MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; October 21, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has started plans to create a Tourism Innovation City in Montego Bay. The purpose of the city would be to develop areas of textile, manufacturing and farming among others, to boost the capacity to provide on the supply side of the tourism value chain.

Speaking at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Business and Investment forum held at the SeaGarden Beach resort on October 19, Minister Bartlett said, “To build out a tourism economy that will be beneficial to Montego Bay, which is the heartbeat of tourism in Jamaica, the backward and forward linkages must be in place and when that happens tourism costs will begin to fall and revenues from consumption will increase,

In the Dominican Republic, their revenue retention is 50cents on each foreign exchange earned and this is so because they own the supply side - they manufacture uniforms for the sector and have processing plants to make the chutneys and jams needed by the guests. This is where a Tourism Innovation City in Jamaica would help to produce more of the items needed in the sector.”

The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce & Industry- Business & Investment Forum is designed for investors and business executives who want to discover the business opportunities available in St James.  The forum also showcases various developments within the primary growth sectors, while sharing a wealth of information about emerging opportunities in the Montego Bay and the western region.

Minister Bartlett added, “If Jamaica is to earn more of the foreign exchange brought in by visitors, we must be able to reduce importation of the inputs needed for the sector and increase our ability to supply on the demand,

The Tourism Innovation City will create a circular economy where nothing is wasted and everything is utilized fully and the resources, income and earnings stay within that space. When we are finished building out grange pen and Barrett Hall, this will be a fertile area for this great experiment and I am in discussion with the Urban Development Corporation who are to do a design for this innovation city.”

The city of Montego Bay represents one third of Jamaica’s room stock and is considered the hub of tourism activities in the island. As part of efforts to improve the look and feel of the product, the Ministry of Tourism, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has so far invested JMD6Billion in Montego Bay and its environs. The work carried out by the TEF includes road rehabilitation, drain cleaning and housing solutions.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; October 19, 2018: Prime Minister, the Most Honourable, Andrew Holness has signalled that Jamaica’s Tourism is ripe for more investments given the consistent growth and development in the sector.

Speaking at the official opening of the Excellence Group’s newest luxury resort at Oyster Bay, Trelawny, yesterday (October 18), Prime Minister Holness highlighted that, “Jamaica has continued on its path of unprecedented growth in the area of tourism over the last two years. Last year 4.3million tourists visited Jamaica’s shores and revenue grew in the sector from US$2.1 Billion in 2016 to approximately US$3 Billion in 2017,

Jamaica is also committed to attracting 5million visitors by 2021 and if we attract this number we will be able to achieve revenue of USD5billion. To investors locally and abroad it is a tremendous time of opportunity to invest in the Jamaican tourism industry and in Jamaica overall as the country’s economic reform programme has had a significant positive impact.”

In congratulating the work of the Excellence Group in Jamaica, Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett said, “The development here has proven that it is possible to have turnaround time for major constructions that are less than eighteen months. This helps to satisfy investors that when they come to destination Jamaica they can start their business quickly after they have broken ground,

We see that this development having completed its turnaround within eighteen months now opens the doors for the continuation of the investment activities as we are expecting that the construction of the villas will start very soon.”

The opening of the adults-only luxury resort in Oyster Bay will bring to total three internationally recognised brands to set up operations in Trelawny – Royalton Resorts and Melia Hotels International. Last year the Excellence Group broke ground for the 315-room property valued at US$110 million. The company has already committed to further investment in Jamaica through additional developments in the near future.

Minister Bartlett added that “We know that you have 2500 rooms within the Latin American region but we know there is a promise to have 2200 rooms in Jamaica so that makes a statement of the importance of Jamaica as a destination of choice and we are excited about that.”

Overall, Spanish investment in Jamaica’s tourism industry amounts to approximately US$1.7billion and about 25% of the rooms built in Jamaica are the product of Spanish investment.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; October 18, 2018: The Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), the training arm of the Ministry of Tourism, is on target to training 8000 tourism workers over the next five years.

This was confirmed by Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett at the JCTI’s graduation ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre yesterday (October 17), where over three hundred persons received certification in tourism related fields. This represents its second batch of graduates.

Minister Bartlett emphasised that “Human capital development is strategic to our tourism growth agenda and that’s why the JCTI is targeted to train some 8,000 tourism workers in five years. This graduation puts us one step closer to achieving that target,

Our workers have a lot to do in determining the rate at which we grow by giving the best service there is at all times as it through their skillsets, professionalism and innovation we will be able to attract more visitors and increase earnings.”

Of the over three hundred graduates, there are 14 Certified Hospitality Educators; 9 Certified Hospitality Instructors; 17 Culinary Tutors; 12 Culinarians and Pastry Chefs; 20 Bartender Trainers and over 200 Bartenders.

The JCTI was established to facilitate the development of professionals in the sector who themselves will set high standards as leaders and collectively raise the industry to the highest level that today’s discerning traveller demands. In April this year, there were over 150 graduates who gained AHLEI and NVQJ Certification.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid said, “I applaud this initiative as this certification will ensure that Jamaicans will take their place in the workforce and rise to the highest levels because as our workers improve so will their compensation. Whatever the mind can conceive it can achieve and so I want all Jamaicans to continue learning and engaging in continuous professional development,

This programme is embedded in our curriculum and is the start of great things in tourism so workers can benefit more from the tourism dollar.”

As part of the JCTI’s efforts to extend training and certification to a younger cohort, the Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme (HTMP) was recently launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. HTMP is the first of its kind certification programme for high schools developed by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and will allow students to gain entry-level qualification in tourism as well as Associate Degrees in Customer Service and recognition by the local Customer Service Association.

In encouraging the graduates to take their place within the sector, Minister Bartlett, reminded them that, “You are among a group of pioneers in tourism training as no one else in Jamaica or the Caribbean has the certification that you do. In providing this development of a professional pathway for our tourism workers we are not trying to just create professional workers but create entrepreneurs who will be innovative and add great value wherever they go.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 17, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett joined other officials in St. Ann today, for a ground-breaking ceremony at Salem Beach. The beach is being upgraded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to the tune of $26 million, under their National Beach Development Programme.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Bartlett stated that “there must be a guarantee that locals have access to and are able to enjoy their country’s natural resources, including the island’s best beaches…the upgrading of Salem Beach, will provide yet another premium recreational beach for the enjoyment of both our local and international visitors.”

The upgrades to the beach includes the construction of two gazebos; restrooms; a wash-off stand; parking facilities; landscaping works; upgrades to the sewage treatment system; and the demolition and alterations to existing structures.

Construction will be completed within the next four months, and the end-product will be a beach transformed into a quality recreational area with facilities and services that meet the best international standards.

“There is little doubt that this wonderful beach is one of Salem’s main attractions.  By strengthening Salem Beach as a destination, we will help to improve the town’s tourism economy, diversify its offerings and thereby enhance its economic competitiveness,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Tourism Minister also noted that for the 2018/19 financial year, TEF will move forward with designs for an additional 12 beaches, with construction taking place in subsequent financial years.

In July of this year, the Tourism Ministry also opened the refurbished Marking Stone Beach in St. Mary, upgraded by TEF at a cost of $38.3 million. To date, the TEF has spent over $105 million on three other beaches in its Beach Development Programme – Lyssons Beach in St. Thomas, to the tune of $49.6 million; Boston in Portland, at a cost of $27.8 million; and Burwood in Trelawny at approximately $28 million.

The Minister also disclosed that the TEF spent $35 million to rehabilitate the road and beautify the area leading to the popular Winnifred Beach in Portland.

The upgrades to Salem Beach in St. Ann was implemented by the Tourism Product Development Company and the property owners National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA). The official opening ceremony will take place in the first quarter of 2019. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 14, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has ordered an intensive security audit of the tourism sector including hotels and attractions as part of efforts to strengthen destination assurance. 

“I’ve directed the Tourism Product Development Company, which is in charge of maintaining quality assurance within the destination, to coordinate an intensive security audit of the sector so as to 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, so we will apply tough sanctions where breaches and or significant weaknesses are found. ” said Minister Bartlett.

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

The Tourism Development Product Company, (TPDCo), through its various departments, works closely with all operators of tourism- related facilities promoting the attributes of a quality product, monitoring same and engaging the relevant authorities in a continuous effort to satisfy consumer demand and expectations. The company adopts, sets and promotes standards, guidelines and checklists for the industry in order to attain global competitiveness.

Minister Bartlett added that, “Security remains a top priority of my Ministry as this is an integral component to maintaining destination assurance. We are committed to ensuring that all visitors and locals feel safe.”

The TPDCo will over the next couple of weeks review security protocols and issues across the sector and provide recommendations where needed. Tough actions where needed will follow.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 13, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has highlighted that revenue from both cruise and stopover arrivals is outpacing total arrival figures.

Speaking at the Ministry of Tourism’s recent two day mid-term review and strategic planning retreat, Minister Bartlett said, “Preliminary data from the Jamaica Tourist Board shows that foreign exchange earnings are outpacing arrival figures by ten percent,

Last year we saw an unprecedented 4.3million visitors which translated to USD3billion in foreign exchange earnings and the projection is that by the end of this year, Jamaica will see earnings of USD3.3Billion.”

Minister Bartlett lead the two day mid-term review and strategic planning retreat, held at the Terra Nova Hotel, where heads of agencies, divisions and senior manages within the ministry discussed the progress they have made in meeting key performance indicators set ahead of their last meeting. The meeting included all agencies of the Ministry of Tourism – the Jamaica Tourist Board, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Tourism Product Development Company, Devon House Development Company, Jamaica Vacations Ltd, Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa and Milk River Hotel and Spa.

“From this two day self-analysis we were able to drill down to critical programme areas and review our progress so far using data. Of note is that it has been highlighted that for the last five years, our arrivals have grown by 35% and revenue by over 40% which  means that we on a positive upward trajectory in both areas,” said Minister Bartlett.

In 2016, Minister Bartlett established 5x5x5 growth targets for the Ministry and its agencies, which seeks to grow the tourism contribution to the economy by providing 5 million visitors over a 5 year period; earn US $5 billion; employ 125,000 directly in the industry; increase room stock by 15,000; and grow at 5% per annum.

Minister Bartlett added that “Through the strategic and deliberate approach of my Ministry and agencies, we are seeing that the KPIs established may have to be revised as we are well on target to achieving and even surpassing these benchmarks. The team has done a tremendous job and through their hard work the sector is experiencing a boom we expected to continue.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 11, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry has exceeded its growth targets and is leading the world in tourism innovation.

The Minister made this announcement today during his Ministry’s two day mid-term strategic review and planning retreat’, taking place at the Terra Nova All-Suite hotel in Kingston, where heads of agencies, divisions and senior manages within the ministry are discussing the progress they have made in meeting key performance indicators set ahead of their last meeting.

“Jamaica has led the world in terms of tourism innovation. In the process, we have given the world new phrases and references and we have added to the lexicon of tourism. We were able to get the United Nations World Tourism Organization to accept that there is something called SMTEs [Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises], and to create a category of emphasis on this by global financers and policy makers and thinkers,” said Minister Bartlett.

As a result of Jamaica’s global petitioning for small entrepreneurs in tourism, the Minister said that other major global institutions have responded in a major way to provide the much needed assistance.

“The Organization of American States  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 % is returned to them,” said the Minister.

According to the Minister, another key innovation is that Jamaica has led the charge globally with the establishment of a Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will be established next year at the University of the West Indies Mona campus.

“The bigger picture for this Centre is to assist the smaller states that are vulnerable and have no capacity to respond to global disruptions. We will give technical support and guidance; provide academic support and eventually create a whole field of study for undergrads and graduates. That is the kind of thought leadership we are providing the world. What we are seeking to do is create a greater balance between those who have capacity and those who don’t have it so there will be a greater possibility for a higher rate of survival,” he said.

Bartlett says the first board meeting for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre will take place in London next month, to discuss the creation and implementation of an official strategy, for the development of the Centre.

During the retreat, he also commended the senior team at the Ministry for their stellar performance in meeting the Ministry’s 5x5x5 objective.

“We established objectives, and we began by saying we wanted to grow the tourism contribution to our economy by providing 5 million visitors over a 5 year period. We wanted to earn US $5 billion and to employ 125,000 directly in the industry, and increase room stock by 15,000. We also wanted to do that by growing at 5% per annum as a minimum we created our own learning device – the 5 x 5 x5,” said the Minister.

He went on to share that “because of your hard work, we can confidently proclaim that the country remains firmly on track to achieving or even surpassing some of the benchmarks under our ‘5x5x5’growth plan. Specifically the 5% annual growth target that we have earmarked over the next five years even amid projections for tourism growth in the region to exceed no more than 3.5 percent up to 2020.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 05, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the innovative work being done by Jamaica’s Tourism Linkages Network, was recently commended during the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Public Forum session on "Innovation and Digital Transformation for Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism" which took place on October 3 at the organisation's headquarters in Geneva.

The presentation was specifically on programmes and initiatives of the Ministry of Tourism to drive the build out of linkages throughout the Jamaican economy, so that the benefits of tourism are spread farther and wider in a sustainable way to satisfy the best interests of the people of Jamaica.

“The feedback we have received from Switzerland was fantastic. I was truly honoured to share the work our country has been doing through my Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Network. We are undoubtedly a leading destination for adapting to and creating solutions for the digital transformation that is happening globally in the industry,” said the Minister.

As the Minister is currently in France on official duty, his message was delivered by Her Excellency Cheryl Spencer, Jamaica's Ambassador/Permanent Representative in Switzerland.   

According to official reports received by the WTO, the presentation was well received by the audience, “many of whom made references to it during the discussions and commended Jamaica for the pace-setting strides being made in its Tourism Linkages network, as well as its use of innovation and digital transformation within the sector.”

“The work my Linkages Network is doing should not only be noted as significant, but ground-breaking. We are working to ensure that tourism has deeper linkages which will allow us to attract more investors and stimulate small and medium entrepreneurial activities so that more people stand to benefit from this booming sector,” said the Minister.

Following the presentation, WTO Secretariat and Facilitator of the Session, Dale Honneck shared that Jamaica’s experience was the inspiration for having a session on Innovation and Digital Transformation for Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism.

The panellists for the session included: Gloria Guevara Manzo, President and Chief Executive Officer, World Travel and Tourism Council; Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director, International Trade Centre; and Torbjorn Fredriksson, Chief- ICT Policy, UN Conference for Trade and Development.

It also included Franck Mwe de Malila, Minister of Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Jaime Alberto Cabal Sanclemente, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.  

The WTO is a global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business. It has 164 members, representing 98 per cent of world trade. 

Minister Bartlett is currently in France with the Director of Tourism, Donovan White and will return to the island on October 7, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 2, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett fresh from his visit to London for Jamaica Travel Market, has announced that Jamaica is to benefit from nineteen (19) weeks of stopover and cruise passengers for the winter tourist season in 2019.

This follows commitments from TUI and their Marella cruise line, which is forecasted to inject more than USD10million in revenues, deliver incrementally over 26,000 passengers and see 43,000 beds occupied.

Minister Bartlett noted that “The forecast for increased growth and revenue for Jamaica is exceptional. These additional passengers follows on the heels of securing a record 1.3 million airplane seats out of the Americas for the upcoming winter tourist season. This is the result of strategically strengthening relations with airlift partners, major cruise-lines and investors.”

Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson Cruises) is a British cruise line operated by TUI UK, offering cruise holidays around Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. 

“Jamaica is buoyed by our continued growth which shows that between January and August of this year, we welcomed 2,953,895 visitors, an increase of 4.6 percent over the same period last year. Cruise visitors accounted for 1,239,835. Our gross foreign exchange earnings for the same period were US$2.2 billion, up 7.4 percent over the same period in 2017.

I commend my team that has been aggressively engaging with our established markets such as Canada, USA, Europe and re-entering markets that we would like to see increased traffic from such as Latin America and Japan,” added Minister Bartlett.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 27, 2018:  Minister of Tourism, the Hon Edmund Bartlett has signalled that with the current linkages challenges in the tourism industry, the transportation and attractions sectors have come into sharp focus by the Wilfred Baghaloo led Tourism Working Group. This decision is based on recommendations from the working group.

Baghaloo is a senior executive at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

“Since the working group was formed in July, there has been in excess of twenty meetings with local stakeholders particularly in the transportation, tour operator services and attractions sectors as well as destination management companies. From these meetings it has been highlighted that several gaps exist which the working group will be urgently reviewing so as to provide recommendations on the way forward” said Minister Bartlett.

“We also recognize the huge investments made by thousands of local investors including JUTA, JCAL, Maxi, Destination Management Companies, and the large hotel operators and as such there must be a balance and equity among these suppliers which may require a policy framework at the national level. My Ministry remains committed to ironing out the issues being faced by our local suppliers to ensure they experience more economic growth in the value chain” added Minister Bartlett.

Over the years, local stakeholders have invested between $35 billion to $45 billion because of the massive influx of investments including cruise and hotels.

Mr. Baghaloo, who leads the technical arrangements for the Tourism Working Group said the next set of activities is to meet with foreign investors to get their perspective on the matter. He emphasized, “It is critical we get the right balance between the local and foreign investors to ensure the sector continues to grow for the mutual benefit of all. One current recommendation is the suspension on the issuance of any new Domestic Tour Operator and Attraction Licences until the committee finishes its work, which is expected to be early next year.”

Mr. Baghaloo added that “We Jamaicans need to be mindful of the level of substantial risk the investors are taking, but equally the foreign investors need to be cognizant that growth must be felt by the people that participate in the industry on a daily basis.”

If not, the wider public will not participate in the industry in a productive and structured manner which will cause dysfunctional behavior such as tourist harassment at the points of entries – airports, seaports, and at the hotels themselves. We are bordering a crisis and we need to act fast.”

The Tourism Working Group, established on July 12, was set up to review a range of issues within the sector including the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), work permits, ground transportation and entertainment, among others.