KINGTON, Jamaica; November 6, 2018: Jamaica has been listed as one of the top five trending destinations to travel to in January 2019 by international travel website Kayak.  In a recent Kayak report, Jamaica landed at number five among the top ten trending destinations with a thirty percent (30%) increase in year-over-year searches for New Year's by travellers seeking to visit.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says this positioning augurs well for the country’s international appeal by visitors and speaks to “The safe, secure and seamlessness of our tourism products and offerings. This is an indicator that Jamaica’s tourism remains robust and sought after and we are committed to ensuring that our visitors and locals alike are safe as they enjoy what the island has to offer.”

Kayak.com, sometimes styled as KAYAK, is a popular travel website operated by Booking Holdings. KAYAK's website and mobile apps are currently available in over 18 languages and more than 30 local markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, China, and France among many other countries.

Minister Bartlett added that, “Jamaica is already poised for another record year of growth in arrivals and earnings and I believe that this will only add to our projections. For the first six months of 2018, we recorded a 4.7% increase in arrivals to bring total arrivals for the period to a record near 3million and by the end of the year earnings are expected to reach US3.3 billion dollars,

We are working aggressively through our agencies to improve and market the product and offerings so as to achieve our 5X5X5 growth targets and attract 5 million tourists by 2021; generate US$5 billion in earnings; increase total direct jobs to 125,000 and add 15,000 rooms.”

For the full report visit https://www.kayak.com/holidaytravelhacker/2018/trending-nye/Jamaica-5

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 06, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the first Board of Governors and Associates meeting for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in London, was a huge success. It covered a range of key operational and policy arrangements, concerning the January 2019 opening of the Centre.

“We made a number of decisions, which will have to be carried out within the next three months. Firstly, the Centre will develop a toolkit for resilience. Secondly, we will develop a major programme for the creation of a barometer, which will measure the level of resilience in countries. This is the first of its kind and will also make Jamaica a true centre of reference, for critical resilience development issues,” said Minister Bartlett.

The meeting  was held on November 4, at the Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel and lasted for approximately 4 hours. It was chaired by former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General, Dr. Taleb Rifai, who has committed to serving as Chairman pro tem.

The Tourism Minister, who served as co-chair, noted that the meeting was well-attended by all the board members, including video conferencing connections with honorary chairperson of the Centre, the Most Hon. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, as well as, Hon Earl Jarret – board member and General Manager of the Jamaica National Building Society.

The Centre will be housed at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and 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.

“Another key point which was raised during our meeting was the establishment of a chair, at the University of the West Indies, on innovation and resilience. This chair will be operating through the university system but will be supported fully and resourced by the Centre,” said the Minister.

The Chairperson will be responsible for the overall management of the Centre. Additionally, he/she will provide the operational, organizational, and institutional direction of the Centre, and will report directly to the Board of Governors.

“We had a number of groups that became collaborators of the Centre and will give it a big push initially, in terms of how it will be able to start operating on a global basis, before our launch in January. These new partners include The International Institution for Investment in Tourism, The Pacific Asia Travel Association and The Mediterranean Tourism Foundation. On Wednesday, another major entity will partner with the centre as well,” said the Minister.

He went on to note that, “these partners are separate from our global partners, such as the UNWTO, The World Travel & Tourism Council and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association that were originally a part of the organizational structure.  These developments have made it clear that this is becoming the most significant global institution in the world, in relation to resilience and crisis management issues,” said Minister Bartlett.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 3, 2018:   Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the first board meeting for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is scheduled to take place in London tomorrow. The group will discuss the creation and implementation of an official strategy, for the development of the Centre.

“We will be hosting, for the first time in the history of tourism, the board of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. I look forward to working alongside the esteemed members of the board, during this very important meeting. Our board is extremely diverse, and has academics from every continent. This diversity I think is the greatest impact this institution will have on our future,” said the Minister.

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

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.

According to the Minister, “The first output we will have from the Centre after the launch, will be a global policy framework for climate tourism resilience which will assist nations to plan for and recover from major climate disruptions. This framework was an outcome of the recently held Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas at The University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters on September 13, 2018” .

The meeting is being chaired by Former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General, Dr. Taleb Rifai, who has committed to serving as Chairman pro tem.

Board members include Hon. Earl Jarett, Chief Executive Officer, The Jamaica National Group; Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies; Professor Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management, Bournemouth University; and Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

Other board members for the Centre are Mr. Brett Tollman, Chief Executive Officer, The Travel Corporation; Ambassador Dho Young-shim, Chairperson, UNWTO Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation, World Tourism Organization; Dr. Mario Hardy, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Asia Travel Association and Mr. Ryoichi Matsuyama, President, Japan National Tourism Organization.

Minister Bartlett noted that the meeting would also include other specially invited guests such as, President of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, Patricia Affonso-Dass, President  & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, David Scowsill and Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Isabel Hill.

“This constellation of global personalities, that we have been able to pull together, is a testament to the effectiveness of Jamaica on the international scene as a major tourism player. We are excited about the prospects of bringing that knowledge, level of experience and expertise into Jamaica and the Caribbean, that will enable us to become the real reference point for global resilience discussions,” said the Minister. 

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre was first announced in the “Montego Bay Declaration”, which was unveiled at last year's UNWTO Global Conference on Sustainable Tourism, in Montego Bay, St James.

The facility will include a Virtual Tourism Observatory, which will monitor, forecast and evaluate threats to destinations globally.

While in London, the Minister will be joined by Donovan White, Director of Tourism; Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism; Dr. Lloyd Waller, Senior Advisor/Consultant, to the Minister; Gis’elle Jones, Research and Risk Management in the Tourism Enhancement Fund; and  Anna-Kay Newell, Executive Assistant.

They will to return to the island on November 9, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 2, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry has set a January 2019 target, to rollout new policy arrangements, which will lead to the resumption of Jet Ski activities in the country.

Speaking yesterday at a Jet Ski Taskforce meeting, at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston Office, the Minister said, “I believe that we are now at a point where we can make a cabinet submission in relation to a policy for the water-sport industry in Jamaica.

We are in a position now where we can look at the necessary infrastructure and how we can resource these infrastructure requirements to enable the proper execution of the policy.”

The tabled document will address and provide a framework for the management of all water sports in Jamaica and facilitate the lift on an island-wide suspension of all commercial Personal Water Crafts (PWCs) operations and the ban on the importation of PWCs into the island. 

The Ministry of Tourism has now finalised the policy for water-sport and the cabinet submission has been prepared. Once tabled, the Ministry will then engage stakeholders with further consultations, so that this policy can become a White Paper.

“We are committed to working with small players in the industry, to determine launch sites, which we are looking to have in Ocho Rios and Negril. We started, but did not get very far because of commercial activities, which intervened, but we are continuing the process. We will do this within the next three months, so that all stakeholders will have equal access and enable us to manage and monitor the process in a better way,” said the Minister.

The measures were applied in the wake of a number of accidents involving PWCs across the island. Some of these accidents resulted in fatalities, serious injuries, and damage to vessels.

“It would be wonderful to say that we are going to re-engage this activity within the next 12 weeks, but the reality is, there are bits of legislative arrangements that still have to come together. In particular, the maritime authority has some tweaking to do,” said the Minister.

He also noted that the Task Force, which was established to bring PWC activity under stronger management and enforcement, will continue to work together to meet their targets.

The PWC Task Force was set up by the Ministry of Tourism to establish measures to safeguard the water-sports subsector. It includes Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Marine Police Division, JDF Coast Guards, the Jamaica Customs Agency, and the Port Authority of Jamaica.

“The bigger issue was the need for a revised architecture to enable this very important element of the attractions of the industry to be able to operate in a seamless, safe and secure way. It has taken some time, because a lot of detailed work has to be done and a careful determination in terms of how we re-engage.  But more so, to build out the infrastructure that will secure the operations and enable all participants to be able to operate seamlessly,” he said.

KINGTON, Jamaica; November 2, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to participate in the World Travel Market (WTM), in London.

“The world travel market is one of the biggest programmes that the industry has on its calendar. I am very proud to share that I will be joined by a very sizeable delegation from Jamaica next week to participate in the event, which enables contracts to be entered into between hoteliers and suppliers and airlines and destinations and so on,” said the Minister.

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

“While at the WTM, we will also engage in tourism diplomacy, which enables the real connectivity between countries that are involved in tourism and partners that are involved in this industry.

Jamaica is today at the cutting edge of this diplomatic initiative across the world. We are very proud that we are thought leaders in tourism today – that there is not a single important tourism activity-taking place anywhere in the world where Jamaica is not inserted. Our marketing is constantly being augmented by this reference to Jamaica as the place to go for cerebrations of all kinds,” said Minister Bartlett.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization is also listed as a major player at the WTM.  This year UNWTO and WTM will feature a Ministers’ Summit on November 6, based on the theme “Investment in Tourism Technology”.

There will also be a Ministerial discussion on “Investing in the Future of Tourism” where Ministers and other public-sector stakeholders will join the private sector panelists to engage in a discussion on the way forward for tourism.

While in London, the Minister will be joined by Donovan White, Director of Tourism; Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism; Dr. Lloyd Waller, Senior Advisor/Consultant, to the Minister; Gis’elle Jones, Research and Risk Management in the Tourism Enhancement Fund; and  Anna-Kay Newell, Executive Assistant.

They will to return to the island on November 9, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 31, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett announced his support of Kingston Night Market,  and pledged to offer marketing support through the Jamaica Tourist Board, to attract more visitors to the event.

Speaking yesterday at the launch of the event at 8 Hillcrest Avenue, in Kingston, Minister Bartlett said, “I want Kingston Night Market to become a feature that we can market. One that we can bring people to experience every winter season, to engage in the activities of the event.

This event marks the re-energising of a marketing arrangement that had been a feature of us over the years. I remember when I was much younger that we used to have night markets across the island. We had all of these culminate in a grand market on King’s Street.”

The weekly event is organized by The Art Gallery Décor VIII, with support from the Tourism Linkages Network – a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund. It features authentic Jamaican art, clothing, artefacts, handcrafts, food, music and poetry. 

The event is being marketed to tourists and visitors alike to experience authentic Jamaican culture. The Minister commended the organisers for creating this platform for local artisans and other entrepreneurs to benefit directly from the economic gains of the industry.

“Kingston night market is an important addition to the cultural offerings of our wonderful city, I want to congratulate all of you who have participated. Dr Douglas McDonald, I want to commend you for the foresight and to tell you that the Ministry of Tourism is behind you in all regards. Our marketing arrangements will definitely reflect you in the next round,” said the Minister.

He further stated that “Visitors come to Jamaica to consume the cultural products of our people. It is that consumption that forms retention of the earnings from the industry. The real earnings of Jamaica is the cultural products we have for the visitors to consume – and I see all the elements here tonight… When visitors buy the things that we produce the dollars stay in our pocket.”

Kingston Night Market will be hosted every Tuesday, from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 28, 2018:   Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that Prime Minister, the Most Hon Andrew Holness and Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, have accepted the role of honorary chairmanship to the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

The announcement follows Minister Bartlett’s recent meeting with Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta and Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF), to discuss the country’s possible participation and collaboration, in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

“We recognize that the time for partnership in resilience building is now given the increase in global disruptions such as hurricanes, earthquakes and cybercrimes and I am pleased that Jamaica as a thought leader is the driver of this initiative,

This acceptance highlights the partnership between two vulnerable states which will allow for deeper dialogue on building more resilient and sustainable tourism in both countries,’ Minister Bartlett said.

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. 

Minister Bartlett added that, “It is a great honour for me to have the leaders of these countries, our own Prime Minister and President of Malta, be a part of this ground breaking Resilience Centre. This is what smart Tourism is about which will help us to make data driven decisions,

We are committed to adapt to global changes and as such build capacity to respond and recover even better in the event of any global disruptions.”

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 Minister, who is accompanied by Ms. Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, is expected to return to the island on October 29, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 27, 2018:   Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to meet with Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta and Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF), to discuss the country’s possible participation and collaboration, in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.

“It was a great honour for me to receive an invitation to meet with the President of Malta to discuss sustainable tourism and ways in which they can partner with us in the establishment of our Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. I look forward to having fruitful discussions with President Preca and her team, and I am sure this will result in very positive news for our mission of protecting the tourism industry,” said Minister Bartlett.

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. 

During his visit to Malta, the Minister will meet with their Minister of Tourism, Dr. the Hon Konrad Mizzi, Malta’s MTF President, Tony Zahra and MTF Governors Dr Taleb Rifai, Dr Tijani Haddad and George Micallef.  The meeting will allow for the sharing of best practices on tourism policy and sustainable development strategies. 

The Minister is joined by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith who will participate in the 109th UNWTO Executive Council meeting in Manama Bahrain.

 “Jamaica has a very critical role to play in this meeting as we are now serving the first year of a two-year term of office in the Executive Council.  We will have a discussion on smart tourism and data driven decisions.  Additionally, we will discuss the UNWTO’s role in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre,” said Minister Bartlett.

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 Centre 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 last November during the International year of sustainable tourism for development. It will act as a response to climatic events, pandemics, shifting global economies as well as crime and violence which can be devastating to travel and tourism.

The Minister is expected to return to the island on October 29, 2018.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, October 26, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett officially welcomed PegasTouristik and Nordwind Airlines, new nonstop flight between Moscow, Russia and Montego Bay, Jamaica today. The flight, which carried two hundred and eighty three (283) passengers and seventeen (17) crew, landed at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay at 8:13am.

“This new nonstop service out of Russia will be monumental in ensuring an increase in visitor arrivals from Russia and surrounding areas. The projection is to see over 10,000 Russian visitors to our shores by 2020 and with this seamless air connectivity we will be able to achieve our target,

It is clear that through our aggressive marketing strategies and negotiations with the People’s Republic of Russia this has become a reality and will work towards strengthening these ties,” said Minister Bartlett.

Starting today, Pegas Touristik and Nordwind will make fly into the Sangster International Airport every ten days up to May 2019. The Russian tourism market has been growing at a steady pace and Pegas Fly and its sister airline, Norwind, have been growing their fleet and expanding their reach.

Minister Bartlett added that, “We’ve also made it easier for seamless travel between Russia and Jamaica as last month our government agreed to amend the agreement with your government to waive visa requirements for periods not exceeding 90 days per year. What this means is that coming here as a tourist or to do business gives you up to 90 clear days.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 23, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry is leading the charge in developing the Carnival in Jamaica initiative, to strengthen Jamaica’s competitiveness as an entertainment destination.  He lauded the initiative for its economic value to the country as it generated record earnings in 2017, and called for greater investments to be made, to further develop the industry. 

Speaking at the 2019 launch of the Ministry’s Carnival in Jamaica initiative at the Spanish Court hotel today, the Minister stated that, “We have to invite investors to develop and spend good dollars, on products that bring return on investment. We know that this is entertainment, but it is also business — big business! Investors are going to be interested in building out products that are sustainable.

He continued by stating that “People come from all over the world to pay for the carnival experience in Jamaica. When they pay for it, we must ensure that they get a valuable product. I want Jamaica’s carnival to be opinionated, so that it remains on the lips of people for years to come. This is the reason we joined forces with both public and private sector entities to develop and market the product worldwide.”

The Tourism Linkages Network launched the Carnival in Jamaica initiative in 2016, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; the Ministry of National Security as well as key private sector entities involved in Jamaica’s carnival experience.

Data from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) indicates that visitors spent an average of US$236 per person per day during the last Carnival season, for an average of five days. Thirty-four percent of this expenditure was on accommodation.

Carnival also contributed significantly to arrival figures and earnings, with January to August 2018 indicating total arrivals of some 2.9 million up 4.8% over the same period last year; and gross foreign exchange earnings for the same period at US$2.2 billion, up 7.4% over the same period in 2017.

“Once you multiply the average amount spent by visitors and the number of days spent, you will see the kind of impact that they have on the economy. We are excited about growing this industry, which attracts so many of our visitors. Once they come, it means more money spent in the country.

Carnival needs to be a revolving activity – it culminates during the Easter period – but there must be carnival activities in terms of preparatory work and infrastructure arrangements year-round making the industry more sustainable,” said the Minister.

He further noted that the parade has grown from just over 2000 people in 2016 to 6000 people in 2018. Visitor arrivals through Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) for the respective Easter/Carnival periods between 2016 and 2018 increased by 19.7% from 14,186 to 16,982 visitors.

The majority of visitors were from the USA (72%), with approximately half from New York and 22% from Florida. Millennials (67%) accounted for the majority of those who visited for the carnival experience. Also noteworthy, was that 34% were visiting Jamaica for the first time, with the majority (61%) being first time attendees at Carnival in Jamaica.

“Carnival essentially stimulates the excitement of the young.  The whole digital transformation currently happening in tourism is about reaching the millennials. The content that we will be building will be targeting the millennials. More importantly, we are culturing a product that is affordable for the millennials,” said Minister Bartlett.

The JTB is providing marketing support for Carnival in Jamaica. JTB’s total media impressions from coverage of 2017 carnival amounted to 12,886,666 impressions. They also developed a website (www.carnivalinjamaica.com) which lists all soca-themed events, places to stay, what to do, and who to follow.

The Carnival season will officially begin on April 23, 2019, with band launches scheduled for as early as next month.