KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 13, 2018: Speaking to the nearly 200 delegates attending the Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness challenged them to commit to finding common solutions to tourism resilience through synergies to reduce the risks and diminish the threats to the tourism industry.

The Prime Minister was giving the keynote address at the inaugural summit today (September 13) at the University of the West Indies’ Regional Headquarters, Mona.

Noting that the Caribbean and the Americas remain the most tourism-dependent region in the world, the Prime Minister said that despite favourable visitor statistics the tourism industry remains one of the most vulnerable industries.  “Tourism is vulnerable not only to natural disasters but also to man-made disasters as well as a series of other external shocks.     Some of the main threats to the tourism sector include climate change, epidemics and pandemics, cybercrimes, political instability and terrorism,” he said.

He said that in light of these threats he was pleased to endorse the establishment of a Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre to be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus which is paramount to ensuring agile, coordinated and robust decision making, leading to focused and strategic implementation. 

Prime Minister Holness reiterated the need for “building our adaptive capacity as we recognize that tourists have the greatest adaptive capacity based on their money, perceptions, knowledge and time and will therefore choose to shift their timing and destinations as a result of the information they possess.   We must embrace the opportunity to show leadership in coherent policies so that we can overcome constraints and seize opportunities.”

In his welcome, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who is the founder of the Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, said, “This is an exciting time for Jamaica and the tourism sector and I believe that the steps we are taking here today will help to shape the future of resilience building in the region.”

He added, “We live in a world of increasing transnational risks, systemic vulnerabilities, and environmental challenges. However, acknowledging that these disruptions is no longer enough if we are to ensure a resilient sector. In fact this is simply the first phase to a larger strategic action plan.”

The Tourism Minister noted that building and bridging resilience among our stakeholders through innovative strategies, training and capacity building; and communicating resilience are the critical next steps to responding to these disruptions.

“I believe that these initiatives will allow us to become innovative and through this innovation will not just adapt but thrive in the onset of these global disruptions,” he added.

Under the theme of “Tourism Resilience through Global Synergies”, the summit forms part of the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to build resilience in a world that is hyper-connected and, as such, is more susceptible to events that disrupt tourism, such as climate change, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism and cybercrime and natural disasters.

Headline speakers on climate challenges and crisis management include Professor Lee Miles, Disaster Management Centre, Bournemouth University, UK; Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee, Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) and Dr Barbara Carby, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction Centre at the University of the West Indies.

Other discussants are former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General, Dr Taleb Rifai; Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office, U.S. Department of Commerce, Isabel Hill;  and former UNWTO Executive Director Carlos Vogeler.

The summit is a precursor to the official 2019 launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre which was one of the major outcomes of last November’s UNWTO Global Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Montego Bay. Its mission is to carry out policy-relevant research and analysis on destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions or crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally. 

Jamaica’s Stopover Arrivals Grow by 6% during Summer Season

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 05, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the island experienced record-breaking stopover arrivals from May to August this year, with provisional estimates showing stopover arrivals up by 6 percent, over the same period last year.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston office today, the Minister shared that, “it has definitely has been our best summer ever. We had 884,324 visitors compared to the 834,292 from the period May to August in 2017.  These figures contributed to total visitor arrivals (May to August) of 1,312,494, which was a 4.4 percent increase over the same period last year.”

Data received by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), also indicate that an estimated gross foreign exchange earnings for the period January to July 2018 were US$1,935.8 million, up 6.3 percent over the same period in 2017, with stopover arrival earnings of US$1,821.5 million, up 6.2 percent and cruise passenger earnings US$110.1 million up 8.1 percent.

“The preliminary data also shows that earnings up to the end of August are over $2 billion. Expenditure from tourists for the first 8 months is $2.2 billion. We are trending well ahead of the 3 billion mark for the end of the calendar year,” says the Minister.

Provisional estimates indicate that between January and August of this year, the country welcomed 2,955,007 visitors, an increase of 4.7 percent over the same period last year. This figure comprised 1,714,060 stop over arrivals and 1,240,947 cruise visitors.

“The projections that we made for growth last year was for 5 percent per annum for 5 years. Last year we broke all of that because we got 12 percent – that is a phenomenal achievement. We are excited about that prospect and we are seeing that we are going to get to that mark,” said the Minister.

Minister Bartlett also disclosed that his Ministry intends to build on the successes of 2017, which saw 4.3 million visitors visiting the island.  This was a 12.1 percent increase over 2016, with US$3 billion in revenue.  It was also the first time in the country’s history that Jamaica welcomed more than 500,000 new visitors in a single calendar year.

“We do not want to take this success for granted and we are aggressively targeting new and traditional markets to attain double-digit growth and promote Jamaica as the ideal winter tourism destination,” said the Minister.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 03, 2018:   Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry provided temporary employment for approximately 2000 youths this year, at a cost of $53 million, through summer internship programmes at the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).  This was the largest number of interns to ever participate in the programmes.

The Minister made this announcement during the TEF Summer Internship Awards Ceremony, held recently at the Courtleigh Auditorium in Kingston.

During his remarks to the 250 students in attendance, he went on to explain that “the investment was one of the best elements of investments that the ministry has engaged in for this budget year, because an investment in human capital, in the enhancement of human capacity, is perhaps the best investment that could ever be made.”

The TEF internship programme welcomed 650 summer interns in 2018, which is a 5.7% increase from last year’s numbers. This year, 87 companies signed on, which also represents an increase of 13%. 

The ceremony highlighted interns who excelled in the programme, as well as others who were offered permanent and part-time jobs, upon the completion of their studies.

According to the TEF, 5 interns received permanent job offers in institutions such as the Jamaica Observer, Stand Up for Jamaica (SUFJ) and Eden Gardens Wellness Resort & Spa. Three part-time jobs were also offered, as well 10 contract extension requests.

The TEF’s annual summer internship programme objective focuses on youths from ‘at risk’ communities by providing hands on work experiences, to allow interns to assimilate the correct appropriateness and work etiquette and most of all to provide financial aid.

It also supports goals outlined in Vision 2030, by targeting youths between the ages of 16 to 25 years who want to be a part of “Brand Jamaica”, providing them with skills, knowledge and employment during the summer period.

“What is going to make Jamaica a truly strong nation, is not the amount of FDI that we get or the amount of factories, hospitals or police stations we build. What will make us a strong nation is our ability to transform the knowledge that we have into material things,” said the Minister.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 22, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett says resilience building within the Caribbean region is needed now more than ever, given the increase in disruptions such as hurricanes and earthquakes. The Minister’s comment comes on the heels of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Venezuela yesterday.

In reiterating how important resilience building has become, Minister Bartlett said, “Earthquakes can be unpredictable and devastating and can certainly wipe out an entire industry. We in the Caribbean are particularly vulnerable because our tourism industries are dependent in a number of infrastructure such as airports, hotels so structural integrity is important,

Also, having the technical know-how is critical. This is what the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will be launch January next year, is about: sensitizing the industry about these critical issues, building the capacities of stakeholders in the industry and monitoring these efforts.”

The 7.3 earthquake struck yesterday near Yaguaraparo, off the north-eastern coast of Venezuela and affected countries Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. As it relates to hurricanes, last year, the region experienced devastation caused by two category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria. In fact, economic losses exceeded $100 billion, with GDP losses ranging from 10 percent to 224 percent in the case of Dominica. 

“We are relieved that there are currently no indications of casualties but recognize that we need to as a region step up our efforts to be better prepared for these disasters. As part of my ministry’s plans to build resilience, we will host the Inaugural Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas under the theme, Tourism Resilience through Global Synergies, on September 13,

This is being done in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, Mona and will address the challenges of climate change; pandemics and epidemics; cybercrime and cyberterrorism which are affecting the tourism space globally,” Minister Bartlett added.

The Resilience Summit of the Americas will be the first of four such events and promises to provide a space for addressing these issues as well as the development of a global policy framework for tourism resilience. The summit also will provide an opportunity for participants to forge partnerships towards building global synergies.

Among the presenters will be representatives from Miyamoto International, a global technical leader in urban disaster risk mitigation and management that specializes in earthquake and structural engineering; project management and construction management, with 19 offices in 12 countries.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 20, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has embarked on a local vacation, more popularly known as a staycation, which will take him across the island to review the various tourism products. The staycation is also being used to encourage more Jamaicans to choose to vacation at home.

“I will over the next couple of days visit several hotels and attractions island wide as part of a re-familiarization tour to test our tourism products and offerings. It is critical that as Tourism Minister, I have first-hand knowledge of what destination Jamaica has to offer with a view to ensuring that what we advertise is what we are indeed offering,

It is also a way to remind Jamaicans that vacationing at home is also a viable option that will allow them to truly appreciate what millions oversees travel to experience yearly” said Minister Bartlett.

Jamaica has several attractions and tours including plantation tours & great houses, dolphin parks and nature reserves, museums, galleries and soft adventure tours. In terms of accommodations, currently, the island’s room stock exceeds 26,000.

As a popular tourism destination, the island has received numerous global awards over the years including World’s Leading Wedding Destination and Leading Cruise Destination. In March this year, Jamaica was awarded the prestigious Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Award under the Category ‘Jamaica – Best Adventure Destination. The PATWA International Awards have an earned a reputation as one of the most coveted and sought after awards of the travel trade and are now in their 18th year since they were incepted in 1999.

Minister Bartlett added that, “Our consistent international recognition as a leading destination and 42% repeat guest rate is not by accident, but due to our professional and warm tourism workers as well as our deliberate strategies for product development and assurance.  We are therefore committed to improving our products and service delivery at every level of the tourism value chain.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 17, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, the Old Fort Craft Market in Montego Bay will receive upgrades valued at $33 million. The work will be carried out by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and will include restoration to the heritage park at a cost of $25million and improvement of bathroom facilities at a cost of $8million.

Following a tour of the Old Fort Craft Market yesterday, Minister Bartlett said, “I am taking a holistic view of this upgrade and renovation and have instructed the technical team to come back to me with a design for a repurposing of this Old Fort craft experience that will embrace aspects of our heritage, gastronomy and entertainment.”

Minister Bartlett added that, “The aim is to fully build out the heritage park experience and I want it to be completely integrated and become a more attractive site for our tourists who will get to know our story through a full cultural display which the market has the capacity to provide.”

The upgrade to the Old Fort Craft Market will include refurbishing of the cannons, story boards and wishing well, landscaping, and renovation of the restrooms. The work is being carried out as part of the Ministry of Tourism’s overall strategy to utilize historical sites to add value to existing products and attract more tourists who are interested in these sites. Work is expected to begin on Monday August 20.

In highlighting the strategic positioning and cultural importance of Old Fort Craft Market in the sector, Minister Bartlett concluded that, “This is unique from the rest of the craft market experiences across Jamaica, as Old Fort has the potential for a complete touristic experience through heritage, history, food and entertainment. The location is truly a gem and when a cruise passenger leaves the ship and looks back at the sea form Old Fort with nice beautiful foliage, local designs and some of our heritage, they will get a real taste of Jamaican paradise.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 15, 2018:  Noting that most island economies in the Caribbean are based on highly climate-sensitive industries and sectors like tourism and agriculture, Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the region’s media have an important role to play as a contributor to the local, regional and global discussion on climate change.

Minister Bartlett was giving the keynote address at the CBU 2017 Caribbean Broadcasting Awards on Tuesday night (August 14), at the Courtleigh Auditorium, New Kingston.

“Climate change is a complex issue with enormous political, social and economic implications. There is much work to be done to shape public perception and understanding of this issue while helping to shape policies and encourage policymakers to act,” the Tourism Minister said.

“At the same time, effective mitigation of climate change is a process rather than an outcome and media can play an integral role each step of the way. You must be advocates.  You must be watchdogs. You must be the facilitators of change,” Minister Bartlett continued.

He noted that Caribbean media organizations are in a powerful position to instigate positive debate and shape what people think, feel, and do about climate change and building resilience to its impact.

Recalling the devastation of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, the Tourism Minister said it underscored the Caribbean’s major stake in the climate change story. Economic losses exceeded $100 billion, with GDP losses ranging from 10 percent to 224 percent in the case of Dominica. 

He said that according to a World Travel & Tourism Council industry study, the 2017 hurricane season resulted in an estimated loss of 826,100 visitors to the Caribbean, compared to pre-hurricane forecasts. Those tourists could have spent US$741 million and sustained more than 11,000 jobs.

In closing, Minister Bartlett invited the CBU to partner with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in building the capacity of Caribbean islands to not only withstand disruptions but also, most importantly, to bounce back and thrive after a disruption.

The Centre was one of the major outcomes of last November’s UNWTO Global Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Montego Bay. It will assist with destinations preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions or crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods. These include climate change and natural disasters, cybercrime, cyber-security, pandemics, terrorism and war.

It will be located at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, and will be operational in September and launched officially in January 2019.

“The most important function for that Centre is going to be communication; getting the information out in a coherent fashion, to be able to stay on message and enable the world to understand what is happening in the Caribbean when these disruptions take place,” the Minister said.

As a precursor to the Centre’s soft opening on September 13, Jamaica will host a resilience summit with key global stakeholders and thought leaders at the UWI, under the theme ‘Tourism Resilience through Global Synergies’.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, August 13, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has called on craft traders and producers in the resort city of Montego Bay to put themselves in order and prepare for increased sales opportunity.

Noting that expansion of cruise shipping for Montego Bay is on stream, Minister Bartlett said, “The port is being expanded to accommodate the largest ship in Carnival Cruise Lines that is to come in 2020 and the Aida is also going to bring their largest ship with 6,000 passengers, during the period, so we have to prepare ourselves for the expansion and the larger volume that is coming.”

His assurance was given to executive members of the Harbour Street Craft Market during a walk-through to speak one-on-one with traders and producers on Friday August 10, 2018.

Mr Bartlett also spoke to the need for marketing and use of social media. “We’re going to have to start marketing through internet marketing platform CLIO, who we are going to engage so that all our markets will be on their schedule and that will help to position you on board the ships before they come so that people will know where they are going and not be taken anywhere when they get off at the port,” he said.

The Harbour Street Craft Market tour was part of a planned move by the Tourism Minister to have an overall look at the product through visiting locations, seeing what is being offered and discussing with stakeholder groups the way forward.

“It’s important for us to ensure that the strategy of building the retentive capacity of our economy for the tourism dollar is understood by all and that need for us to keep more of the dollar in Jamaica supersedes all the other needs right now,” said Mr Bartlett as he underscored the realization that “what makes that retention happen is the local capacity that we build and that is about the ordinary Jamaican who is providing the creative experience that the visitor consumes when they come here.”

He saw his role in this as giving expression to that through policy and strategy development “to enable more and more of our local Jamaicans to benefit from the growth of tourism.” To do so, he underlined that the industry was operating in a changing market and all partners in the industry had to be responsive to the changes.

Mr Bartlett said building artisan villages in resort townships and restructuring what exists while maintaining some concepts and developing lines of communication were all part of creating the new architecture in fashioning a new experience.

He said his visit was critical to the whole process and he would be visiting other markets in Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios and Port Antonio. “We want to sensitize more so that people at all levels understand that this new tourism is big trillion dollar business and more countries are now involved in tourism than ever so the competition for the cruise and stopover people is greater now than it has ever been and everybody is doing new, fresh things so we have to do that too or else we’re going to be left out.”

While noting that there as much to be done, Mr Bartlett said he had observed an improvement in the quality of craft work on sale in the market but that the stalls were too congested.

Minister Bartlett was presented with an action plan for the Harbour Street Craft Market by president of National Craft Traders and Producers Association, Melody Haughton Adams, who has been a trader in the market for many years.

Among those accompanying Minister Bartlett on his tour were Chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Godfrey Dyer and Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company, Ian Dear.

BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth; Thursday, August 9, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is currently reviewing the policy governing the use of the Black River for safari tours. The purpose of the review is to determine whether the current moratorium allows operations at an optimal level on the river with respect to carrying capacity.

Speaking at a site visit at one of the safari tours in the parish yesterday, Minister Bartlett said, “We have a policy that we had developed in relation to the use of the Black River and now my review will look at the capacity and density as there is a call for greater regulation and monitoring of the use of the river,

“In discussion with the tour operators, it was highlighted that the carrying capacity is not so much the problem but the discipline and as such we need to create an arrangement that will foster orderly conduct among all operators and full compliance with respect to licensing so we can all benefit and earn from the river.”

The popular Black River Safari tours have been in operation for close to 30 years and attract many tourists annually. It is a guided motor launch tour, lasting approximately 1 1/2 hours, starting from the town of Black River, and going up into the Black River Lower Morass, Jamaica's largest wetland area.

In emphasizing the need for greater regulation, Minister Bartlett added that, “Without discipline and proper regulation of the river, we can have accidents which create problems not just for the tour operators in terms of paying large sums for damages but also reputational damage to the destination. We don’t want to be reading that there are accidents on the Black River.”

There is also the issue of harm being done to the crocodiles which serve as the main pull for the attraction, “The maintenance of the population of the crocodiles plays a major role in making the Black River a popular attraction along with the biodiversity and overall river experience,

“People come to see the crocodiles and witness what they have not seen anywhere else and so we want to encourage that they are not harmed but instead urge the culturing and nurturing of these protected animals,” said Minister Bartlett.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; August 3, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, cruise ship passengers will be treated to a variety of cultural activities more frequently, as part of efforts to enhance their Jamaican experience.

Speaking at the Ministry’s ‘Emancipendence’ celebrations at water square in Falmouth and the Montego Bay pier on Wednesday August 1, 2018, Minister Bartlett underscored the need for more cultural engagement with visitors, “Our visitors must be treated to more opinionated experiences that will make Jamaica top of mind in their vacation choices. We will therefore create new engagement with cruise ship passengers on cruise days through craft, art and entertainment through local singers and dancers.”

To commemorate Jamaica’s emancipation and upcoming independence, the Ministry of Tourism through its Tourism Linkages Network and Jamaica Vacations, hosted two ‘Emancipendence’ events, under the theme ‘One Love, One Family, One Jamaica’, to educate and entertain cruise ship passengers and locals.

Passengers and locals were exposed to cultural dances like bruckins and maypole and the history of Jamaica’s independence through a play. The events also formed part of a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to highlight Jamaica’s history and cultural significance.

“We will be working very closely with Entertainment and Culture Minister, Olivia Babsy Grange to ensure every cruise day becomes an opportunity to expose our local talent and suppliers of local goods to our visitors who are seeking authentic Jamaican experiences. They want to hear our music, taste our food and take back our art and craft as keepsakes,

“This will also give our local suppliers more opportunities to earn and ultimately benefit from the tourism value chain.” Minister Bartlett added.

For the first six months of the year, Jamaica’s cruise arrivals increased by 4.8% with over 1Million visitors. Cruise arrivals also accounted for US$100.6m in foreign exchange earnings, up 9.4%.