KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 6, 2017: In recognition of its 25th anniversary and pointing to its contribution to the increasing diversification of Jamaica’s tourism product, Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor/Strategist to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, highlighted that the Government of Jamaica through the Ministry of Tourism and its lead agency the Jamaica Tourist Board, will continue to support Rebel Salute, a major annual Rastafari-influenced live music show held in January along the North Coast.

Seiveright was guest speaker at the official launch of Rebel Salute’s 25th show in New York City Thursday evening, on behalf of the Tourism Minister, who is in London of official business. Patrick ‘Tony Rebel’ Barrett, Director of Rebel Salute noted that Rebel Salute delivers the greatest roots reggae show in the world.

Starting out as a concert to celebrate Tony Rebel’s birthday, Rebel Salute has evolved into a major calendar stage show, capturing roots reggae lovers worldwide. The festival serves a strict Rastafari-influenced menu and is notably a non-alcoholic event drawing thousands of patrons at each staging.

Seiveright pointed out that, “Rebel Salute continues to draw Jamaicans and tourists alike in one place to celebrate reggae music in one place. Rastafari and reggae music are the backbone of Jamaican culture, the backbone of our tourism product. Tourism is in strong growth mode and more and more visitors want varied experiences and to ensure that that growth is sustained we need more events like Rebel Salute.”

He went on to state that, “One of our main strategies for achieving sustainable tourism is by promoting the sector as a catalyst for cultural preservation and enrichment. Recent international tourism trends have pointed to a shift from the traditional 'sun, sea and sand' phenomenon towards interactive experiential tourism, one of tourism's fastest growing sub-sectors, appealing to markets interested in gastronomy, nature, heritage and cultural experiences like Rebel Salute.”

Preliminary figures up to the end of September 2017 shows Jamaica welcoming over 3 million tourists, with stopover arrivals of 1.76 million and cruise passengers numbering 1.3 million cruise passengers, well ahead of the corresponding period last year. This resulted in just over US$2.14 billion in gross foreign exchange earnings, 8.6 percent higher the corresponding period last year.

Credit has been given the Bartlett led aggressive growth initiatives – with significant focus on increased airlift, rebuilding the Canadian market, boosting numbers out of Western Europe, closer collaboration with cruise operators, the building out of new rooms, enhancing relationships with non-traditional players like Airbnb and driving the development of the linkages network in part aimed at enhancing product offerings and experiences.

“Minister Bartlett wants to ensure that tourists visiting Jamaica will not only get an opportunity to partake in local culture and heritage but will also develop a profound appreciation and respect for it. Many ordinary citizens will also benefit as they will get increased opportunities to showcase and market their cultural and creative products and services to visitors,” said Seiveright

He indicated that the impact of promoting cultural tourism will not only be economic but also have a social impact. He noted that Bartlett, through the Entertainment Network of his Ministry’s Linkages Network and Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange are at one on pushing harder in this direction with the full collaboration with people like Tony Rebel and events like Rebel Salute.

Seiveright also stated the Linkages Network in the Ministry of Tourism, chaired by Businessman Adam Stewart, is generating unprecedented collaboration between the public and private sectors and contributing to the enhanced appeal and sustainable growth of Jamaica’s tourism sector.

Rebel Salute takes place on January 12 and 13 at the Richmond Estate in Priory, St. Ann.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 6, 2017 A mere five months after inaugurating daily non-stop flight-service between Fort Lauderdale and Montego Bay, Southwest, a major US airline, recently upped its operations to include two daily flights between both cities. Thereby adding another 52,000 new seats over the in and out of Jamaica and increasing connectivity to other US cities.

The additional Southwest flight numbered 1112 departs Fort Lauderdale 9:10 a.m. every morning and the return flight numbered 1113 departs Montego Bay every morning at 11:50 a.m.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett noted that, “Southwest is a major partner that has grown leaps and bounds. In the quest to drive arrivals and to build up economic growth and prosperity in our country, air lift forms the central infrastructure. There is no way the connectivity can be realized without carefully planned and properly executed air lift arrangements.”

Southwest is the world's largest low-cost carrier already operating regular non-stop service into Montego Bay from Orlando, Florida; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland.

Senior Advisor and Strategist at the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright noted that, “We are now at up to 7 flights per day by Southwest into Montego Bay. More new flights, more new 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 are among the lead initiatives being pursued to achieve Bartlett’s tourism growth goals.”  

Southwest Airlines Vice-President, Ellen Tolbert said earlier, “We continue with our [policies]: bags fly free, no change fees ever, free refreshments and television on your own devices provided by our in-flight satellite WIFI and worldwide hospitality. But most of all it’s our people – our people who keep you coming back and that keep the 120 million people annually coming back to Southwest Airlines.”

Minister Bartlett is currently in London on official business.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 03, 2017: In his capacity as chairman of the newly formed Caribbean Tourism Recovery Group Secretariat (CTRGS) and coordinator of the ‘UNWTO Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean’, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has been invited to give an address at the International Travel Crisis Management Summit (ITCMS) in London.

Minister Bartlett, who departed the island yesterday (November 02, 2017), will use the platform at the ITCMS to share the measures being implemented to increase resiliency in the sector. A major part of this is the creation of the Tourism Rehabilitation Action Plan for the Caribbean islands recently devastated by natural disasters.

 “The Caribbean remains united in rebuilding our tourism sector to its former glory. In fact, my Ministry is working very closely with the international and regional organizations as well as other Ministers within the Caribbean to create a working strategy to strengthen the sector’s resilience to the effects of climate change and natural disaster, thus making it more sustainable,” said the Minister. 

According to organisers of the ITCMS, the session aims to show the global way entities deal with crisis management and how indigenous components play a role in proactively addressing crises. It is intended to be a thought-leadership session, which should connect and inform the delegates.

Prior to his participation in the summit, the Minister will attend the 2017 World Travel Market (WTM) – the leading global business-to-business event for the travel industry.  While there, he will have key meetings with stakeholders as well as media entities such as the BBC, Travel Weekly, TTG Luxury, Globetrotter TV, and Travel Daily Media.

In addition to the Jamaica Tourist Board’s promotional activities, this year’s programme of the WTM will feature a UNWTO and WTM Ministers’ Summit entitled “Overtourism: Growth is not the Enemy, It is How We Manage It.” There will also be a Ministers’ Destination Investment Symposium, which will provide an exclusive meeting point for Ministers and investors in travel destination development.

Minister Bartlett later travels to Berlin, Germany, to meet with high-level stakeholders and attend the Touristik Union International (TUI) Group’s Anniversary Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

TUI is the largest leisure, travel and tourism company in the world and owns travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise ships and retail stores. TUI has also been helping to drive significant tourist arrivals out of the European market to Jamaica.

The Minister will be accompanied by the Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board, John Lynch; Manager of Airlift at Jamaica Vacations Limited, Geraldine Wright and his Junior Advisor, Gis’elle Jones.  He returns to the island on November 12, 2017.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; November 1, 2017: As Jamaica puts the finishing touches to a broad-based plan to host the world’s first global conference on “jobs and inclusive growth: partnerships for sustainable tourism’, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett announced yesterday (October 31) that over 300 participants from 60 countries have  already registered to attend the November event.

He made the announcement at a press conference at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry to update Western Jamaica on the progress the UNWTO, Government of Jamaica, World Bank Group and Inter-American Development Bank Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, to be held November 27-29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

“This global conference will position Jamaica as a destination that has the capacity to do big events and to do them well,” said Minister Bartlett.  With exactly four weeks to the opening of the three-day conference, the Tourism Minister is satisfied that all the elements have come together as scheduled and are now being fine-tuned for “the most ambitious project that we have undertaken as a Ministry of Tourism ever.”

With the islands of the Caribbean being some of the most tourism dependent in the world, the conference has been positioned to speak to making the industry more impactful on the economies of the region. Minister Bartlett said consideration must be given to making these countries stronger as a result of tourism and move away from being among the most indebted in the world with an average debt to GDP ratio that is close to 100 percent.

Minister Bartlett posited that “this conference is going to redefine Destination Jamaica as the centre where the world can come on an annual basis to cerebrate on matters relating to the development of tourism, but more importantly, to help to build out a strategy for job creation and inclusive growth.”

Among a list of high profiled speakers confirmed for the conference are President of the Dominican Republic, His Excellency Danilo Medina; Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Hon Andrew Holness; Vice President for Countries, Inter-American Development Bank, Alexandre Rosa; Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro; CEO of the Inter-American Investment Corporation, James Scriven; President and  CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council  (WTTC), Gloria Guevara Manzo and  UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai.

Also slated to play dominant roles in the conference are the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Chemonics International, the George Washington University and the University of the West Indies.

Technology will get special attention with a “Smart Tourism Destinations” exposition involving several major entities demonstrating how big data is transforming the future of tourism and creating a seamless visitor experiences.

There will be four plenary sessions looking at various aspects of tourism, such as the make-up of successful replicable collaboration models for growth and development; the direct contributions of tourism enterprises to the development of the destination; financing large, medium and small  scale tourism development; and donor-funded programmes “which demonstrate balanced growth with environmental sustainability and social inclusion.”

The deliberations will form the basis of the Montego Bay Declaration from which will flow an action plan for tourism destinations to follow. It will also inform the publication of the second volume of the UNWTO Global Report on Public Private Partnerships.  

With memories of recent hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters, there will also be focus on climate change and recovery strategies.

Some special features of the conference will be the honouring of outgoing UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai and three outstanding leaders in tourism as well as an exposé of Jamaican gastronomic delights to a select group of invited international gastronomes.

KINGSTON, Jamaica: October 30, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has commissioned the Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Network (TLN) to increase consumption of coffee locally by strengthening ties between stakeholders in the coffee and hospitality industries.

The charge was made following a recent meeting led by Chairman of the Tourism Linkages Council Adam Stewart with the key stakeholders in the coffee industry. During the meeting, the group discussed the challenges the stakeholders face locally and strategies that can be developed by the Ministry of Tourism to better leverage the product.

“Under the leadership of our Chairman, I know that we can do so much more to celebrate and build out products around the Jamaica Blue Mountain (JBM) coffee, so that it can continue to be a tool to bring more visitors to Jamaica and earn more money for our people. I therefore charge the Linkages Network to get more of our coffee to every visitor who graces our shores and to share our expertise to leverage the JBM coffee,” said the Minister.

In 2016, Minister Bartlett appointed the Gastronomy Network, a subgroup of the TLN, to promote and offer support to Jamaican cuisine, under which the Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee falls. The Network, which is chaired by Nicola Madden-Greig, has placed special focus on the coffee industry with projects such as the Blue Mountain Culinary Trail launching earlier this year and the upcoming Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, scheduled for early 2018.

“The Festival and our other culinary projects offer us an opportunity for deepening the linkages between tourism and the agro-processing industry while strengthening the hand of our sales teams in the markets of the world and opening up opportunities for our people to benefit in a direct way from their participation in the tourism experience,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival will be a three-day event in the Blue Mountain region. It is expected to feature activities such as training and development seminars for coffee farmers; coffee farm and factory tours; culinary tours and experiences; and a coffee exhibition. International coffee buyers will also be invited to attend the festival.

“I want us to build a coffee experience like no other for our visitors and locals to enjoy. It is my vision to bring thousands of visitors annually to destination Jamaica to experience the gastronomy tourism as we utilize various elements of it that are endemic to different geographic areas. What better start than our famous JBM coffee, which is synonymous with Brand Jamaica?” said Minister Bartlett.

He also noted that a key part of the strategy being developed is to ensure that more of the earnings from the industry are retained locally to aid in increasing the productivity level of coffee. 

“Not only do food festivals attract visitors, thus stimulating tourism, but they also promote growth and create more business opportunities for people in the communities.  Currently 30 per cent of every dollar is retained and it is expected to improve to 40 per cent, bringing the country closer to the projections of US$2 billion in net earnings by 2020. However, in order for us to see greater retention of the tourism dollars, we have to own more of the consumption side of tourism and build the capacity of our people to deliver on the experience,” he said.

The TLN is a division within the tourism ministry, which was developed to increase the consumption of goods and services that can be competitively sourced locally, while also generating and retaining the country’s foreign exchange earning potential.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 25, 2017: The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has announced their endorsement of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) global conference to be held in Jamaica in November.

Adam Goldstein, who is the FCCA’s Executive Committee Chairman and current President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, gave the endorsement to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, during a private meeting between Presidents and CEOs of  FCCA member lines and Ministers of Tourism, on October 25 in Merida, Mexico.

During the meeting, the group also discussed strategies to drive year-round traffic to the region, the creation of more employment opportunities and the development of strategic partnerships.

Minister Bartlett lauded the endorsement, which, he noted, strengthens the expected impact the conference will have on the development of tourism industries across the globe.

“This event will perhaps be the single most important conference in our country’s history. This endorsement by FCCA strengthens our efforts to coordinate an international road map which will foster collaborative relationships for more inclusive economic and social development of countries across the world via tourism,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also received support for the staging of the conference from Grenada’s Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Yolande Bain-Horsford, who is expected to participate in the conference.

In his capacity as chairman of the newly formed Caribbean Tourism Recovery Group Secretariat (CTRGS)  and coordinator of the ‘UNWTO Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean, the Minister used the opportunity to share his intentions to create a tourism rehabilitation plan for Caribbean islands devastated by recent hurricanes at the upcoming conference.

“Caribbean states are very dependent on tourism to sustain their economies. So with the assistance of the UNWTO, CHTA, CTO and WTTC as well as Ministers of the region we are working on creating a strategy to strengthen the sector’s resilience to the effects of climate change and natural disasters, thus making it more sustainable. We will unveil this plan of action during our upcoming UNWTO global conference in Montego Bay in November,” he explained.

The UNWTO, Government of Jamaica, World Bank Group and Inter-American Development Bank Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’ will be held November 27-29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, and is expected to attract hundreds of international and local participants.

The event will bring together world leaders from the tourism industry along with governments, donors, and international development and finance organisations to design and coordinate an international road map and foster collaborative relationships for inclusive economic and social development via tourism.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Mexico with the newly-appointed Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Ltd, Joy Roberts, participating in the FCCA Cruise Conference and Tradeshow. They are expected to return to the island on October 26, 2017. 

Kingston, Jamaica. October 23, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry is positioning the historic town of Falmouth to attract more heritage visitors, who spend more and stay longer than the average visitor.

“Falmouth’s rich history, Georgian architecture and many attractions make it a major tourism asset that we can leveraged to increase the number of heritage visitors to our shores,” said Minister Bartlett at the launch of the Falmouth Heritage Expo, held last week in Water Square, Trelawny. “For this reason, the Government will be leveraging the heritage experience in Falmouth to further develop the town as a tourism destination.’

According to Minister Bartlett, heritage visitors spend 38 per cent more per day and stay 34 per cent longer than traditional tourists.

He indicated that his Ministry was collaborating with the Organization of American States (OAS), under the auspices of the Sustainable Destination Alliance of the Americas (SDAA) initiative, to reposition Falmouth as a Sustainable Tourism Destination. Under this Initiative, which started in 2015, a programme of activities is being implemented to improve civic pride in Falmouth, as well as foster cultural and economic innovation. These activities include the Falmouth Invasion – an event held in February to boost pride in Falmouth – and the Falmouth Heritage Expo.

The expo featured cultural performances, story-telling, art and craft displays and information on Falmouth’s Georgian architecture. The day saw a constant stream of visitors, residents and students participating in the activities.

An updated map of the Heritage sites of Jamaica was also launched by Dr Andrew Spencer, Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCO). The map, a comprehensive illustration of cultural and natural heritage sites across the island, is intended to serve as a guide to both visitors and locals who wish to educate themselves about the heritage assets in Jamaica and to locate sites for recreational purposes.

In his remarks to the audience at the expo, Bartlett explained that Falmouth was already living up to its potential – especially if one used the cruise ship calls as an indicator.

“For the month of August, cruise passenger arrivals grew by 9.4% with 109,074 passengers from 29 cruise ships. The Port of Falmouth was up 5.4% with 48,910 passengers,” he said while adding that the three largest cruise ships in the world – Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Sea – continued to make regular calls at the port.

“We are building out the town and port infrastructure, as well as the visitor experience so when the cruise ships dock there are good reasons for visitors to disembark,” he said. “Working in collaboration with local stakeholders and government agencies, we are relocating vendors to more strategic sites; painting buildings; taking the mentally ill and homeless off the streets; establishing visitor centres and increasing the number of district constables in the town to help keep crime in check,” he added.

He indicated that the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has already spent $190 million on completed projects in Falmouth, including: the renovation of the Trelawny Parish Church, the Falmouth Post Office and Court House. Another $1.1 billion has been earmarked for projects in Falmouth including the Artisan Village at the old Hampden Wharf.

His announcement was supported by Dr. Spencer, who indicated that TPDCO was pushing efforts at the community level to ensure that the communities are marketable. “Only recently we completed a toolkit for Community Tourism Development and we are working with several community groups to ensure that their product is market ready,” he said.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 23, 2017:  Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett leaves the island today (October 23, 2017) to participate in the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Cruise Conference and Trade Show being hosted in Merida, Mexico.

“Jamaica has one of the most dynamic and successful cruise industries in our region but the possibilities for growth in the sector are endless. I am therefore very eager to participate in the FCCA’s conference, as I know it will be tremendously beneficial to the country. It will allow us to strengthen our bonds with cruise-lines and develop new relationships with potential partners. We will also have a booth at the tradeshow, displaying the best of our tourism product” said Minister Bartlett. 

The Minister will also participate in a private meeting between Ministers of Tourism, Presidents and CEOs of Member Cruise-lines of the association, on October 25.  The topics of discussion should include: strategies to drive year-round traffic in the region; creation of more employment opportunities; and the development of strategic partnerships.

The ​FCCA ​Cruise Conference and Tradeshow ​is ​a specialized forum that seeks to ​foster ​a ​better ​understanding ​of ​the ​inner ​workings ​of ​the ​cruise ​industry and helps attendees improve their cruise tourism business. Approximately 100 executives from the FCCA’s 19 Member cruse-lines who decide where ships call; what is sold and used onboard; and how to invest in destinations and infrastructure are expected to attend.

During his visit to Mexico, the Minister will be accompanied by the newly-appointed Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Ltd, Joy Roberts.  The pair is expected to return to the island on October 26, 2017. 

Kingston, Jamaica; October 23, 2017……. The Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo), the agency with responsibility for the development of the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) has announced that the deadline for submission of applications is Wednesday October 25 2017. The programmes are open to Tertiary level graduates with degrees or NVQJ level four or five certification in Hospitality/Hospitality Management or Culinary Arts.

The JCTI was created to increase access to graduates in hospitality, tourism and culinary arts, to supervisory and management jobs in tourism.  The Programme which includes a partnership with American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and the American Culinary Federation (ACF) is envisioned to aid in the diversification of the Tourism Product and is in keeping with the industry’s five pillars of growth: new markets, new investments, new products, new partnerships, and human capital development. The development of Human Resource, through training and access to opportunities is the key driver of this growth strategy.

The JCTI training programme will include hands-on, work and industry experience, curriculum guides and materials, and facilitate dialogues between hotels and students. The programme, which will operate on a full time basis, will also prepare participants with the skills necessary to function in roles such as Hospitality Supervisor, Culinarian, and Certified Sous Chef, among others and will come at no cost to successful applicants.

Applicants must be under thirty years old and reside in Kingston, Ocho Rios or Montego Bay.  A proof of address is required upon submission of applications.

Applications may be sent by Wednesday October 25, 2017 to: certificationprogramme-jcti@tpdco.org

Falmouth, Trelawny; October 20, 2017: The Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) on Wednesday (October 18) launched an updated Heritage Map of Jamaica at the Falmouth Heritage Expo in Water Square, Trelawny.

The new Map includes a more comprehensive selection of information to suit the varying interests of visitors and locals, including natural sites, which highlight rivers, beaches and waterfalls; and material sites, which detail historic sites across the island.

The Heritage Map, an initiative of TPDCo, was first created in 1997 to help locals and visitors to navigate their way around the island. The Map, which includes historical information and heritage sites across the island, was again updated in 2007 and the latest version in 2017.  It is the first of its kind and Jamaica is the only Caribbean country to undertake such an initiative.

Speaking at the launch event, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett highlighted the importance of heritage for individual and national development.  According to Minister Bartlett, “The direct impact that the country’s heritage has on the tourism sector through the authentic experience it offers for visitors is boundless. Heritage is not just a historic note; it is a definition of who you are and how you came to be.”

Dr. Andrew Spencer, Executive Director of TPDCo, in his address to the audience expressed his confidence in the map to contribute to the growth of the tourism sector, “The Heritage Map is not only timely, but accurate and comprehensive. The Map will not only benefit international tourists who contribute to a large portion of our country’s economy, but our locals who are also invited to utilize the map.” He said.

The data collection component of the map was conducted by TPDCo’s interns who are graduates of the History and Archaeological department at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The interns were directed by TPDCO’s Urban Planner during their search for information.

Organizations such as the Forestry Department were instrumental in providing information on the Forestry Reserves that have been plotted on the map. The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), through their Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team, assisted with the plotting of points on the map and provided information on the protected areas that can be found across the island. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) verified the sites included on the map.

The next phase of the Map will include the creation of Mobile Application, which will allow for even greater interaction whereby users will be able to search for places they wish to visit, view images, get directions and make bookings.