Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, June 7, 2024: On the margins of the Resilience and Innovation Summit now underway in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, met with senior representatives of leading global sustainable development firm, Chemonics International, in a bid to forge a major partnership for the upcoming Global Tourism Resilience Day in 2025. 

The meeting, which included Chemonics President and CEO, Jamey Butcher and members of his senior management team, was aimed at securing Chemonics’ collaboration in executing activities related to the 3rd annual observation of Global Tourism Resilience Day, scheduled for February 17, 2025, and exploring the possibility of expanding Jamaica’s Tourism Innovation Incubator, Minister Bartlett outlined. This he said could see an alliance between Chemonics and the Jamaica based Global Tourism Resilience Centre (GTRC). 

“We had discussions regarding this partnership, but we also looked at how Chemonics can work with Jamaica in expanding our Tourism Innovation Incubator established in the Ministry, for which the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) now has responsibility,” said Minister Bartlett.

The tourism minister noted that Chemonics’ experience as a leading global development firm with a vast network of experts aligns with Jamaica’s vision for the Tourism Innovation Incubator. He explained that the relationship would foster innovation within the tourism sector by connecting local tourism enterprises with international technologists and specialists in digitization and artificial intelligence (AI).

“The discussions also centered around expanding the activities of the small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) and to continue building capacity for training and certification, financing and funding of start-up and expansion projects as well as marketing,” added Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett also commended Chemonics’ critical partnership “in Jamaica’s successful hosting of the largest-ever UNWTO conference in Montego Bay in 2017 to commemorate the International Year of Sustainable Tourism,” a feat achieved through further partnership with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

He continued: “I’m excited about the prospects of this collaboration as it will bring together a similar type of team including UN Tourism that will be working on this mega Global Tourism Resilience Day event expected to happen in Jamaica in February 2025.”

Kingston, Jamaica, June 6, 2024 – Jamaica has welcomed a record two million visitors thus far in 2024, more than ever reported during the period of January to May. Further solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading island travel destinations, Jamaica’s final tourism data for 2023 also notes a record-breaking 4.1 million visitors and 25.5% year-over-year increase in total visitation compared to 2022.

“Our recent tourism data is a testament to our ongoing resilience and support from our cherished partners,” said Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “This historic start to 2024, as well as last year’s notable rise in arrivals, is a result of our island’s vibrant spirit as well as various factors like additional airline seats, new hotel rooms, and growing interest from travelers around the world. To date, we have generated $1.9 billion in revenue this year and looking ahead, we are on track to bring almost $5 billion to our economy by 2025 – contributing directly to the prosperity of our island and people.”

2023 Saw Huge Tourist Returns

Following a significant bounce back in arrivals post-pandemic, travelers continued having their hearts set on the “One Love” island in 2023, especially those from the U.S, where arrivals were up 16.2% compared to 2022. All four major U.S. regions reported a large uptick in travelers headed to Jamaica, with the Midwest noting a 23.3% increase, the West 16.8%, the South 15%, and the Northeast 14.5%. A majority of U.S. travelers hailed from New York, with more than 350,000 New Yorkers paying the island a visit. The Empire State’s Irie spirit was nearly matched by Floridians, 326,633 of whom visited in 2023.

Poised to have the one of the most ambitious tourism growth plans in the Caribbean, Jamaica will continue to see an influx of tourism with more than 2,000 new hotel rooms expected to add to the island’s capacity, with new offerings from Princess, Hard Rock Hotels, Secrets and Viva Wyndham over the next two years.

“Through the consistent promotion of destination awareness and further expansion of attractions and experiences, Jamaica has maintained its positioning as the crown jewel of the Caribbean in this post-pandemic era,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica. “Our friendly island has an outsized influence and will continue to welcome travelers worldwide.”

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, June 4, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departed the island today (June 4) for Europe where he will engage in several high-level activities aimed at bolstering Jamaica’s position in the global tourism arena. Minister Bartlett will be participating in two significant events: The Resilience and Innovation Summit being hosted by the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the 121st UN Tourism Executive Council Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

Ahead of his departure, the tourism minister noted that his participation in the Resilience and Innovation Summit underscores Jamaica’s commitment to building a more robust and adaptable tourism industry. “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of our industry globally,” said Minister Bartlett. “However, it also presented an opportunity to rebuild in a more resilient way. Innovation is key to this process, allowing us to develop new strategies, and cutting-edge technologies, and adapt to evolving market demands,” he added. 

Minister Bartlett will deliver the keynote address on how innovation cements resilience. “By fostering a culture of creativity and embracing new ideas, we can ensure that the tourism industry is prepared to navigate future shocks and thrive in the years to come,” he emphasized. 

In addition to his keynote address, Minister Bartlett will also be hosting bilateral meetings with representatives of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and other countries. With this in mind, he said: “These meetings provide a valuable platform to showcase the unique offerings of Brand Jamaica and strengthen tourism partnerships.”

Following the summit, Minister Bartlett will travel to Barcelona to participate in the 121st session of the UN Tourism Executive Council. This meeting brings together tourism leaders from around the world to discuss critical issues and develop collaborative strategies for advancing sustainable and responsible tourism practices.

The Executive Council is a highly revered body and is responsible for the management and implementation of strategic decisions carried out by UN Tourism.

“Jamaica’s election last year as Second Vice Chair of the UN Tourism Executive Council was a significant achievement,” Minister Bartlett noted. He continued: “This position allows us to share our experiences and best practices with the global tourism community, while also advocating for the interests of small island developing states like Jamaica.”

“By actively engaging in these high-level discussions, we are striving to ensure that Jamaica remains a thought leader and a top-of-mind destination for international travellers,” he concluded.

Minister Bartlett is scheduled to return to Jamaica on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Wednesday, May 29, 2024: Jamaica was chosen by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) as the location for the inauguration of a new initiative aimed at promoting sustainable tourism, as a new feature of its flagship Caribbean Travel Marketplace tradeshow. The 42nd staging of the trade event was hosted in Jamaica from May 20-23, 2024.

Branded CHTA Responsible Tourism Day (RTD), it has been introduced as part of a broader movement towards responsible tourism and is designed to encourage sustainable tourism development, highlighted by giving back to, and making a positive impact on local communities. 

The activities chosen covered ‘agricultural linkages with tourism,’ ‘climate change and tourism,’ and ‘community and tourism,’ and were staged on Labour Day, May 23. It included planting of fruit trees at Croydon In The Mountains historic estate, while highlighting how agriculture and tourism interface with attention to food security. It also entailed a beach clean-up and educational tour at the Montego Bay Marine Park, which conserves and restores the coastal resources of Montego Bay, as well as the painting and beautifying of the SOS Children’s Village in Barrett Town, in addition to creating a village farm with vegetables and fruits.

Among participants at the SOS Children’s Village were Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett and CHTA President, Nicola Madden-Greig.

In commending the initiative, Mr. Bartlett said: “Tourism has a new definition post-COVID-19; we’re not just an economic activity anymore, but we are a driver of social and economic development within the area and a greater focus is now being placed on the social side of our responsibility.” In that regard, he said there was more involvement in communities, with tourism entities becoming more conscious about the environment, with added focus on environmental management, economic development and the well-being of the workers and the people involved in tourism communities.

Governance has also become an area of focus “and the use of data as a huge driver of decision-making and to create abilities for us to understand better the thinking of people. For instance, what the psychographic profiles of the market now are and how we can develop new products in line with these new profiles that are developing,” added Minister Bartlett. “To enable our people to manipulate, what I call, the cognitive systems is really about what the future of tourism is going to be,” he posited.

Mrs. Madden Greig outlined that one of the objectives of the venture was to give back to tourism and Responsible Tourism Day would be an ongoing feature of Marketplace activities. 

“That is the plan. It started under my administration, but I am sure that it will continue. We really feel that this is a strong thing that we need to do as citizens of the Caribbean, but most importantly, giving back to our communities because it is our communities that support us and absolutely make the tourism product what it is,” said Mrs. Madden Greig. “People are an integral part of everything that we do and so we have to remember that we have to have inclusiveness and we want to strengthen our linkages,” she added.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, May 27, 2024: Jamaica’s hosting of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) flagship sales event, Caribbean Travel Marketplace 42, from May 20- 23, has been hailed as “a resounding success” by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

With some 1,200 delegates from more than 45 countries Mr. Bartlett said: “We’re very pleased with the response from our suppliers and buyers alike, also the countries in the region that have made this great event successful, meaningful and the largest staging ever.”

The Minister was excited to learn that Caribbean Travel Marketplace 42 had well over 12,750 scheduled appointments with parties exploring the signing of contracts, noting that “it signals the full post COVID-19 recovery of tourism in our region.”

He expressed that the event, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, “brought new ideas, an opportunity to look at best practices and to give support to each other in building the industry.”

With tourism recognized as the lifeblood of the economy of the Caribbean, Minister Bartlett highlighted that most islands were running well ahead of 40% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dependence on tourism, with employment and foreign exchange primarily generated by the industry “and therefore huge portions of our investments are also driven by tourism.”

He posited that in addition to building the capacity of the people to deliver better, “we also must create proper platforms to showcase the assets that we have, and Marketplace is a great opportunity for that.”

CHTA President, Nicola Madden-Greig concurred that “all the feedback so far has been exceptional. Jamaica has been the best host and we did a great job.”

She disclosed that a lot of new elements were added in the 42nd renewal of Marketplace, including the first ever MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) groups exchange, with a special itinerary for meeting planners. “We also had our first multi-destination fam trip, which is celebrating the fact that we’re trying to push regional tourism and letting people understand that when you come to the Caribbean you can enjoy more than one destination.”

She said good airlift was now available linking St Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica and going onto Cayman as it continued to grow.

She said there was a big demand for Caribbean tourism with a lot of people interested in investing “but we have to be ready for that investment; we have to be able to build out the right product, continue to offer the right experiences, engage the local community and ensure that tourism works for everyone.”

Both Minister Bartlett and Mrs. Madden Greig commended the organizations and individuals whose efforts made the event a major success. Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s premier trade event, was hosted jointly by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the CHTA, along with various tourism partners.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Wednesday, May 22, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has outlined that Jamaica is currently experiencing an unprecedented surge in tourism infrastructural development and visitor arrivals, which has laid the foundation for the Ministry to achieve its goal of attracting 5 million visitors in 5 years, earning the country US$5 billion by 2025.

The healthy state of the country’s vibrant tourism sector was detailed to a large pool of local and foreign journalists in a press conference yesterday during the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 42nd Caribbean Travel Marketplace, being staged at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from May 20-23, 2024.

With over 40 countries being represented by the 1,000 plus delegates, the tradeshow is being covered by a strong contingent of 50 media representatives from major international, regional and local outlets, offering a combined reach in excess of 400 million persons. 

In providing an update on the sector, Minister Bartlett said “the state of the tourism industry in Jamaica is strong and flourishing,” with gross earnings up for the 2023/24 fiscal year projected to reach US$4.38 billion. He noted that so far this year, in four and a half months the country has welcomed some 1.8 million visitors, made up of 1.1 million stopovers and 733,000 cruise visitors, adding that by the end of the current month of May, “Jamaica will, for the first time in our history, record 2 million visitors in stopover and cruise, in the first five months of the year.”

He admitted that there were slight headwinds of concern in some markets, but concurrently there were opportunities, which Jamaica was seizing by creating products to attract new travellers.

The investment drive, which should see the addition of 20,000 rooms over the next 10 to 15 years is also on track, as several new tourism infrastructural developments come on stream. 

Minister Bartlett said in addition to several developments currently underway, an announcement is expected soon of 1,000 rooms by two unnamed upscale brands; 1,250 rooms by Moon Palace Grand and the Catalonia group adding 250 rooms to the Holiday Inn, which it recently acquired with another 750-room-hotel to be built at a later date.

The Minister highlighted that Grand Palladium is adding approximately 1,000 suites, a convention center, and an entertainment center; while Bahia Principe is making a massive investment of over half a billion US dollars to expand by 1,000 rooms, mixed with villages and upscale villas, a PGA-certified golf course, training center and a school; while Viva Wyndham is bringing some 300 rooms onstream under the first phase of their project to add roughly 1,000 rooms. 

Minister Bartlett hinted that there should also be another announcement soon of a mega development of more than 3,000 rooms in western Jamaica.

While building out capacity and strengthening human capital through the ongoing training and certification of tourism workers, Minister Bartlett said partnerships were being strengthened as Jamaica goes after new and emerging markets, while also engaging new airlines to provide the required airlift.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Wednesday, May 22, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has emphasized to tourism leaders throughout the Caribbean that while capitalism was the driving force behind economic prosperity, workers were key assets to growing the industry.

“Tourism is about people, and it is the people who are the driving force behind the energy of tourism, and therefore the number one concern of tourism must be the workers of the tourism industry,” he said during a panel discussion on ‘Integrated Tourism Development - Visioning a New Tourism Landscape,’ at the 42nd Caribbean Travel Marketplace, being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from May 20-23, 2024.

During the session, which was moderated by President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Nicola Madden-Greig, Minister Bartlett underscored that it was not the responsibility of either the public or private sector alone to ensure a good working environment in the tourism sector. 

Mr. Bartlett noted that “it’s a joint responsibility that we all must share in enabling the best labour environment to prevail, which will inure to high productivity, great performances and most importantly, the excellence of service, which will be the hallmark of the experience that the visitor comes to our destination for.”

Minister Bartlett said 60 percent of the value of the visitor experience was service, and the environment must be provided for the people to grow and thrive.

For his part, Executive Chairman of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, Adam Stewart painted a picture of the tourism industry not being simple but sophisticated and complicated. He expressed the view that “it is something that you cannot take a lot of chances with and it’s something that needs deep experience around it.”

He outlined that there was the need for cohesion and continued dialogue between regional public and private sector players to effectively address key issues. “I think our problems are relatively straightforward to solve, none of it is rocket science but we have to start off on a position of understanding each other’s limitations: what are the government’s limitations, what can or cannot be done; what are the private sector’s limitations,” Mr. Stewart expressed. He said both sectors must be able to hold hands, put in the infrastructure that will develop tourism and create wealth for economies and the people.

Fellow panelist, Minister of Tourism and Ports for the Cayman Islands and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Hon Kenneth Bryan stressed the importance of technology such as artificial intelligence to integrated tourism development, noting that it was inevitable and “it’s time for us to embrace it and try to figure out how to take advantage of it.” He said technology would allow for more efficiency in the future and for the transfer of labour into other areas.

Meanwhile, Sustainable Development Programme Leader, Caribbean Region, at the World Bank, John Bryan Collier pointed to where he thinks the public sector needs to be more engaged in tourism. “It’s not just the financial and business incentives for hotels or attractions; it’s also the education system to provide workers who can make good money working in tourism as opposed to working in call centers or somewhere else for instance,” he explained.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, May 21, 2024: Jamaica showcased the best of its heritage in food, dance and music last night (May 20) to over 1,000 delegates from more than 45 countries who are attending the 42nd Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM42), being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The front lawn of the historic Rose Hall Great House was transformed for the colourful welcome event, which marked the official start of the informative tradeshow that runs from May 20 to 23. Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the region’s premier trade event, is being hosted jointly by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the CHTA along with various tourism partners.

According to CHTA President, Jamaica’s Nicola Madden-Greig, who is in her third and final year in the position: “This conference will give all local suppliers of tourism products and services the opportunity to network with, deepen relationships and conduct business with new buyers from across the globe to promote their products and the destination.”

Welcoming the delegates in an atmosphere of hospitality, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett stressed that Marketplace is the biggest tradeshow for tourism in the Caribbean and that it signalled “the renewal of tourism since COVID.”

Addressing what tourism means to the region, post COVID-19, Mr. Bartlett underscored that “we in the Caribbean who are the most tourism-dependent region on planet earth, a dependence that reflects itself from 7% percent of GDP in Guyana to 95% of GDP in places like Aruba and Antigua and Barbuda, which means that more than 20% of all the jobs in the Caribbean are driven by tourism.”

Pointing out that this represented over one million people in the Caribbean having employment in the tourism industry, Minister Bartlett added, “but more importantly, a significant portion of the foreign exchange that’s generated in the Caribbean is from tourism; so for us, a recovery is not just a hope, it’s not a wish, it’s not a desire; it’s an imperative.”

Asserting that the Caribbean was now fully recovered from the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said it was also “growing now in double digits over 2019.”

Meanwhile, highlighting the benefits of the event, Mrs. Madden-Greig said “we find ourselves immersed in the vibrant tapestry of Caribbean culture, hospitality and unparalleled natural beauty.” She said Caribbean Travel Marketplace served to identify new source markets, addressing the need for diversification and emphasizing the need for continued growth while exploiting the boundless opportunities that the Caribbean has to offer.

In that regard, she said over 12,500 appointments had been scheduled for the event, and with the prospect for another 32.5 million visitors across the region, “creating opportunities for local companies taking advantage of that potential visitor spending.”

Caribbean Travel Marketplace is being attended by a host of Government and private sector industry leaders, including Minister of Tourism and Ports for the Cayman Islands and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Hon Kenneth Bryan, a host of other tourism ministers and senior executives from other islands. Also attending Monday night’s opening event was US Ambassador to Jamaica, N. Nickolas Perry.

The event offered a choice of delicacies representing Jamaica’s cultural diversity, the Caribbean sound of a steel pan band, exciting reggae and fire dancers, the appearance of a colourful costumed group, a special performance by international recording artiste, Tessanne Chin and a riveting drone show.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Friday, May 17, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett last night welcomed more than 700 Kiwanis club members from the Eastern Canada and the Caribbean District for their annual convention at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The 2024 Kiwanis Eastern Canada and Caribbean (EC&C) District Convention is being held from May 16-18, 2024.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Bartlett described the event as “this very important convention that is setting the stage for discourses in various areas of human development, with a particular emphasis on children.” 

Kiwanis is a global organization in over 80 countries with more than half a million members dedicated to improving the world one child, one community at a time, through its mantra “Serving the Children of the World.” 

Against this background, Minister Bartlett in his keynote address, said: “There are some little ones that are coming up in whose hands the future of the world rests, and in whose lives the prosperity of planet Earth is going to be predicated.” He anticipated that the discourse at the convention would be heavily focused around service and adding value to service, targeting the planet, people and prosperity. 

While the future of planet Earth may look exciting, Mr. Bartlett pointed to the shift in consumption patterns “so clearly there’s an issue there that we have to look at; how do we enable the resources of the world to be able to satisfy the demand of the people of the Earth.”

Pointing to the impact of global warming and the susceptibility of tourism to its disruptions, Minister Bartlett added that: “We have to become custodians of the management of our environment, and we have to be responsible for sustainably enhancing and building the capacity of planet Earth to continue to be the source of prosperity for the people.”

Minister Bartlett also stressed the need for human beings to live peaceably and productively and charged that “the Kiwanis movement, because of your extensive network across the globe, and your sense of service, has been a key driver in enabling this level of relationship to build capacity for human existence and collaboration.”

Also addressing the convention, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon said the organization’s focus should be on finding solutions for marginalized and under-represented communities. “This gathering is a powerful reminder that we are here to strategize how we can transform one community at a time,” he said.

Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr Carey Wallace, identifying some of the Caribbean’s greatest assets as a tourism region, said: “We’re sitting on a wealth of potential and there’s some change that’s required of our people in the region, a lot of it relating to human and spiritual values,” and appealed to the Kiwanians to use their influence to bring about that change. 

The three-day convention is one of the flagship events on the Kiwanis calendar and has attracted some 709 delegates from 19 countries across the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean, comprising professionals, business leaders and entrepreneurs.

DUBAI; United Arab Emirates; Wednesday May 8, 2024; Jamaica has recorded an impressive 1.7 million visitors as of May 7 of this year. Based on preliminary data, the island recorded 1,016,185 stopover arrivals and over 700,000 cruise passengers, earning roughly US$1.8 billion in revenue. This represents a 4.6% increase in stopover arrivals and a 23% increase in cruise passengers compared to the same period in 2023.

This announcement was made by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett during an interview with Sky News Arabia, one of the largest news conglomerates in the Middle East and North Africa. He also indicated that the island is on track to welcome 5 million visitors and earn US$5 billion by 2025.

“We are grateful to see continued growth in our arrivals and earnings, which speaks to the confidence our tourism partners and visitors have in the destination. To hit the 1.7 million arrivals mark is an outstanding feat and speaks to the commitment and hard work of our tourism team led by the heart of our industry – our workers,” said the tourism minister

“Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, Jamaica is on its way to achieving an unprecedented milestone. With one million stopover arrivals and over seven hundred thousand cruise passengers up to the first week of May, we are in a good position to make it happen. We will continue to aggressively market the destination and work assiduously with our partners to get there,” added Minister Bartlett.

Underscoring Minister Bartlett’s comments, Director of Tourism Donovan White added, “Jamaica remains a premier destination that is highly sought after for its authentic experiences. Whether it’s our food, music or entertainment, there is a vibe that only comes alive in Jamaica.” 

Minister Bartlett is leading a mission at Arabian Travel Market being held in Dubai. Over the last three decades, Arabian Travel Market has become a leading global event enabling growth for the travel and tourism industry with some 41,000 participants attending this year’s staging. Minister Bartlett will be in discussions with several tourism partners and stakeholders as part of his strategic vision of attracting more visitors from this region. In addition, he will be meeting with the senior leadership of Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, at their headquarters in Dubai tomorrow to further negotiate air connectivity between the United Arab Emirates and Jamaica.