TALKING POINTS FOR MINISTER OF TOURISM HON. EDMUND BARTLETT AT THE SIA APPRECIATION FUNCTION/START OF THE WINTER TOURIST SEASON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016

Salutations:

• Mrs. Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and other ministry officials
• Dr. Rafael Echevarne,  CEO, MBJ Airports Limited
• Mr. Peter Hall, Acting Chief Operating Officer, MBJ Airports Limited
• Mr. John Lynch, Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board
• Mr. Paul Pennicook, Director of Tourism
• Mr. Clyde Harrison – Executive Director, Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)
• Mrs. Joy Roberts, Acting Executive Director, TPDCo

Ladies and gentlemen, tourism partners, members of the media…Good Morning...

• It is indeed a pleasure to be here today, for this special appreciation function for our tourism workers as we kick-start what promises to be our best Winter Tourist Season ever.
• I always look forward to speaking with you at this time of the year as it not only provides the opportunity for me to see firsthand what is happening on the ground at our main airports, but it gives me the opportunity to personally thank you all for the outstanding work you have been doing.

IMPORTANT ROLE OF TOURISM WORKERS

• I am very proud of the achievements of our sector and the part you the committed workers have been playing in making sure that once our visitors arrive here, they experience high class service that is second to none.
• We all have a role to place in ensuring that our visitors enjoy their vacation so much that they not only want to return but they also want to encourage relatives, friends and colleagues to visit Jamaica as well.
• Many of you are the first point of contact when our visitors arrive in the island, you are the first persons to welcome them here and also the last to bid them farewell as they depart; and this is why you play such a critical role in our tourism sector. You help to create that lasting first and last impression.
• The fact of the matter is that none of the success we have been having could have been achieved without your outstanding contribution as tourism ambassadors. So we are here to say thank you to all our airport workers including – Immigration, Customs workers, Red Cap Porters and ground transportation operators in particular for giving outstanding service.
• I encourage you all to remain committed to providing excellent service and to play your role in protecting the tourism sector. You are all making a significant contribution to an all-important industry that continues to fuel social and economic development locally.

RETURN OF TSEP

• The outstanding service which tourism workers like you provide helps to differentiate Jamaica from other rival destinations.
• We want to ensure that our high service standard never falls but instead want to see it improve. This is why we will be focusing on recognizing and rewarding our top service providers.
• With this in mind I am pleased to formally announce that the Ministry of Tourism will be reintroducing the Tourism Service Excellence Programme (TSEP) to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations that have made an exemplary contribution to our tourism sector.
• The programme will form part of our strategic marketing efforts overseas to highlight our outstanding service standards and our commitment to providing excellent service throughout our entire sector.
•  TSEP has been revamped and my Ministry in association with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) will host a stellar National Tourism Service Excellence Awards Ceremony on, March 4, 2017 at the Hyatt  Ziva Rose Hall, Montego Bay to recognize the stars of the sector.

TOURISM WORKERS PENSION SCHEME

• Ladies and gentlemen, there is no disputing the fact that our tourism workers are our most important assets. However I have long lamented that much more needs to be done to safeguard the welfare of our workers.
• Unfortunately despite decades as a premier tourist destination in the Caribbean, many of our workers have not benefitted as they should. This is disheartening and I hold the firm view that we must take decisive steps to improve how tourism functions as a sector so that we can enrich the sector’s human capital.
• One key strategy we are employing to address this pressing problem is establishing a Tourism Workers Pension Scheme.  
•  An excellent team of experts has been working tirelessly to fine-tune the framework for the scheme. I am pleased to announce that Cabinet has approved the drafting of the Tourism Workers Pension Act to facilitate the creation of a much needed pension fund for all tourism workers, including Red Cap Porters, craft vendors, ground transportation operators and hotel workers.
• This approval also clears the way for Parliamentary approval to be sought for the Act to facilitate the establishment of the pension scheme; to amend the TEF Act to allow for the disbursement of $1 billion to facilitate the seeding of the pension scheme.
• The Fund will be treated like the typical pension scheme where contributions will be tax free.  
• This will truly be a game-changer for the industry and will ensure that our workers can retire in dignity after providing years of dedicated service to the industry.

WINTER TOURIST SEASON

• At this time of year most Jamaicans are getting into a festive mood in anticipation of Christmas, but for the tourism worker, the focus is largely on keeping up with the increased demand that comes with the start of the Winter Tourist Season.
• However as the tourism sector continues to grow it is becoming clearer that we are moving closer and closer to having a ‘year-round’ tourist season with bookings for the Summer and Fall not very far behind those of the traditional Winter Season.
• In light of the fact that the tourism sector is performing so well and growing consistently, the concept of the winter tourist season, which runs from December 15 to April 15, will soon have little relevance to tourism in Jamaica.
• In fact, this year will be the last year that we are going to mark the ‘start of the winter tourist season,’ as we have moved beyond that as a sector.
• The anticipated end to the seasonality of local tourism is based on the fact that we will have four million visitors here next year. This year we’re going to record a total of some 3.7 million and when you get to four million visitors next year you can’t talk about winter season and summer season because every day is a part of the year-round season.
• Nevertheless, I am pleased to say that we are on the brink of what promises to be an exciting winter tourist season for our tourism sector.
• The prospect for our industry continues to be positive – the investment climate is vibrant with hundreds of new and refurbished rooms coming on stream; industry stakeholders are optimistic; we’re boosting marketing, enhancing our tourism product and strengthening linkages between tourism and other sectors.

STATE OF THE SECTOR

Arrivals

• From January to October 2016, the island registered an increase of 5.2 percent in total visitor arrivals over the same period last year, with 3,101,920 total visitors.
• Stopover arrivals also increased by 2.4 percent over the same period last year, with 1,788,079 visitors.
• Cruise arrivals increased by 9.1 percent over the same period in 2015, totaling 1,313,841 cruise passengers. 
• We are seeing robust performance out of the United States, Jamaica’s primary source market, which saw a 4.6 percent increase for January to October 2016 over the same period last year.
• The European market grew by 5.3 percent from January to October 2016, over the corresponding period in 2015.

Airlift

• For winter 2017, the destination has secured in excess of 4,000 new seats from the United States over last winter. 
• This is due in large measure to the new charter service from Rockford, Illinois by Apple Vacations which begins in January. Advance bookings for this service are very strong. 
• Similarly, another gateway from which we expect increased air seats this winter is Minneapolis, which is being served by Delta and Sun Country Charter.
• In the Northeast, we have direct service from Boston on Delta, starting December 17. This is in addition to current direct service offered by American Airlines and JetBlue Airways.

Hotel Construction

• The past year has been an exciting one for the accommodation sub-sector with significant construction taking place in 2016 and continuing into 2017.
• Among the rooms brought on-stream recently are:
  • RIU Reggae –  450 rooms
  • Royalton Blue Waters – 225 rooms
  • Royal Decameron Cornwall – 142 rooms
  • AM Resorts’ Breathless Resort – 150 rooms
  • Zoë try  Montego Bay – 50 rooms
  • Gran Bahia Principe – 400 rooms
  • Moon Palace –750 rooms
  • Melia Braco – some 230 rooms

• The outlook for 2017 is also quite positive as more than 1,000 new rooms are expected to be added to our room stock during winter 2017.
  • Royalton Negril Resort & Spa – 600 rooms
  • The Hideaway at Royalton Negril Resort – 166 rooms
  • Azul Sensatori – some 51 rooms
  • Azul Beach – some 98 rooms
  • Spanish Court West – some 120 rooms 

• In Kingston:
  • The Renfrew will provide 32 high-end rooms and eight two-bedroom apartments.
  • Construction is also underway at the former Wyndham Kingston. The 303-room property was acquired by the Kevin Hendrickson led Courtleigh Hotel group.

THE GROWTH TARGETS

• There is no doubt that this is a very strong performance for the island’s tourist industry. With the increase in room stock and airlift, our sector is on the right path to achieving our growth targets of attracting five million visitors by 2021; generating $5 billion in tourism earnings; increasing the total direct jobs to 125,000 and adding 15,000 new hotel rooms.
• This winter tourist season is off to an excellent start and we are confident that it will be a successful one. Keep up the good work, and let me take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the holiday season.

Thank you.