Kingston, Jamaica; September 19, 2017…  Plans are in high gear for the staging of The Tourism Service Excellence Awards for 2017, by the Ministry of Tourism through its agency the Tourism Product Development Company Ltd, (TPDCo).

The Awards which was launched in 2008 and staged for three (3) years, after a brief hiatus, wove its way back onto the calendar of events in the tourism sector and was a stunning success for the 2016 period.

The competition is open to organizations and individuals which/who are exemplars in the field.  Nominees are drawn from all sub-sectors of the industry including accommodations; craft; airport; tour operators; ground transport operators; rafting; attractions or places of interest and must display best practices, offer excellent customer service as well as environmental stewardship.

According to TPDCo’s Executive Director Dr Andrew Spencer, “Work has started and the Minister of Tourism, Honourable Edmund Bartlett who is very passionate about the programme and its award and will officially launch the TSEA in the weeks ahead.”

The competition also provides an opportunity for establishing bench marks for all categories of workers and businesses in the industry and serves through its recognition and prizes to encourage quality customer service delivery, a distinguishing factor in a highly competitive tourism market place.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 26, 2017: Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday (September 25, 2017) to participate in the official celebration of World Tourism Day being hosted in Doha, Qatar, on September 27, 2017.

The invitation was extended by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Qatar Tourism Authority, which also asked the Minister to participate in a high-level think tank focusing on:  Tourism as a Means for Enhancing Cultural Preservation and Mutual Understanding.

“It is quite an honour for Jamaica to have been invited to participate in the official celebration for World Tourism Day (WTD) 2017. I am excited to use this prestigious platform to highlight all the wonderful things we are doing to leverage our tourism product to benefit the people of Jamaica. Naturally, I will also promote our upcoming UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’, which is scheduled for November of this year,” explained the Minister.

The Minister will share the stage with over 20 other influential speakers from across the globe during the event, which will be held at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.

The impressive line-up includes Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai; State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism in Croatia, Frano Matušić; Director of the UNESCO Office in Doha, Anna Paolini; and Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Liberia, Eugene Lenn Nagbe.  He think tank will be moderated by CNN International’s anchor Max Foster.

During his visit, which was fully paid for by the UNWTO and the Qatar Tourism Authority, the Minister will also have a special meeting with the country’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

He will then travel to London to attend the second staging of Jamaica Travel Market (JTM), which is being hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) on September 29 and 30.  While there, he will meet with tour operators in the UK to share the many new tourism offerings and developments happening locally.

Jamaica Travel Market is a business-to-business tradeshow which is a platform for British, Irish and Nordic tour operators to meet with authentic Jamaican suppliers directly. It includes a day and a half of business appointments, destination updates and ends with a grand Gala Awards Dinner.

Minister Bartlett is scheduled to return to the island on October 1, 2017.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, September 26, 2017: Key members of the newly formed United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean will convene in Grenada on October 9 to discuss how to assist tourism dependent member states recently ravaged by natural disasters.

The meeting will be held during the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s biggest tourism gathering in the region, the annual State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC).

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who is coordinator of the working group, noted that 13 of 79 countries in the world with economies that have tourism dependence of 10 percent or more are in the Caribbean. “If there are seismic or climatic events which have damaged and ravaged and caused disruption in economic flow as well as the destruction of property and the loss of human lives, that represents a serious moment for us in the region,” the Tourism Minister said.

His observation was made as he spoke at Sunday’s official opening of JAPEX 2017, the annual product exchange forum for suppliers and buyers driving the island’s tourism market. Hosted jointly by the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, hundreds of stakeholders are participating in the 27-year old annual event at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

Minister Bartlett said that as convenor of the UNWTO working group he intends “to begin immediately to look at developing and mobilising support for the region” because “tourism is hurt if the Caribbean is hurt and if the Caribbean is hurt global tourism is hurt.”

Several stakeholders, including the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, the Caribbean Tourism Organization and a number of multilateral agencies, are being targeted for their support in the rescue and rebuilding initiative.

Coming out of the Grenada meeting, Minister Bartlett said, “A plan of action will be crafted, site visits will be done and when we meet in Jamaica for the UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’ at the Montego Bay Convention Center November 27 to 29, we will kick off the action plan for the restoration of the tourism sector.”

Delivering the keynote address, Prime Minister Andrew Holness also took note of sister islands that have been devastated by hurricanes. He said, “In some cases tourism was the single industry and in some cases tourism is the major industry in those islands. They must and will rebuild, however, this time they must factor in disaster resilience, recovery and adaptation in a systematic and institutional way.”

He underscored that, “The world has been forced to acknowledge that there is urgent need for responsibility, adaptation and resilience as we recognize our changing realities. Climate change is real and it will disproportionately affect those of us who are least prepared to respond to its effects.”

At the local level, he said Jamaica had a well-known brand and “the tourism sector continues to support economic growth and development in the Jamaican economy through increased investment and job creation.”  

Prime Minister Holness said while welcoming tourism’s growth, “We are mindful that such growth comes with increased responsibility to promote our common values and to work together as only through partnerships we will succeed.”

The Prime Minister said sustainability was a core feature of Jamaica’s growth agenda, adding, “We must find the right balance so that we have growth but not at the expense of the environment.”

This year’s JAPEX attracted 62 buyer companies with 105 delegates and 99 supplier companies with 246 delegates.

CHENGDU, China; September 15, 2017:  Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Global Conference will be the most significant global conference in tourism ever to be held in the Americas.

The conference, which will focus on jobs and inclusive growth, is expected to attract 800 high-level tourism decision makers to the island’s shores in our tourism capital, Montego Bay, from November 27 – 29, 2017.

Speaking at a press briefing for international journalists earlier this week in Chengdu, China, Minister Bartlett expressed that, “There has never been a gathering of this nature, of key leaders in tourism who will be looking at best practices and how we can bring ideas and resources together. We want to look at how we can map out a blueprint of the future development of tourism, not just in the Caribbean but in the world.”

The Minister also explained that he is expecting over 157 Ministers of Government, as well as representatives from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Organization of American States and a number of key regional organizations such as the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.  The cruise, accommodations and airline sectors are also expected to be actively involved in this upcoming conference.

Organised within the context of the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the global conference will explore partnerships through sustainable tourism, emphasising in particular that tourism is the creator of jobs and can be the lifeguard of a floundering economy.

“Jamaica is pleased to cement itself in history as we host the decision makers of the tourism industry across the world. We will also be using the opportunity to showcase our island’s sustainable tourism development practices and demonstrate how tourism contributes to the economic well-being of every Jamaican,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister further disclosed that the conference will facilitate technical visits to three local community tourism enterprises – Rasta Indigenous Village, Cockpit Country Adventure Tours and the Bunkers Hill Cultural X-perience & River Tour.  These attractions were selected to showcase the biological diversity of Jamaica’s natural environment, rich history and culture.

“It is very important for us to have organised opportunities for esteemed guests, especially potential investors and development institutions, to step beyond the confines of the Montego Bay Convention Centre. We can then discuss how funding can be strategically brought to bear on the development of these tourism niche areas,” the Minister explained.

In providing an update on the conference, the Minister gave his assurance to the media that the conference will be results-oriented with discussions about sustainability from leading regional and international presenters such as His Excellency Danilo Medina, President of the Dominican Republic; Alexandre Rosa, Vice President for Countries, Inter-American Development Bank; and James Scriven, CEO of the Inter-American Investment Corporation.

Other speakers will include Gloria Guevara Manzo, President of the World Travel and Tourism Council; Eduardo Fayos Sola, Expert on the Future of Tourism; His Excellency, Dr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary General; and Xu Jing, Regional Director for Asia and Pacific for the UNWTO.

Minister Bartlett is currently in China to participate in the 22nd Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) General Assembly, being held in Chengdu, China, from September 11 to 16, 2017. While there, he has been assiduously promoting November’s ‘UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 14, 2017: The shutdown of Florida airports because of Hurricane Irma resulted in the cancellation of some 14,000 flights between the Caribbean and the southern US state, according to a tracking service FlightAware.

“Hurricane Irma severely impacted flights between Florida and the Caribbean. In fact, it had a bigger negative impact on tourist arrivals numbers over the last several days than the brief shutdown of Jamaica's airspace following a lightning strike last Friday,” said Senior Advisor/Strategist to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Delano Seiveright.

Noting that most of Jamaica's flights originate from the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando international airports, amounting to roughly 14 or 15 per day, Seiveright noted, "Those cancelations since Friday have had a more serious impact as thousands of tourists fly from or connect through these hubs for American Airlines, JetBlue, Spirit and Southwest Airlines."

He added that the Florida airports are gradually coming back to normalcy as airlines scramble to get their schedules back in order.

Seiveright noted that the shutdown of the Jamaican airspace had a more significant impact "on our European flights into Montego Bay from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and elsewhere. These are long haul 9 and 10-hour transatlantic flights and the crisis put them into a difficult position. Nonetheless, they worked through the disruptions."

He indicated that Minister Bartlett maintains hourly contact with stakeholders across the travel and aviation sectors and commended the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) for understanding the challenges and working miraculously to handle European flights out of Montego earlier this week by keeping operations open up to 11:00 p.m.

JCAA Chairman Phillip Henriques also met with Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) Chairman John Lynch, JTB Director Godfrey Dyer and Seiveright at JTB's head office in New Kingston yesterday as part of a closely coordinated communications strategy between the JCAA, the JTB and the Ministry of Tourism.

Seiveright noted, outside of Florida's airports getting back in full order, things are now approaching normality with tourists easily entering and departing the island.

Minister Bartlett is attending the 22nd Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) General Assembly, which is being held in Chengdu, China, from September 11 to 16, 2017.

CHENGDU, China; September 19, 2017:  Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has been appointed as the coordinator of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) newly formed Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean.

The programme was formed as tourism response mechanism for member states that have been recently impacted by powerful natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms and earthquakes.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the newly convened recovery programme, Secretary General of the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai said, “We cannot just stand still – it is not right.  I really want to make a difference. I hope that we can leave this place with lines of action we can pursue. So, my suggestion is to formalize the group. If Minister Bartlett is okay with this, he can be in charge of getting you together.”

Virtual meetings were proposed for members from countries such as USA, Spain, Barbados, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti, Mexico, and France – who were all in attendance.

Heads of delegations provided an update on the state of their countries and expressed gratitude for this positive showing of solidarity, which will allow them to benefit from an increased pooling of resources.

“I think that the next step would be for us to connect with Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and perhaps to do a technical visit from the UNWTO. So we three can get together to figure out the hard action we can take as we prepare for the November meeting, which will then outline a full plan of action,” said Minister Bartlett.

Secretary General Rifai lamented that he believes it is very “difficult for tourism infrastructure and stakeholders to make a difference, as the initial impact of any disaster is human relief and other activities that are not part of what we can do best.”

He did however emphasise, that help can be offered from the group in three ways.

“Firstly, we should encourage anything possible to make the recovery speedy. Secondly, communication is absolutely crucial and important. We should also concentrate on job loss and businesses lost. I think that’s as much as we can do because realistically speaking we’re not the Red Cross, we are not the International Food Programme which is what people need at this time. 

“What we can do is utilise our tourism infrastructure. For example, many of your destinations are visited by cruise ships; this is the time that we need them to pay their dues to these islands,” he explained.

The ‘UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’, scheduled for November 27-29, 2017,  was also highlighted as the ideal platform to host these discussions publicly, as well as provide an update on the status of the working group.

Mr. Rifai however shared that much work has to be done before the conference and offered to share a fulsome report with all heads of UN bodies, as they have access to resources to which the UNWTO is not privy.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, September 19, 2017: In keeping with efforts to bolster protection of the island’s environmental resources, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) committed some J$8 million to Saturday’s (September 16) staging of International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICCD), while rallying a team of over 400 volunteers to participate in cleanup efforts across the island.

The teams, which comprised staff from TEF, the Ministry of Tourism and its other agencies as well as students, family and friends, were stationed at sites in Kingston, Ocho Rios, Trelawny, Montego Bay and sites on the South Coast.

TEF Executive Director Dr. Carey Wallace, who joined thousands of volunteers at the End of Stones site along the Palisadoes strip in Kingston, said he was pleased to see the excellent turnout, especially of young people. “We have been on board since inception and to date we have committed some $43 million to this very important environmental initiative. This hands-on experience is a powerful way to educated people about the impact of poorly handled waste on the environment. TEF is serious about protecting and preserving our natural resources and we are pleased to be partnering with JET in doing so,” Dr. Wallace said.

ICCD, which is coordinated globally by the Ocean Conservancy and locally by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), is aimed at building global environmental awareness. It is dubbed the “world’s biggest volunteer effort to protect the ocean,” with an estimated half million people around the world participating.  There were 150 cleanup sites across Jamaica being coordinated by 95 local groups, including service clubs, schools, public and private sector organisations, NGOs and community based organisations.  It is estimated that some 10,000 volunteers participated this year.  TEF has been the title sponsor for the local event since 2008. 

JET CEO Diane McCauley said that TEF’s involvement is important to the long haul of the programme.  Noting that improper waste disposal is a long term problem, Ms. McCauley said, “It takes time to change attitudes so we look forward to TEF’s continued support.”

The TEF also sponsors JET’s Clean Coasts Project, which seeks to increase awareness of the negative impact of poor solid waste disposal practices on our health, marine life and the environment as a whole. The project includes environmental education for adults and children along with practical strategies for tackling poor solid waste management and marine debris in Jamaica. The TEF has committed some J$114 million to this project to date.

The TEF Act speaks to the importance of encouraging proper environmental stewardship and has provided some $674 million to various environmental initiatives over the years.

Kingston, Jamaica; September 12, 2017: As part of efforts to build out the tourism sector, the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) recently hosted nine (9) Community Tourism Entities (CTEs) at a Jamaica Community Tourism Development workshop at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston. Under the theme “Toward Success,” the three-day workshop aimed to guide aspiring community based entrepreneurs and to assist existing community tourism executives in the further development of their businesses.

The Community Tourism training follows the completion of the Community Tourism Toolkit, which includes the “Handbook for Community Tourism Enterprises” and “Guide to obtaining a Jamaica Tourist Board Licence.” Together, the guides provide detailed information on the best practices for sustaining a CTE and the process for licensing the business. The Community Tourism Toolkit was created through the partnership of the Ministry of Tourism, the Jamaica Tourist Board, TPDCo and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).

Mr. Deron Dixon, Director of Corporate Services at TPDCo, who brought greetings on behalf of the agency, said, “You have taken a bold step and your attendance shows that you are interested in growth and development. By taking advantage of trainings such as these, you are also making a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of communities, which will assist in our country’s development as we work to make our home a place where visitors can come and feel at home.”

Mrs. Joy Roberts, Deputy Executive Director of TPDCo, highlighted the importance of Community Tourism Entities and the impact they have on the tourism sector. She went on further to say that CTEs offer a unique and gratifying experience for visitors, particularly the millennials who are keen on visiting the homeland of the likes of Bob Marley and Usain Bolt.

The training exercise was led by expert tourism professionals Hugh Shim, Executive Director of Montego Bay Marine Park Trust; Judy Karwacki, owner of Small Planet Consulting; and Terry Hood, Principal of the Northshore Leadership Project; both of whose businesses are based in Vancouver, Canada.

Community Tourism is a promising aspect of tourism in Jamaica as it focuses on introducing the culture and history of Jamaica to both locals and visitors. The experience differs from the resort type vacation as it offers an educational and enriching experience. Most noteworthy however is the economic contribution to the local communities as individuals are able to gain employment through these businesses. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Monday, September 11, 2017:  KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sunday, September 10, 2017:  Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has leveraged his position as Chairman of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Board of Affiliate Members to appeal for aid for Caribbean islands recently devastated by Hurricane Irma.

Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in recorded history last week left a path of death and destruction across the Leeward Islands and the Northern Caribbean.

Bartlett noted that aid will most likely come from the UNWTO Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty Initiative (ST-EP) Foundation, which promotes poverty alleviation through the provision of assistance to sustainable development projects in developing countries.

While expressing deep sympathies to the people of the Caribbean impacted by Hurricane Irma, Minister Bartlett thanked the UNWTO for pledging to assist in rebuilding the tourism industry in the affected countries. “We are all a part of the regional tourism family, so it is important that we are willing to help each other in times of need. This week I will be in Chengdu, China, along with over a thousand tourism officials from around the world, for the 22^nd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly and I plan to use the opportunity to appeal to my colleague Affiliate Members for further assistance to affected countries,” said Minister Bartlett.

“Many of the islands devastated by the hurricane are heavily dependent on tourism.  It is important that we assist in any way possible to help them to rebuild the sector,” Bartlett further shared.

Meanwhile, Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UNWTO, called for an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of recent hurricanes on the travel and tourism industry and the future of tourism Caribbean member nations. He passed on, “heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and stands ready to support the affected countries, where tourism is a pillar in the lives of so many people, to recover as swiftly as possible.”

Kingston, Jamaica: September 08, 2017….The Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo), the agency with responsibility for managing the Rio Grande Attraction in Portland, has implemented a new ninety-minute rafting trip on the world-famous Rio Grande River, in addition to the  legacy  trip of  two or three hours.

The new route, which becomes available September 18, is for individuals who wish to enjoy a shorter version of the sought after experience.

The new short route will begin at Rafter’s Rest and end at Shotover. This new starting point will eliminate the need for persons to be escorted from Rafter’s Rest to the previous starting point at Berrydale.

Rio Grande, which is known as the birthplace of rafting in Jamaica, has maintained its status as a premier rafting experience for visitors and locals to Portland. Located approximately 108 km or 2 hours and 15 minutes from either Ocho Rios or Kingston, an excursion of this nature offers a relaxing and tranquil contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city.

The slow scenic tour of the Rio Grande is led by licensed raft captains who are trained in First Aid and CPR, and possess excellent swimming capabilities. Additionally, the River Rafting Authority and other Government agencies ensure that all laws and regulations are observed for a seamless and exhilarating experience.

Refreshments and Craft Items are also on sale at Rafter’s Rest.

For further information and bookings, visit the Rio Grande Attraction at Rafter’s Rest in St. Margaret’s Bay, Portland. Tel: (876) 993-5778 or Email rgrande@cwjamaica.com