KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 12, 2018:  Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett today (December 12) committed $100 million to the redevelopment of the 40-acre Alpha Campus.  The allocation will come from the Ministry’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in tranches of $20 million over five years.

Minister Bartlett made the announcement to a standing ovation as he gave the keynote address at the soft launch of the Alpha Mercy Historical Centre at the South Camp Road Alpha campus. 

This financial commitment is in addition to a TEF contribution of $11 million towards Phase 1 of the building of the Alpha Mercy Historical Centre.  It is a “community and heritage’ tourism product aimed at highlighting the history of the Sisters of Mercy and illustrating their significant contribution and impact on the cultural, social, religious and educational development of Jamaica for more than 136 years.

In lauding Alpha and its phenomenal contribution to Jamaica’s development, Minister Bartlett said, “We have to look at how we build on that tradition.  We have to look at how we extend that legacy and how we create more visitor experiences, more revenue and more capital development of the humanspirit.”

In addition, the Tourism Minister pledged his commitment to work with Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Councillor Delroy Williams to make a reality his vision to redevelop Downtown Kingston‘s 'Parade' as a pedestrian only zone to add value to the city’s tourism product and increase commerce.  “It is a vision that encapsulates my vision and we will meet the first working week of January to complete this discussion we began here today,” said Minister Bartlett.

“The city of Kingston’s time has come and we are committed to seeing it through,” he continued, while noting big plans for Kingston and Port Royal and pledging his commitment to building out the experiences and making Jamaica, through these two gateways, the Pearl of the Caribbean.

Minister Bartlett also noted that TEF has spent some $1.7 billion over the last five years to restore and develop historic sites and monuments across Jamaica.

He concluded by saying, “It will be my delight to help position the Alpha Mercy Historical Centre in the bigger picture of Destination Kingston as we to seek to build out Kingston as a city tourism experience for food, entertainment, and culture but most importantly to continuously tell a story and what a wonderful story Alpha is.”

The redevelopment plan for the Alpha Campus will directly benefit the four thousand children who are educated in the five institutions located in the campus, while over 18,000 individuals and families will be indirectly impacted by the plans.

It will include a new School of Music at the Alpha Institute offering a four-year Associate Degree Programme in music; a new primary school for 1000 children that will incorporate ‘technology based’ education; a Performing and Visual Arts Centre for Girls; a new science lab for the Alpha Convent of Mercy Academy; and an Amphitheatre for entertainment. In addition, there will be widened roadways and new entrances to the property.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 11, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has offered condolences to the family of former Minister of Tourism, Senator Donald Frank McKenzie Pringle, who died yesterday, at the age of 88.

“On behalf of the Government of Jamaica, I offer my condolences to the family and loved ones of Ambassador Pringle – especially his daughter, Kerstin and two grandchildren, Israel and Isabell.

The tourism industry has certainly suffered an extreme loss and we remain very grateful for the invaluable contribution he has made to the development of the sector,” said Minister Bartlett.

Senator Pringle was a Cabinet Member and Minister of Tourism from 1989 to 1992, while also serving as senator. He was also a Member of the Jamaica Tourist Board, Director on the Board of Air Jamaica, as well as Jamaica’s representative to the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

“Senator Pringle dedicated much of his life to Jamaica’s tourism industry, serving both in the public and private sector. He was very passionate about the growth of our tourism product and did an incredible job to ensure that our industry was not only successful, but that it also benefited the people of the country. He was selfless, always putting country above himself and saw the vision of how far tourism could go. His legacy is indelibly etched in our history and will be remembered for years to come,” said the Minister.

Over the years, Ambassador Pringle has served as a diplomat, Justice of the Peace and a member of the Jamaica Parish Council. He was also the Founder and Director of The Tryall Club and founder and President of the Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments.

Additionally, he was involved in the founding of Round Hill Hotel & Villas, and served as aide-de-camp to the Governor-General.

“It was my hope to honour Ambassador Pringle, while he was alive at the Golden Tourism Day Award Ceremony taking place on Sunday. His sudden passing indeed came as quite a surprise and I am very saddened to know he is no longer with us,” said the Minister.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Sunday, December 9, 2018: Jamaica’s first regulated casino should be up and running by the start of 2020 but Jamaica will not be a casino destination.

This was disclosed Friday (December 7) by Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett as he wrapped up remarks at a seminar on Hospitality Industry and Casino Operator’s Guide to Managing U.S. Liability Issues from the Caribbean, at Sandals Montego Bay.

While not giving details on the first casino, Mr. Bartlett spoke of the contribution casino gaming is expected to make to the Jamaican economy as an addition to the tourism product, providing 2 percent to GDP growth.

“We have shied away from gaming as a structured path of the tourism experience for a long time for a number of reasons, one of which has been the experiences that we have looked at in other places and we have seen some of the attendant negatives and we question very much whether or not we would be able ourselves to manage and be able to deal with the negative impact of it,” said Minister Bartlett.

Additionally, he said there has been very strong religious consideration, but as a government, a concerted decision was taken “that we wanted to take a deeper dive in this area because it does provide a lucrative element of the tourism product and that it had the potential to drive growth to a level that would put Jamaica where it ought to in terms of the level required to generate additional GDP growth.”

The Tourism Minister said it was felt that 3 million stopover visitors and earning of US$3 billion would be a key point spurred on by casino gaming but those figures have already been surpassed with 4.3 million visitors last year without the lure of a casino but because of extraordinary effort.

“The fact is that casino for Jamaica is not a requirement for our growth but within the context of the integrated development model, casino gaming is a driver for exponential growth so we do not see Jamaica ever becoming a casino destination but rather a destination in which casino gaming is available,“ said Minister Bartlett.

Having considered that three casino gaming licenses would be granted, Mr. Bartlett said “Casinos should represent no more than 20 percent of the value of the experience that is offered as the integrated development arrangement.” Construction of a minimum of 1,000 rooms and US1 billion in investment have been laid down as the minimum that goes with a casino license.

Elaborating on the arrangement, he said “The casino must come with shopping, entertainment, with music and with maritime experiences and a whole range of other experiences because we wanted to make sure that the balance remained, so that there wouldn’t be stand-alone casino arrangement all over Jamaica.”

Minister Bartlett welcomed the seminar hosted by US law firm, Kaufman Dolovic Voluck in association with Montego Bay attorneys Clayton Morgan & Company, noting that it was a good moment to examine the implication and legal ramifications. He was therefore interested in the outcome of the seminar “as we look now not only on what the legal implications are and particularly as a country that is closest to the more celebrated casino areas in the western world, including Las Vegas.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 5, 2018:   Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that Álvaro Uribe, former President of Colombia, is the keynote speaker for the ‘Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth – Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTE)’, scheduled to take place next January.

“I am very pleased to announce that President Uribe will be our keynote speaker for our very important conference. He has a strong track record of encouraging small and medium enterprises and has used this as a tool, to deal with some of the security issues they had dealing with the cartels and so on,” said the Minister during a recent press conference at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston Office.

The conference is being hosted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in partnership with the Government of Jamaica, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, on January 29, 2019.

It will seek to build the capacity of local tourism suppliers by way of strategic sessions that will focus on issues affecting suppliers and ways to fix them.

The Minister stressed that as a result of Jamaica’s global petitioning for small entrepreneurs in tourism, the conference will be attended by major international players in the industry.

“We are expecting representation from all the countries within the Caribbean, and some of South America and Latin America, where the Organization of American States has relationships,” said the Minister.

He also added that major global institutions have responded in a major way to provide the much-needed assistance for Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises.

 “The OAS has come on board with a programme for the first time in its history, which is going to be unfolded in our conference in January next year in Montego Bay. They have put together US $500,000 to be made available to SMTEs in the Caribbean.

This was a direct response to the global conference Jamaica hosted last November, where one of the three outcomes was to establish SMTE projects around the world. This is significant because 80% of tourism is driven by SMTEs but only 20 % of the benefits from the industry is returned to them,” said the Minister.  

The conference coincides with two major tourism events - the Caribbean Marketplace Expo, which is the signature tradeshow for tourism in the region and the launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

Álvaro Uribe, is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from August 2002 to August 2010.

LISBON, Portugal; December 3, 2018: Jamaica emerged the big winner at the just concluded The World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony by winning eight (8) of these coveted awards.

Jamaica received the World’s Leading Beach Destination 2018 and World’s Leading Cruise Destination for 2018.

Other tourism entities from Jamaica who received awards include World’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa, 2018 - Fleming Villa at GoldenEye, Jamaica; World’s Leading Villa Resort 2018 - Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica; World’s Leading All-inclusive Company 2018- Sandals Resorts International; World’s Leading Family Resort Brand 2018 - Beaches Resorts; World’s Leading Caribbean Attraction Company 2018 – Island Routes Caribbean Adventures and World’s Leading Adventure Tour Operator 2018 - Chukka Caribbean Adventures.

In highlighting the significance of the awards, Minister Bartlett said, “I am truly proud to have been able share in this moment which highlights that Jamaica’s tourism product is of the highest quality and remains top of mind for millions of visitors who come to our shore.

Jamaica competed with the best of the best across the globe and has emerged a global winner acknowledged for the hard work and innovation being done in the sector.”

The event marks the climax of the WTA Grand Tour 2018 – an annual search for the finest travel and tourism organisations in the world. Government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media from across the globe will attend. The WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. 

“Jamaica is poised for exponential growth in tourism and with this growth we will seek to be more innovative and provide more to our discerning visitors who come to get a taste of all the things we have to offer.”

Minister Bartlett will then travel to Istanbul to attend the third UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: For the Benefit of All, which will be hosted by the Government of Turkey, during the period 3- 5 December, 2018.

The Conference will build up on the outcomes of the First and the Second World Conferences on Tourism and Culture held in Cambodia and Oman in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

A key component of this Forum will be the Ministerial Segment that will bring together Ministers of Tourism and Culture.  Ministers were invited to participate in this special session and to share their views and look for joint solutions.

Minister Bartlett returns to the island on December 06, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 30, 2018:   Tourism Minister Hon, Edmund Bartlett says the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is becoming the most significant global institution in the world, in relation to resilience and crisis management issues, as it has received support from a large number of states and major tourism entities across the world.

Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston Office yesterday (November 29), the Minister noted, “Already, we have a large number of groups that will collaborate with the Centre and help it to start operating on a global basis, even before our launch in January. Some of these partners include the International Institution for Investment in Tourism, the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation.”

He went on to note that, “Out of Europe, we have the Global Resilience Council, the United Nations World Tourism Organization, The World Travel & Tourism Council and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association that that has now partnered with us. All these are critical global tourism constructs which have now become part of this entity. Before the Centre gets off the ground properly, it is hugely resourced from across the world,” said Minister Bartlett.

Also joining the leadership of the Centre is Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Director of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who has been appointed regional coordinator for the Middle East and will provide technical support.

“Following a successful meeting in Washington DC, I can also share that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has given a full endorsement and commitment to participate with resources. In fact, the country leader for IDB will come to Jamaica in week and a half, to view the site and determine what needs to be done,” said the Minister.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon Andrew Holness and Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, will also act as honorary chairs to the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

“Our board members include some of the leading players in the industry; form every continent, except Oceania. But, we are expected to get Australia on board through the Queensland University connection currently being negotiated in time for the launch,” said the Minister. 

The Centre, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona, is being designed to help vulnerable states across the world, to recover quickly from natural disasters. It will specifically target destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that threaten economies and livelihoods globally, with real time data and effective communication. 

The Centre will also house a Sustainable Tourism Observatory which will assist with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions. It will also support policymakers and businesses develop better strategies to support a more competitive global tourism sector.

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

“The leaders of a number of global tourism entities as well as leaders of a number of small countries that are vulnerable, will come to Jamaica for the official launch of this Centre,” said the Minister.

It will specifically be tasked with creating, producing and generating toolkits, guidelines and policies to assist with preparatory and recovery efforts of tourism stakeholders affected by climatic, pandemic, cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism related disruptions.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 28, 2018: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica is keen to strengthen tourism relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum 2018, which was recently held in Dubai.

Minister Bartlett said, “I am pleased to announce that following discussions on creating greater collaboration between Jamaica and the UAE, the tourism sector was recognized as an immediate area of interest. Both the UAE and Jamaica share a robust and highly sought after tourism products and a collaboration will only increase our competitiveness and attractiveness.”

The inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum provided a unique opportunity for senior business representatives, government leaders and other high-profile delegates to identify emerging drivers for joint opportunities and collaboration between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Caribbean.

There was a specific focus on investment opportunities within the Caribbean region’s energy, infrastructure, agriculture, information technology and tourism sectors.

“Another important area of immediate interest was building resilience to be able to respond to global crises, such as climatic weather events, terrorism and cybercrime.

Discussions on Jamaica’s establishment of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre were had and from those discussions, noted tourism management expert, Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Director of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority of the UAE, was appointed regional coordinator of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre,” added Minister Bartlett.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will be officially launched next January, is being designed to be the world’s leading research, advocacy, training and policy institution, 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.

The inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum 2018 was co-organised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates; November 26, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Director of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been appointed regional coordinator of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

The announcement is an important outcome following Minister Bartlett’s attendance at the just concluded inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum 2018 held in Dubai.

“Mr. Mattar’s focus will cover the emirates and middle east region. He brings a lot of experience in tourism organization and management within this area and is enormously respected as a major player.

“We are excited about bringing him on board in this capacity and the UAE, which is now an affiliate region, will join the Mediterranean region, as well as the Mauritius and Nepal areas as the coordinating bodies that will be affiliated with the Centre,” said Minister Bartlett.

With more than 25 years of experience in global destination and hospitality management and marketing, Mr. Mattar has held senior roles with leading global brands including Marriott, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and most recently Hilton Worldwide. In 2017, Mr. Mattar was elected as Vice Chair of the UNWTO Board of Affiliate Members and a member of the steering committee for the UNWTO 2017 International Year for Sustainable Development in Tourism.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is being designed to be the world’s leading research, advocacy, training and policy institution, 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.

The Centre will be housed at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and will be officially launched during a conference coinciding with the Caribbean Marketplace Expo in Montego Bay, from January 29-31, 2019.

Minister Bartlett added that, “This Global Tourism Resilience Centre will be a game changer in how Jamaica and the world builds capacity to respond and recover even better in the event of any global disruptions.”

The overall goal of the Centre will be to assess (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.

It will specifically be tasked with creating, producing and generating toolkits, guidelines and policies to assist with preparatory and recovery efforts of tourism stakeholders affected by climatic, pandemic, cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism related disruptions.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 23, 2018: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday, to join Jamaica’s delegation attending the inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum 2018, to be held in Dubai, from November 24 – 26, 2018.

“Jamaica is very excited to engage in discussions that can lead to investments in critical sectors which impact our economy. I am happy to join this delegation, being led by colleague Minister, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson-Smith. I look forward to sharing my insight and making important connections which I hope will positively impact the futures of the people of Jamaica,” said Minister Bartlett.

The inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum’s agenda is being jointly developed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will explore the economic potential of future ties to be developed between the regions.

The forum is expected to provide a unique opportunity for senior business representatives, government leaders and other high-profile delegates to identify emerging drivers for joint opportunities and collaboration between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Caribbean.

It will specifically focus on investment opportunities within the Caribbean region’s energy, infrastructure, agriculture, information technology and tourism sectors. In addition, the event will highlight key areas where the UAE can offer expertise and investment, to fill gaps in Caribbean markets while also addressing any key economic challenges.

Ministers from across the region with responsibility for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Investment, Economy, Tourism and Culture have been invited to attend.

Jamaica’s delegation includes: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson-Smith; Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment  and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, JAMPRO’s European Regional Manager  Laurence Jones;  Deputy Director of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Patrice Laird-Gran.

Also joining are CARICOM’s UAE Desk Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Kavoy Ashley; Senior Advisor to the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Lenford Salmon; Director of Culture and Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Gillian McDaniel, Senior Director of Tourism Policy & Monitoring in the Ministry of Tourism, Kerry Chambers, and Executive Assistant to the Ministry of Tourism, Anna-Kay Newell.

Member states have been asked to make presentations on areas such as trade, investment and cultural cooperation. Jamaica’s delegation will lead discussions on bilateral and economic partnerships, cultural cooperation and the Technical cooperation and Expo 2020.

Invitations were also extended to private sector companies, specifically from the food processing, and the Information and Communications Technology sectors.  Eleven local companies will be represented.

The inaugural UAE-Caribbean Cooperation Forum 2018 is co-organised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development.

The Minister will return to the island on November 29, 2018. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 22, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says there is currently a demand for 5000 Jamaican seafarers in the cruise industry.

Speaking on Tuesday (November 20) at the graduation ceremony for the Blue Ocean Servidores pilot programme, offered at the Caribbean Maritime University, the Minister said, “I have been told by the cruise lines that Jamaican seafarers are in the highest demand in the cruise business but they have labour market arrangements which need tweaking.

As I speak to you, there is a demand for 5000 seafarers. Therefore, graduating from the Maritime University, focusing on tourism is a very positive area with immediate demand.”

The Minister also noted that there are plans in place to further develop the marine tourism industry, so that more Jamaicans will benefit from increased earnings from the industry.

“We are just finishing discussions with two of the largest investors in maritime tourism – one to come to Port Royal and the other one in the Montego Bay area. One thing that Jamaica has not yet developed properly is marinas for yachting and maritime tourism – this is a high income and special demographic area of tourism. It is an area where the rich and the famous particularly control.

Jamaica has not been able to dominate but we are looking forward to that. We are also talking to our cruise ship partners in a very strong way for you,” said Minister Bartlett.

The aim of the Blue Ocean Servidores is to equip students with the skills and knowledge required for a smooth transition to the cruise tourism sector as professionals.

Training took place with 10 students over an 8-week period, with classes on: Basic Safety; Ship Security Awareness; Crowd and Crisis Management; Protocol; Business Etiquette; Resume Writing and Managing your IT Footprint. All participants were students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science Degree Program in Cruise Shipping and Marine Tourism.

The Minister also took the opportunity to encourage the graduates to consider enrolling in the Ministry of Tourism’s training arm, the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) for additional certification for management roles in the industry. 

“The course that you have done and the degree that you will get after you have completed the four-year period, is a start to qualify you for higher levels of placement in the tourism sector. The JCTI is a pathway institution to certify you for leadership,” said the Minister.

He further emphasised that, “once you have been trained, certified and competent then you are at the vanguard of the prosperity agenda of Jamaica. I encourage you to understand that knowledge is to be used as a tool for engagement and empowerment and to add value. If you are able to so use the knowledge, then prosperity will be yours.”

The JCTI was established to facilitate the development of professionals in the sector who are expected to set high standards as leaders, and raise the industry to the highest level that travellers demand. In April this year, there were more than 150 graduates who gained AHLEI and NVQJ certification. The JCTI also certified more than 300 people in its most recent cohort and is on target to train 8,000 tourism workers over the next five years.