 30, 2019:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says tourism is driving positive change by creating jobs and injecting revenue into local communities while helping to spark innovation and provide opportunities for Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs).

“We are strengthening the linkages between tourism and other sectors of the economy to increase the economic impact of tourism. Through our five Tourism Linkages Networks – Gastronomy, Health and Wellness, Shopping, Knowledge and Sport and Entertainment – we have been leveraging SMTEs to build out our visitor experiences,” said the Minister. 

The Minister was speaking at 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 on January 29.

The Ministry of Tourism, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), has been spearheading a number of initiatives to support the financial needs of the SMTE subsector and through the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank), several players in that sector have been benefiting from a billion-dollar revolving loan fund.

In his remarks, Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw commended the Ministry for this initiative and added that “In my Ministry, in collaboration with the Jamaica Business Development Corporation, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture has also formulated the National Craft Policy, aimed at facilitating improvement of quality, variety, value, sale and customer satisfaction in the Jamaican economy.”

He also noted that, “for tourism to be sustainable, it has to work for everyone, including our farmers, entrepreneurs and entertainers. In light of our expanding tourism and hospitality market, we support every effort to make the industry a truly inclusive one.”

Minister Bartlett also stressed the importance of the tourism industry, and used the opportunity to urge SMTE stakeholders to take full advantage of the information and opportunities that the conference will provide.

 “80% of global tourism is owned by SMTEs but 80% of the returns from tourism go to the 20% of those who invest. So when we go to look at the real beneficiaries of tourism, it is not the owners of tourism. This conference will examine that.

At the centre of that recognition is the simple fact that tourism today is the largest industry in the world, 10.4% of global GDP, 1 in 11 of all workers of the world employed to tourism, US $385 billion of foreign investment across borders, 30% of trading services and US $8 trillion of expenditure last year by 1.5 billion people who travelled across the world last year,” said the Minister.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; January 30, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says tourism has to be sustained and this requires ongoing investment to improve existing products and develop new ones.

The Minister made this statement yesterday, during the official opening of the 2019 Caribbean Travel Marketplace at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

“The future growth of the region is through tourism, the fastest growing industry in the world. But it is not good enough that 80 percent of world tourism comprises small enterprises who receive only 20 percent on return.

Our financial institutions and our investors have a role to play in all this. They must see tourism as a viable investment and be more flexible in their loan portfolio for investment in the industry. Tourism has to be sustained and this requires ongoing investment to improve existing products and develop new ones,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also shared that critical to these investments is human capital development, which his Ministry has placed as a major priority.

“Investment in people is also a must. Our tourism workers must be trained to be professionals at what they do; whether they are Bell Hops, Scullions, Room Attendants or people in management. There is no room for mediocrity in 21st century tourism with a highly demanding clientele,” he said.

The Caribbean Travel Marketplace is the largest and most prominent tourism marketing event in the Caribbean. It is hosted this year by Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and serves as an important platform to enhance exchanges between tourism suppliers from around the world.

This year, for the 37th staging the theme is: “One Region. One goal,” and offers infinite business opportunities for 26 Caribbean islands and the 20 markets that are represented.

“We are extremely pleased to have this opportunity, as host of Caribbean Travel Marketplace, to showcase the many wonderful natural, social, economic and cultural resources that Jamaica has to offer

We must use opportunities such as that presented by Caribbean Travel Marketplace, to sell collectively to the rest of the world, the uniqueness of our mixed culture, the friendliness and welcoming spirit of our people, the delight of our Caribbean cuisine, the excitement of our attractions and, beyond question, the unmatched beauty of our respective islands,” said the Minister.  

Dignitaries and travel buyers attending this year’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace represent the nations of: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, India, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In addition, for the first time in Caribbean Travel Marketplace history, the CHTA will also host a large contingent of Chinese travel buyers.

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.