KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 3, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed deep sadness at the passing of Pablo Piñero, the president and founder of the Grupo Piñero company – which includes mega-hotel Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts.

“On behalf of the Government of Jamaica, I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Pablo Piñero. The tourism industry across the globe has certainly suffered an extreme loss and I am sure I speak for all industry leaders across the globe, when I share how very grateful we are for the invaluable contribution he has made to the development of the sector,” said Minister Bartlett.

The 76-year-old was fundamental in Grupo Piñero becoming one of the largest and most influential Spanish hotel chains in the world, with properties in Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Spain.  The company also manages over five million hotel stays per year, has 26 four- and five-star hotels totalling 11,000 rooms and employs around 10,000 people.

The Minister described Pablo Piñero as an outstanding entrepreneur and a global icon in the tourism and hospitality industry.

“He was an exemplary gentleman whose passion and zeal for excellence in hospitality is unmatched. I am truly happy that his company invested so heavily in Jamaica. The Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts resulted in job creation for thousands of Jamaicans. It has also helped to strengthen the global appeal of brand Jamaica by expanding the hotel offerings in the island and significantly impacting the room count,” said the Minister.  

Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts opened in Runaway Bay, St Ann, in 2007, and is now one of the largest hotels in Jamaica with an impressive room-count of over 1300. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 30, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has disclosed that the country earned a record US$2 Billion during the first eight months of this calendar year from 2.8 million visitors. 

The figure represents an increase of 8.3 percent in gross foreign exchange earnings than the US$1.83 billion earned last year over the same period. In addition, cruise passenger arrivals were up 5.1 percent for the same period.

“My mission is to enhance the retention of the dollar from this US$2 Billion. In fact, the latest report from the World Travel & Tourism Council indicates that the retention of the dollar, from the consumption side has risen to 70 percent. The Tourism Linkages Council is going to drive that value added that is needed to take the retention levels in Jamaica from 30 cents to at least 50 cents, for the total dollar that is spent,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also highlighted that direct contribution from tourism to the GDP at the moment is 8.4 percent but the induced and indirect contribution is now 27.2 percent. So tourism remains one of the few labour intensive sectors and directly employs 106,000 Jamaicans while generating indirect jobs for one in four persons, linked to sectors such as agriculture, creative and cultural industries, manufacturing, and construction.

The Tourism Minister was speaking at the press briefing to report on the year-old TEF/EXIM Bank Small Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTE) Loan Facility, at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices on August 30, 2017.

According to reports received from the EXIM Bank, as at August 29, 2017, they have received twenty-eight completed loan applications, totalling J$509.9 million, under the SMTE loan programme. 

“The excellent response of SMTEs to the loan facility is proof that it is welcomed and well needed. Operators of SMTEs, who access up to $25 million dollars at 5 percent interest, over 5 years, will now be able to better respond to the demands of our thriving tourism sector,” said the Minister.

Twenty-two applications totalling J$408.9 million have also been approved with disbursements to date (August 30, 2017) totalling J$311.16 million, exceeding the initial tranche of J$300 million received for disbursement. 

It is anticipated that the remaining approvals will be disbursed in short order.  Six applications totalling J$101 million are being processed, which will bring total approvals in excess of J$500 million.

These applications fall in the following approved categories: Attractions (J$84.50 million); Small Accommodations (J$105 million); Gastronomy (J$25 million); Linkages (J$32 million); Shopping (J$30 million); Manufacturing (J$47.5 million); Services (J$48.4); Spa & Wellness (J$12.5 million); Domestic tours and Car rentals (J$125 million).

“Over the last year this loan has enabled the continuation of the growth of tourism as a discreet sector. I am able to say to you today, that the industry has expanded by 36 percent over the last ten years. That compares favourably to the overall economy itself that has expanded by only 6 percent over the same period. So tourism has grown six times the rate of growth of the GDP,” said the Minister.

The loan facility was launched last September, with a commitment of $1 billion from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to provide well-needed loans to small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) to boost the sustainable growth of the industry.  

TEF presented EXIM Bank with the first tranche of J$300 million last September and during today’s launch, which marks the second phase of the loan, TEF provided another tranche of J$350 million towards the further development of the programme.

“The impact of building these underpinnings is creating greater expenditures – that is, the tourist is spending more in the country because we have more to offer them.   It is important to note that building the capacity to provide more of what the tourists require when they get here is to build out the production and enable the consumption patterns of the tourist, to favour the retention of the dollar in our destination,” said the Minister.

In closing, Minister Bartlett urged financial institutions to do more to support small businesses so they can better equipped to respond to the demands of the tourism sector. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 24, 2017:  Online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb has committed approximately J$8.3 million to the Government of Jamaica, towards the staging of the UNWTO, GOJ, World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism.

This makes the mega-technology company the first platinum sponsor for the conference, which is scheduled for November 27-29, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett welcomed the sponsorship, sharing that it will strengthen the projected impact the conference will have on the future of Jamaica’s tourism sector.

“This conference will not only be the single biggest international tourism event ever held on local soil but is also going to be one of the most important events that is held in the country’s history.  I am so happy to have Airbnb on board and look forward to working with them on a number of different projects which I am certain will benefit the people of Jamaica in the near future,” said Minister Bartlett.

Airbnb’s Regional Director for Central America and the Caribbean, Shawn Sullivan, gave the commitment to Minister Bartlett during a meeting at his company’s California headquarters on August 23, 2017.

“Today was an excellent day for Airbnb. It was another step in us solidifying and making more prominent, our relationship with the Government of Jamaica.  Airbnb sees Jamaica as a premier destination in the Caribbean and in the world,” said Mr. Sullivan.

Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world online. It connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries.

The market for Airbnb in Jamaica is rapidly growing and is extremely lucrative. Their web site currently boasts thousands of active hosts and active listings locally. Jamaica also welcomed upwards of 32,000 visitors via Airbnb last year, benefitting many communities across the island, including Trench Town in Kingston, and generating income for many homeowners.

The Minister is currently in California, where he is also expected to engage in strategic meetings with American technology mega-companies Google, LinkedIn Corporation and Uber Technologies Inc.

The meetings are in tandem with two of the five strategic pillars of the Ministry – building new products and fostering new partnerships; and will also be used to promote the UNWTO, GOJ, World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, scheduled for November 27 – 29, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. 

He is joined by Senior Advisor/ Communication Strategist, Delano Seiveright and Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Los Angeles, Lorna Mae Johnson. He is expected to return to the island on August 27, 2017.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 22, 2017:  Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is to collaborate with the Government of Jamaica in the staging United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, being held in November at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

During his recent trip to London, Bartlett met with the WTTC’s Senior Vice-President of Government and Industry Affairs, Helen Marano, who expressed strong collaborative support for the historic conference.  This is in tandem with widening global support for the conference from major international institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

According to Minister Bartlett, one of key expected outcomes from this global conference is the Montego Bay Declaration. “At the end of the conference, there will be the compilation of the Draft Montego Bay Declaration. From this will flow an action plan for tourism destinations to follow, as well as the publication of the second volume of the UNWTO Global Report on Public Private Partnerships,” explained the Minister.

The Conference will also incorporate a presentation of the Caribbean Legends Awards, the first of its kind, which will be a collaborative effort involving Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), supported by UNWTO. These awards, in the categories of Land, Sea and Air, will be given to individuals that have made an indelible mark on the tourism industry, not just regionally, but globally, enhancing the Caribbean brand.

November’s global conference will also seek to identify successful models and future partnership initiatives that will contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the publication of the second UNWTO Affiliate Members Global Report on Public-Private-Partnerships.

“I am proud of the strong partnership we have had with the WTTC, in particular, over the years.  They are the movers and shakers in the travel and tourism industry and I am positive that when the details of this collaboration are finalized it will   strengthen Jamaica’s presence as a tourism powerhouse on the global stage,” said Minister Bartlett.

The WTTC is an international organization that brings together all major Travel & Tourism stakeholders, including presidents, chairs and CEOs of over 150 of the world’s foremost companies spanning hotels, airlines, airports, tour operators, cruise, car rental, travel agents, rail and the emergent sharing economy.

London, United Kingdom – August 9, 2017: Headlining a packed dinner with United Kingdom (UK) Travel Industry executives in London, Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett charged them to increase to 250,000 the number of UK stopover tourist arrivals to Jamaica, thereby exceeding Barbados as the leading Caribbean destination for British visitors.

Last year Jamaica saw 210,000 tourists from the UK, just a few thousand less than the 218,000 UK stopover visitors to Barbados, that country’s main source market for tourists and historically the favourite in the Caribbean for Brits.

Minister Bartlett, speaking at a dinner at the popular Boisdale restaurant in London’s busy financial district, Canary Wharf, charged UK Travel executives to aggressively build on last year’s 5.8 percent growth and the near 40 percent growth in British tourists visiting Jamaica over the last three years.

“Jamaica is hot. With a repeat visitor rate of 40 percent and a surge in wedding and honeymoon UK vacationers, including Prince Harry and dozens of his friends coming to Jamaica recently, we can easily eclipse our friendly neighbor Barbados, commonly known as Little England, as the number one destination for Brits in the Caribbean,”  Bartlett noted.

Bartlett is leading a small team of tourism officials to London, UK for a blitz of engagements with industry stakeholders across the airline, hotel, tour operator, travel agency and media sectors. The visit is timed with IAAF World Championships at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

As part of promotional efforts timed with the Championships, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) in conjunction with travel industry partners had 150 of London’s famed black taxi cabs emblazoned with the moniker Less Traffic and More Jammin coupled with colourful Jamaica-themed images depicting an inviting scene of the island. Additionally, the JTB has pushed and sponsored Jamaica Garden Terrace at the popular Scottish-influenced Boisdale Restaurant featuring Jamaican food as well as musical performances from well-known Jamaican artistes. Over a 120,000 people work in close proximity to the Terrace, an area with headquarters to many well-known banks, financial institutions and professional services firms such as Barclays, Citigroup, HSBC, JP Morgan, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, RBC and Reuters to name a few.

Bartlett is accompanied by Chairman of the JTB, John Lynch; Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook,  Senior Advisor/Strategist, Delano Seiveright and Deputy Director Marcia McLaughlin along with JTB officials based in the UK.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; July 31, 2017: Having spent $2.8 billion from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in the Montego Bay area over the last ten years, the Ministry of Tourism is ploughing an additional $1.2 billion over the next four years to enhance the physical appearance of the resort town.

The Ministry’s commitment to support Montego Bay as the island’s largest resort area and the fastest growing city in the Caribbean was spelt out by Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett on Friday (July 28, 2017), at the Royal Decameron Hotel. The Invest Mobay breakfast forum hosted by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and industry, looked at “Unlocking the Opportunities in Tourism - Reviving the Hip Strip.”

With the money being provided by TEF, through development agencies such as the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), “we’re going to be reconfiguring the entire area from Dump Up Beach straight through to Dead End, which includes the Hip Strip” said Minister Bartlett. The area earmarked spans the coastline from Pier 1, going east along Howard Cooke Boulevard, Gloucester Avenue and Kent Avenue.

Underscoring the importance of partnerships, he said “the private and public sectors together have combined to create a new-look experience that is going to define a new attraction and indeed a new presence of Montego Bay in the global tourism market,” said the minister.

Among the projects to be funded by TEF are $600 million for the creation of a closed harbour park, $35 million to resurface the road from Summit Police Station on Sunset Boulevard to Dead End on Kent Avenue. Also, utility wires along the Hip Strip will be relocated underground.

Montego Bay’s streets are also receiving attention, with $60 million provided by TEF to be spent by November through the municipal corporation. As part of this programme, further attention will be given to the airport round-about.

Underlying what is being done, Minister Bartlett said that, “Jamaica and Montego Bay must become the centre of beauty and aesthetic in the Caribbean.” To further this cause, landscaping of the Elegant Corridor, east from the airport to Greenwood, will be done at a cost of $252 million. The Flanker community is also listed among projects to be undertaken with a special $40 million programme on the drawing table.   

At the same time, the Montego Bay Convention Center is being refurbished at a cost of $200 million “to make it fit for purpose” in time for the UNWTO World Conference on Sustainable Tourism November 27 to 29, this year and further afield, water distribution for communities around Montego Bay is to be improved with $120 million provided by TEF. A contract was signed on Thursday (July 27, 2017) with Rural Water Supply, to expand the Canaan source, to improve distribution to communities such as Orange, Irwin Heights, Johns Hall and Amity Hall.

Also, the communities of Lilliput, Grange Pen, Greenwood and Barrett Hall will be able to access electricity supply legally with the implementation of a $125 million squatter upgrading and Rural Electrification Programme.

Minister Bartlett said, though all this effort augured well for the improvement of social and physical infrastructure, while building out the economic framework for the development of the Montego Bay community, more needed to be done and the Ministry of Tourism was working with the Ministry of National Security on addressing penal reconstruction  along safety and security.

Minister Bartlett informed the forum that, as the most important tourism city in the English-speaking Caribbean, Montego Bay represented some 35 percent of the national tourism product and with a national target of the industry earning US$5 billion by 2021 Montego Bay should be providing 20 percent of that.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 27, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says more Jamaicans need to own the inputs of tourism so that the country can benefit from a raise in the level of retention of earnings from the industry.

Speaking at the third staging of the Tourism Linkages Network’s ‘Christmas in July’ event at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Minister Bartlett shared that his Ministry is pushing the Linkages initiative to tackle the industry’s leakages by encouraging greater production of local products and facilitating direct networking opportunities for local producers.

“The strong linkages established today between producers and buyers are important to our economic development. As it is the world over, micro, small and medium tourism enterprises are vital because 80% of global tourism is driven by them. If we are to seriously talk about retaining the revenue from tourism then we have to build out the capacity of this 80% to drive more creative output and be able to deliver on the demand that tourism brings,” said Minister Bartlett. 

The Minister therefore applauded the event organizers for successfully bringing together some 120 local producers of authentic gift and souvenir items – 80 of which were new to the exhibition – to showcase their products to corporate executives and industry players.

The Christmas in July exhibition is a collaborative effort of the Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Network and its partners, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA), and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

Products on display included traditional souvenirs of all kinds, such as corporate, home and decorative accessories; desktop solutions; specialty foods and aromatherapy products.

“The items on display today are an authentic expression of our Jamaican men and women who use their hands to tell the story of our rich, local culture. Based on what I can see around me, I am sure that this year’s staging of Christmas in July will be equally successful, if not better,” said the Minister.

Sharing in the sentiments of the Minister, exhibitors were equally excited about being involved in this year’s staging of the Ministry of Tourism’s Christmas in July event and praised the event as being a major success.

“Christmas in July is a great gateway to get your products out there and gain market access. We came back this year, hoping that we would get some more prospects for retail outlets. So far we have gotten one and even have other prospective retailers,” said Aviola Accessories proprietor, Melissa Preddie.

Buyers were equally impressed with the offerings and the potential the event has for leveraging business prospects for local producers.

“I think it’s wonderful. It’s a good display for upcoming businesses, young entrepreneurs and even businesses that have not been in the forefront. I see very creative products and I hope that it reaches the people it needs to reach and reduces the manufacturers who copy our Jamaican branded items worldwide, for their benefit,” said Paulette Lewis.

Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Mr. Earl Jarrett, chief executive officer of The Jamaica National Group (JN Group) yesterday, July 26, 2017, signed an agreement under which the JN Group will provide planning, management and execution services for mounting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development Conference, from November 27 to 29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

Minister Bartlett was speaking at the signing ceremony, during the Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.  The Tourism Minister said that this is the first time in the history of the UNWTO that the private and public sectors will be working together, in collaboration with multi-lateral financial institutions, to stage an event of this nature.  The event is also of great historical importance because it signals the first time that the UNWTO will stage a world conference on tourism in the Caribbean or Americas.

“The conference in November will address an imbalance in the global funding of tourism activities and development,” Minister Bartlett underlined.  “Despite the powerhouse impact that tourism is having on the world economy, there is a disproportionate flow of funding and financing, and this is happening, although 80 percent of tourism is driven by small and medium countries.”

The World Bank Group and donor countries, through their specific investment arms, are participating in the conference through panels that will explore various areas of sustainability; and, how projects and financing can be generated for small and medium players in the global tourism sector.

The Minister said the main outcome of the conference will be the Declaration of Montego Bay, which will inform the next millennial goals of the United Nations and form the basis of the next major publication of the UNWTO’s Sustainable Development strategies.

He congratulated The JN Group for the role that it has played in the growth and development of the Jamaican economy and acknowledged that the company will be responsible for managing the logistics of the conference.

Earl Jarrett said his company decided to undertake this project because JN is vested in the development of Jamaica.   “The JN Group comprises 30 companies, one of which is the MCS Group, and our team of professionals has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver a successful conference.   We are proud to have been selected by the Ministry and are confident that our team will be equal to the task.”

Managing Director of the MCS Group, Ms Onika Miller, noted, “We welcome the opportunity to participate in this public-private sector partnership, working with the Ministry of Tourism and other government and tourism partners, who are serving on the many conference planning committees.  Strong partnerships such as this can help our nation to meet growth targets and national development goals”.  She pointed out that the JN team will be responsible for project and event management, communication, branding and coordination of volunteers.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 25, 2017:  Efforts to bolster Devon House as the epicentre of Gastronomy in Kingston have been increased, with the official opening of an expanded ‘I-Scream’ parlour on the North Lawns of the property on July 24, 2017.  

The new property was created to address growing public concerns about the wait time to purchase ice cream, especially on weekends and public holidays. The project received $28 million from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to build a brand new 5,000 square feet facility, which doubles the size of its previously located courtyard and kiosk outlets on the property.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett shared that the new parlour is a mere fraction of the culinary tourism plans his Ministry has in place for the iconic Devon House facility.

“I want to indicate to you that a few weeks ago we launched the gastronomy centre of the Caribbean right here at Devon House, and that we have intentions to build out a Caribbean experience that will involve culinary tourism. We want to ensure that when you leave Devon House you will not only have ice cream but all the other delicacies which have come out of the confluence of cultures and ethnicities of our people,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister further explained that the vision of the Devon House cultural experience as well as the iconic ‘I-Scream’ brand was that of former Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga.

Mr. Seaga, who was on hand for the ceremony, explained that Devon House was built around the concept of things Jamaican and within this was the element of different foods and drinks. He also disclosed that he played a key role in preventing the property from being demolished while ensuring that it would remain a Jamaican experience for tourists to enjoy in its authentic state for years to come.

“Tonight I am very glad to see what has been done with Devon House. I want to, in particular, commend the Minister of Tourism for seeing what I had in mind and giving it his blessing by continuing it,” said Mr. Seaga.

As it relates to the ice cream brand in particular, he disclosed that in its inception he charged Carol Clarke-Webster, head of Scoops Un-Limited Limited, to develop a creamier ice cream recipe that would make the product unique. He also shared that he was responsible for naming the ice cream brand.

“When I was a youngster my father used to say ‘I scream, you scream, we all scream’ and I said but wait that sounds like a very good thing, we can name the ice cream parlour after that – and that’s what happened,” recalled Mr. Seaga.

The project forms part of a much larger financial commitment from TEF – $151 million since 2012 – to refurbish Devon House and make it financially sustainable. The execution of the project, on the other hand, which also included a new walk way and rest rooms for patrons and staff, was managed by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Monday, July 17, 2017: The Ministry of Tourism, through its Linkages Network, is encouraging the tourism sector to make greater use of technology to enhance guest experience.

A ground-breaking move in that direction was made on Thursday (July 13) when the Knowledge Network of the Tourism Linkages Network partnered with Digicel Business to host “Smart Destination Jamaica:  A Preview of the Latest Technology in Tourism,” a think tank and forum that discussed and demonstrated some of the latest technological trends globally being employed in the hospitality industry.

The four-hour event, which was held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, attracted nearly 350 participants from tourism and allied sectors. They were given a close insight into how managed technology can boost guest satisfaction and provide management with data-driven marketing tools by high-tech service providers HP Aruba, Avaya, Buddy and Digicel.

Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett underscored the importance of technology as a driving force in knowledge and innovation, which have been changing the way in which business models were being conducted and “changing the way in which we understand things.”

He said the event was intended “to look at how the technologies have been impacting tourism and what it is going to mean for the architecture that will emerge in the tourism space.” Minister Bartlett lauded the initiative as a bold step by the Knowledge Network to bring the players and purveyors together with stakeholders “who are deeply interested in uniting the new values that this technology will bring to make us fit for purpose and more so, remain fashionable and relevant.” The Knowledge Network is chaired by Digicel Jamaica Chief Executive Officer David Butler. 

Minister Bartlett spoke to the need for Jamaica to enable the concept of “smart destination, innovation for tourism development and management” as a key area that would be redefining tourism in a profound way.

According to Minister Bartlett, “ICT has become an enabler for sustainable development globally and as the world’s natural resources become more and more finite, we can use ICT to dematerialise the economy. This would mean moving away from a business model that is based on products and things and towards a business model based on service.”

Regarding the use of Apps to benefit all sectors that support the tourist industry, the Tourism Minister referred to the linkage with the agricultural sector as an example of what is being pursued and noted the intention to use funding support to provide assistance to the small farmers to be able to access an App so that connectivity can be achieved anywhere in Jamaica where there is supply.

Chairman of the Tourism Linkages Network, Adam Stewart stressed that with 94 percent of today’s travellers requiring WiFi this service must be seen as a must in all areas of a hotel. There was also consensus on the need to use information available on guests to improve the visitor experience and also increase both guestroom revenues and ancillary room revenues. For instanc, smart check-in, whereby on arrival at the hotel guests can go directly to their rooms and use their cell phones to gain entry and receive information about services.

The Knowledge Network is one of five networks implemented by the Ministry of Tourism to further diversify the island’s tourism product and secure higher yields per visitor, while building a competitive industry and creating more jobs for Jamaicans. The other networks are Gastronomy, Shopping, Sports and Entertainment and Health and Wellness.