MONTEGO BAY, St. James; Friday July 6, 2018: Quick, aggressive and sustained interventions by the Edmund Bartlett led Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board, to counter some effects of enhanced security measures implemented in the parish of St. James in January of this year, have proven successful.

The country recorded overall market growth of 5.4 percent for the first six months of the year, with stopover tourist arrivals increasing by 5.9 percent and cruise by 4.8 percent over the same period last year.  

At a press conference, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, to announce the sector’s performance for the first six months of the year, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett said, “The strong on the ground marketing engagements which brought us face to face with key stakeholders here and around the world, by my team at the Ministry of Tourism and Jamaica Tourist Board has helped to not only stave off any fall out from these measures but increased growth in arrivals to our shores.” said Minister Bartlett.

“While the implementation of enhanced security measures did stir a whirlwind of concerns locally and internationally, particularly in the international press, several partners overseas welcomed the initiative as a necessary step and continue to support our nation’s security apparatus in their efforts to make Jamaica a safe place for all.” Minister Bartlett added.

For the period January to June 2018, Jamaica recorded over 1,253,236 million in stopover arrivals and 1,025,782 in cruise arrivals. This means over 100 thousand more tourists for the period and a sizeable increase in foreign exchange earnings.

Minister Bartlett said, “Of note is that the sector brought in US$1.556 billion in foreign exchange earnings which represents an increase of 7.3 percent. Stopover arrivals accounted for US$1.459.0 billion in earnings up 7.2% and cruise US$100.6 million, an increase of 9.4%.”

In highlighting work done, Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, Donovan White noted that “It has been all hands on deck as teams locally and overseas spread the message of destination Jamaica’s commitment to security and safety. As we ramp up digital marketing strategies among a range of other initiatives we are to improve on these figures.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 29, 2018:  Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett announced the unveiling of The Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management during the Resilience for Tourism Summit in Amman, Jordan this week to astounding endorsement from the international tourism community.

The conference brought together key stakeholders from the private and public sectors to discuss strategies for recovery and developing resilience, brand management for sustainable growth and effective communications. The conference highlighted the theory and practice of winning strategies that have resulted in resilience.

Minister Bartlett announced the creation of the Centre during the panel discussion, the ABC's of Resilience. Other participants of the panel included Dr Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis & Disaster Management at Bournemouth University, Isabel Hill, Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office at the United States Department of Commerce and Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer at the Nepal Tourism Board.

Isabel Hill, director of the National Travel and Tourism Office at the US Department of Commerce, commented during the panel: “Resilience is one of the most important things to talk about in travel and tourism. There are issues we deal with that can be a matter of life and death.”

Minister Bartlett added: “The Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management will ensure that we can continue to benefit from the economic, social, cultural, and historic value that tourism has to offer.”

The panel focused on resilience as a “rubber ball” factor, the ability to recover from whatever adverse occurs. Understanding resilience in the context of travel and tourism is imperative to sustainable positive growth as well as building confidence in travellers.

Minister Bartlett was invited to participate in a special press conference during the Summit to further elaborate on the Centre and its mission 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..

Global figures in attendance of the Resilience for Tourism Summit included tourism ministers and officials, crisis management companies, insurers, hotel development corporations, destinations, NGOs, governments, academics, and media. Lending the support and endorsements of the event are leading global associations such as USAID, UNWTO, WTTC, PATA, Tourism Cares, USTOA and CLIA.

The Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management, which will be located at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, is expected to be operational in September, with an official launch scheduled for January 2019, during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 25, 2018: Prominent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, has been appointed by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to lead technical arrangements for a Tourism Working Group assessing various issues in Jamaica’s rapidly growing tourism sector.

Baghaloo is the Managing Director for the South Cluster Region for the Deals Practice focusing on Barbados, Bahamas, Jamaica & Haiti and has been with PwC for more than 20 years, leading teams in assurance and advisory.

“This working group has been charged to work on various issues in the tourism space including entertainment, training and certification, issuing of work permits, craft vendors, ground transportation, and information for Tourism Demand Study. Our aggressive growth strategies is bearing considerable fruit and it is clear that work is required to ensure that Jamaican businesses and personnel get a bigger share of the pie while balancing reliability, consistency and quality. An official report on the way forward will be prepared and will likely include a series of recommendations for strong legislative and policy reforms”, said Bartlett.

Bartlett recently met with members of the Tourism Linkages Council and major hoteliers on the issues. He also met with Spain’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Josep Maria Bosch Bessa to update him on developments and also share concerns.

The Working Group chaired by Tourism Linkages Council head and Hotelier, Adam Stewart has been expanded and will include: Prominent Business leaders, Michael McMorris and Godfrey Dyer; Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), President, Omar Robinson and Senior Executive, Nicola Madden-Greig; President of the Jamaica Cooperative Automobile and Limousine Services (JCAL), Brian Thelwell; Jamaica Vacations, Chairman, Bert Wright; National Craft Traders and Producers Association, President, Melody Haughton-Adams; Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Spencer and representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; Ministry of Labour and Social Security; Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) and the Ministry of Tourism.

Bartlett added that the Ministry and its Agencies will continue to encourage members of the sector to develop strategies that will entail a mix of policies and innovative business models to enable more success.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 22, 2018:  Entertainment in the island’s hotels received a boost, with the certifying of 26 hospitality workers, who participated in the inaugural Tourism Linkages Network's DJ Capacity Enhancement Training Programme.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the training initiative forms part of the ‘joined-up government’ approach, as his Ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, to improve the cadre of local entertainment providers in the industry in an effort to also develop valuable entertainment products and experiences for visitors to the island.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, hosted at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort yesterday, Minister Bartlett stated that “The Ministry of Tourism will be placing special focus on developing entertainment tourism as a major part of our growth strategy. The initiative will be driven by the Ministry’s Sports and Entertainment Network, which has been charged to take the necessary steps, to capitalize on the tremendous potential Jamaica has in entertainment, to significantly boost arrivals and tourism earnings.”

He went on to share that he is working closely with colleague Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange to ‘put out the final tourism products that are in demand, not just across Jamaica but across the world.’

“Minister Grange and I are committed to this process of building capacity and sharing resources as we make this the finest product that anyone can expect coming in to the Caribbean,” said the Minister.

The programme was designed and delivered by acclaimed local Disc Jockey (DJ) and producer Delano ‘DJ Delano’ Thomas, to build the capacity of hotel DJs, with an interest in enhancing both their hard and soft skill sets.

The Dreyfus Model was used as a framework for the assessment, delivery and evaluation of training for hospitality staff from: Hedonism II, Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, Sandals Ochi Beach Resort and the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa.

During his speech to the graduates, the Minister urged them to remember that as workers in the tourism sector, they have the added responsibility of being entertainment and cultural ambassadors for the country.

“As cultural and entertainment ambassadors, you are an integral part of our music tourism product.  I am therefore going to suggest the addition of Team Jamaica training as a module of this Programme. I think this would definitely round out participants’ training as adept resort deejays and certified tourism ambassadors, giving guests a piece of the authentic Jamaican experience through music,” said Minister Bartlett.

Team Jamaica is a programme offered by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), which provides persons in the tourism sector with the knowledge, interpersonal skills and attitude for the delivery of quality service, and is the benchmark for tourism awareness programmes within the Caribbean.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 20, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management is expected to be operational in September of this year, with an official launch scheduled for January 2019, during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The Centre, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona, 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 Minister noted that the space at the University, has now been identified and documentation is already in place to meet the September deadline. The initial build out for the Centre is estimated at US $3 million, which the Tourism Minister says will be funded from international partners.

“On Friday, my advisor Dr Lloyd Waller and I will be going to the UWI to view the space that has been identified for housing this Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.  Then on Saturday morning, I leave for Jordan where we will meet with the former Secretary General of the UNWTO [Dr Taleb Rifai] and a number of other experts. We will also finalise arrangements for the former Secretary General of the UN [Ban Ki-moon] to become a critical player,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Centre has already been endorsed by the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, along with several overseas Universities such as Queensland and George Washington.

One of the first key outputs is the establishment of a journal which will begin the process of educating the world about disruptions and the role the institution will play in assisting the sector – both regionally and internationally. The next outlined step is to build the capacity of the Centre by acquiring the hardware and software required for it to be most impactful.

Underscoring the importance of the Resilience Centre, he said “Political turmoil, pandemics, shifting global economies as well as crime and violence can be equally devastating to travel and tourism. These disruptions present new challenges for the sector, requiring those at the forefront of the field to anticipate, prepare and respond to future shocks and build resilience against them.”

 He further stated that “we have to think beyond the theoretical and practical arrangements but to institutional arrangements.  Part of this is to ensure that resilience is maintained and built, and that crisis management is able to find its place not as an after-fact but as a proactive arrangement, so that we are prepared and deal with these disruptions that we know are going to come.”

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.

Minister Bartlett made the announcement today during the opening of the OD Transformation Conference being held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.  The event is being hosted by the Caribbean Centre for Organization Development Excellence Limited, (CARICODE) in collaboration with the Caribbean Organization Development Network (CODN), the Institute for Organization Development (IOD) in Florida and the Global Institute for Organization Development Network (GIODN). 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 19, 2018:  Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry will be working closely with the new Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, to ensure that imports to the tourism sector see a drastic reduction in the near future.

The announcement was made during a Tourism Linkages Council meeting at the office of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, on June 19, where Minister Shaw was invited as a special guest.

Minister Bartlett explained that the first thing his Ministry intends to do, is to host a series of town hall meetings, organized by the Tourism Linkages Network, to give local producers a better understanding of consumption patterns before making changes, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the economy.

“We have produced over time for seasonality and quotas and we have not become accustomed to 24/ consumption – that is what the tourism industry needs.  We have to produce larger volumes and we have to be selective in the products we produce. We also have to bear in mind that the consumption patterns in tourism are the same as the consumption patterns of the locals,” he said.

In response to concerns raised by members of the Council about the buying patterns of international all-inclusive resorts, the Minister noted that he will also be meeting with relevant ambassadors to form an amicable solution.

“After these meetings, we want to bring everyone together in September and hopefully we will have the information and be guided by this empirical data – particularly on demand,” he said.

Minister Shaw on the other-hand noted that his Ministry intends to utilise a number of new initiatives to improve their productivity.  

One such initiative is the utilization of the 'mother farm' concept, which will give large companies an avenue to enter into partnerships with small and medium farmers, by providing them with an avenue to sell their crops.

“We want to introduce mother farms on a more aggressive basis because they tend to help us where large people with knowhow, money etc, can help to provide that support of technology up-front, to do things properly and get the standards that wanted,” he said.

Minister Shaw went on to share that he felt it is important for the Ministries to strengthen collaboration, to create more opportunities for local farmers and producers, while enabling visitors to enjoy the Jamaican experience.

He also disclosed that he has written to the Prime Minister to turn the Agricultural Marketing Corporation (AMC) Complex, located on Spanish Town Road, into a modern processing facility.  A move he believes will ultimately improve local consumption in the hotels.

“It will package fresh food that we make locally – what the hotels can absorb locally they will and what the supermarkets can absorb they will.  It will then export it to markets including CARICOM and ultimately third party markets, such as the tourism industry,” said Minister Shaw.   

Minister Bartlett further noted that the Tourism Linkages Network will continue its mandate to increase the consumption of goods and services that can be competitively sourced locally.

The Tourism Linkages Council which was established in June 2013 is comprised of key public and private sector partners who oversee the coordination and implementation of effective and sustainable strategies which strengthen and facilitate linkages.

Technical as well as other support for the Council is provided by the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) for Agriculture and Manufacturing which works closely with the Tourism Linkages Network to identify and address specific issues that may emerge from time to time to prevent minimize leakages and strengthen linkages.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 13, 2018:  Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will, starting today, meet with key tourism stakeholders as part of efforts to discuss concerns raised about entertainers hired within hotels.

"I will be meeting today with members of the Tourism Linkages Council with a specific focus on the Sports and Entertainment Network. The meeting is to review, clarify and discuss concerns raised regarding entertainers hired within hotels," said Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett added that "It is important that any misleading information is resolved and that every tourism worker feels empowered and included within the Tourism value chain. We will also be looking closely at the demand for entertainers within the sector, the number of local entertainers, and challenges being faced among other things."

Discussions with the Tourism Linkages Council will also include transportation providers, craft entrepreneurs and the current island wide programme of sensitization of workers regarding the new tourism workers’ pension scheme that will come on stream later this year.

Minister Bartlett, will also meet with Spanish Hotel Group Invotel on Thursday June 14, 2018, to discuss data collection to help inform the Tourism Demand Study and cooperation on a number of matters including but not limited to local purchases of goods and services.

“I have always been an advocate of providing more economic opportunities for small and medium sized tourism businesses and enterprises, which includes entertainers, within the tourism value chain. This is why my Ministry established five Tourism Linkages Networks, one of which is Sports and Entertainment, to drive programmes and projects that create more of these economic opportunities.” Said Minister Bartlett.

The Ministry of Tourism has also established $1 billion dollar revolving loan through the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Exim Bank to further to assist with investment for micro and small Jamaican owned businesses to build capacity to create and compete. This programme continues to be successful.

Minister Bartlett also noted that efforts will be followed up with engagements by Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister, Hon Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange with entertainment stakeholders and Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon Shahine Robinson to dissect the broad range of issues and ultimately address all concerns.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, June 7, 2018: With more than 70-members strong, the Insurance Association of the Caribbean (IAC) has endorsed the Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

The IAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and growth of the Caribbean insurance industry through research, education and advocacy, and has both regional and international reach.

Addressing the IAC’s 38^th annual conference held recently at the Hyatt Ziva Resort, President Eric Hosin said the small islands and low-lying states in the Caribbean basin were among the most vulnerable at this time and noted “climate change and its impact on the insurance industry, travel, tourism and hospitality industry are all related.”

Announcing to the large gathering at the conference that “the IAC is giving full endorsement to the tourism resilience programme,” Mr. Hosin added, “We think it’s a fantastic thing and it is what we need because so many of us, not just here in the Caribbean but around the world, depend on tourism to strive as economies.”

Mr. Hosin said, “As an industry, this is critical to our success and survival in the Caribbean and, I think, around the world, and we’re hoping that our insurers and reinsurance companies will come onboard because it is something that we have been hoping for.”

“As an industry we are endorsing and supporting it and whatever we can do we want to encourage the Minister to really make this a reality,” the IAC President said.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, giving opening remarks at the conference, welcomed the insurance industry’s endorsement, noting that it was the first Caribbean entity to show tangible support for the tourism resilience and crisis management centre.  He said it is expected to be operational in September and launched officially in January 2019 at Caribbean Marketplace, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Center.

Minister Bartlett posited that the centre was long overdue and would support vulnerable states in the Caribbean and beyond. “We want to put the Caribbean on the map in this regard, not only as thought leader but also as a repository of a whole series of information that can guide best practices, communication as well as marketing arrangements for tourism that has the fastest turnaround after a disaster,” he said.

While the possibility for fast turnaround was evident for Caribbean tourism, in particular, Minister Bartlett said what was needed “is the ability to recover quickly.” It was therefore important to build properly and be able to manage disruptions so as to have the resilience and capacity to manage available resources.

The centre will assist vulnerable states in destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that threaten economies and livelihoods globally with real time data and effective communication. 

Campaigning for the centre has been taken worldwide “with good effect,” said Minister Bartlett with interest and commitment coming from a number of multi-national companies and institutions, including several internationally recognized universities. Also backing the initiative are global agencies such as the World Tourism Organization, the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Caribbean Tourism Organization as well as Pacific Area Tourism Authority, which is the umbrella organization that deals with tourism activities across Asia and the Pacific.

NEW YORK, New York; June 07, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has called for a new architecture as it relates to Caribbean Tourism so as to add more value to the touristic experiences and increase growth.

 During his presentation on a Cohesive Caribbean Model, at a Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners meeting yesterday, Minister Bartlett said, “Caribbean island-states are uniquely positioned to benefit from this phenomenal tourism growth that is anticipated to occur globally, at rate of 4-5% over the next several years, providing that certain arrangements and strategic planning are put in place on a region-wide basis.”

“As a region we need to recognize the indispensability of the tourism industry to economic development in the region and act to consolidate and increase shares of the global market.”

Highlighting the global competitiveness of the sector and the dependency of the region on this economic activity, Minister Bartlett urged CTO member states to seek a more collaborative approach in ensuring not only sustainability but resilience within the region.

According to Minister Bartlett, “Regional leaders in tourism- hoteliers, government officials, marketers, aviation authorities, must identify a multi-dimensional collaborative framework that is best suited for enhancing tourism products and services in the region. Failure to steadfastly and purposefully adopt this depended collaborative approach may be to the detriment of the long term competitiveness of our highly tourism-dependent regional economies.”

Whilst the Caribbean experienced 30 million visitors which resulted in US$37Billion in total visitor spending last year, Minister Bartlett called for “policymakers to strengthen cooperation aimed at identifying and developing strategies and innovations to consolidate and expand the region’s market shares of international visitors and also to make tourism more beneficial to local communities.”

“Only a deeper collaborative approach to tourism development in the region will allow for Caribbean states to combat shared threats and risks and remain globally competitive.”

Minister Bartlett is currently participating in the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) annual Caribbean Week in New York. The CTO’s Caribbean Week is the largest regional tourism activity in the New York area.  This year, the event has attracted over 6000 participants, from over 24 member countries, engaging in a series of regional discussions on the future of the industry. 

During his visit to New York, the Minister is joined by John Lynch, Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB); Donovan White, Director of Tourism; and Fiona Fennell, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at the Ministry of Tourism.   The Minister and his team are expected to return to the island on June 08, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 6, 2018: Jamaica tourism performance has hit yet another record with Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett today pointing out that stop over arrivals for the first five months of the year, January to May surpassed a million standing at roughly 1,025,997, representing a 5.5% increase over the same period last year.

Cruise arrivals also recorded a 5.5% increase for the same period standing at 933,892 thus bringing total visitor arrivals figures to a record-breaking near 2 million.

Bartlett noted that, “Having a million stopover tourist arrivals for the first five months of the year is truly unprecedented. These provisional estimates mean that over 52,000 more tourists arrived on our shores over the same period for 2017. It also means that we are on track to welcoming at least 4.6 million visitors for 2018, which is yet another record.”

"Jamaica's tourism continues to prove itself to be resilient and robust. I am pleased that through the hard work of our team and sector workers, and continued diversification of our product to focus on experiential tourism, Jamaica remains a world class destination that is highly sought after." 

Minister Bartlett added that, "of note is the significant increase in foreign exchange earnings for the period which increased by 9% and stood at US$1.3billion, up from US$1.2billion. As a main driver of economic growth, Tourism is consistently showing its impact on economies locally, regionally and globally."

Record tourist arrivals of 4.3 million in 2017, represented a 12.1% increase in arrivals over 2016 and making it the first time that Jamaica increased overall visitor arrivals by 500,000 in a single calendar year. This figure comprised approximately 2.35 million stopover arrivals and 1.95 million cruise passengers. Revenue flows grew from US$2.5billion in 2016 to a record revenue flow of approximately US$3 billion. The drive to increase tourist arrivals and revenue falls in line with the Ministry of Tourism's 5x5x5 growth agenda, which aims to attract 5 million tourists by 2021; generate US$5 billion in earnings; increase total direct jobs to 125,000 and add 15,000 rooms.

Meanwhile, Senior Strategist, Delano Seiveright pointed out that Bartlett’s multipronged and collaborative approach to growing the sector is reaping huge dividends. “More new flights, more new Hotel rooms, closer collaboration with cruise operators, enhancing relationships with non-traditional players like Airbnb and, of course, deepening linkages across entertainment, gastronomy, health and wellness, and other areas for first rate visitor experiences are the cornerstone of Bartlett's aggressive tourism growth strategy. He is effectively leading a team that pounds the pavement and gets things done in a year that started with some very serious challenges.”