Edmund Bartlett travel tips

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is urging Jamaicans to seize the multitude of opportunities available within the tourism sector, emphasising the industry’s potential to generate significant economic benefits for the entire nation.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island today for Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to participate in the highly anticipated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 trade show.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is calling for a more aggressive push for human capital development which is critical to future proof tourism for small island states like Jamaica. The Minister made the call during ‘The New Age of Island Tourism’ panel at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. “The future of tourism will depend on innovation, agility and creativity from our workers who are at the heart of our hospitality machinery. It is through the dedication and commitment of our tourism workers that the industry has been able to recover from the pandemic and grow.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has emphasized the critical role that travel advisors play in advancing the growth of Jamaica’s tourism. Speaking at a special luncheon to honour top travel advisors in Northeast America on April 13, the Minister reflected on the effort and dedication of these advisors during the pandemic.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has called for a united international effort to bolster sustainable tourism practices as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) first-ever Sustainability Week in New York, this morning.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has urged young people “to become a part of the tourism machinery that is driving global development and economic growth.” The appeal was made as he addressed the Jamaica Youth Tourism Summit, hosted by Tourism Management students at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Western Jamaica Campus at the Montego Bay Convention Centre recently, with hundreds of students from local high schools in attendance.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed that, in developing Jamaica’s new Tourism Strategy and Action Plan (TSAP), greater focus will have to be placed on strengthening linkages with other sectors and preventing economic leakages. He was speaking yesterday at the Spanish Court Hotel as the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), successfully concluded its islandwide series of tourism strategy consultation workshops, with the final session being held with stakeholders from the Kingston and St. Andrew destination area. The tourism minister highlighted that the strategy must have an emphasis on reinforcing linkages between tourism and other productive sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing, to prevent economic leakages, as the sector prepares to meet the sustained and increased demand of visitors over the next few years. In this regard, Minister Bartlett noted: “Our strategy in tourism must drive the linkages in the various areas, to stop the leakages from other areas.”

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has disclosed several important productive outcomes from a series of high-level stakeholder engagements at Seatrade Cruise Global 2024 in Miami, Florida, the industry’s premier annual event. The conference was held from April 8-11.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is set to depart the island to participate in Eco-Canada’s Sustainable Blue Economy Summit 2024 in Halifax, Canada, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Minister Bartlett will be a featured speaker and thought leader at the summit, highlighting the critical importance of the blue economy to building tourism resilience and sustainability.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, has announced that Jamaica has welcomed one million visitors and earned one billion in foreign exchange in the first two months of the year. The numbers highlight the impressive growth trajectory of the country’s tourism sector. The announcement was made during a Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace press conference, held yesterday at the Jamaica Tourist Board office in Kingston.

Jamaica has been named Global Destination of the Year at the renowned travel trade show, ITB in Berlin. The award was presented yesterday by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA). The PATWA is a nonprofit international media organization of travel writers founded in 1999 and the awards seek to recognize organizations, destinations/brands and individuals achieving the highest standards in their field. In accepting the award on behalf of the destination, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett said, “Jamaica is known for its food, music and indeed love so we are humbled to be recognized for these experiential offerings to our visitors that provide meaningful memories.”

The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) has bestowed the prestigious title of Global Tourism Icon upon Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the tourism industry. This esteemed accolade, that was presented yesterday (March 6), comes as a testament to Minister Bartlett’s relentless dedication to promoting sustainable tourism practices, fostering cultural exchange, and advancing the tourism sector on a global scale. He has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at enhancing visitor experiences, building resilience and creating economic opportunities for local communities through tourism.

UN Tourism Secretary-General H.E. Zurab Pololikashvili has outlined plans to boost job creation and investment in the Caribbean’s tourism industry. Mr. Pololikashvili was a keynote speaker during the just concluded 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. Underscoring the importance of building the resilience of tourism in the Caribbean, he stated: “We need presence; we need to support families whose income is only from tourism and agriculture, and fishing.” That’s why, he said, with the support of ministers present, “I promise all Jamaicans and all Caribbeans that we’ll be here talking about how to develop the tourist industry and how to create new jobs.”

Jamaica proudly celebrates the news of Virgin Atlantic’s increased flight frequency to the island. Commencing 31st March 2024, the airline will be expanding their flight offering from London Heathrow to Montego Bay, Jamaica, from five to seven times per week, all year round, with the low season addition of a Saturday and Sunday operation. 

Plans are in full force for the highly anticipated second staging of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Taking place over a two-day period, the Global Tourism Resilience Conference will include panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations and lively debates on matters of building resilience in tourism. This group of experts in their collective fields will gather to collaboratively discuss issues that are central to future-proofing travel and tourism to various disruptions moving forward. Global tourism resilience will once again take centre stage with key experts on building resilience in the industry. As tourism destinations continue to recover, it is critical that   tenacity is a focus of planning and development to future proof the industry from any potential shock,” said Founder of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett met with the owners of the Pinero Group, which owns the prominent Spanish Hotel chain, Bahia Principe, in Madrid, Spain to discuss the status of their multifaceted resort development in St. Ann. The Group owns the Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica, Jamaica’s largest hotel, with 1,350 rooms. The meeting follows a formal presentation of their development plans to the Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness and other officials last year, at the Office of the Prime Minister. The project will be one of the largest resort and real estate projects ever executed in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Following a productive courtesy call between the Ministry of Tourism and World Bank representatives on Tuesday (January 16), Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has reported steady strides regarding the Ministry’s Multi-Dimensional Impact Assessment Study, which will evaluate the economic impact as well as other implications of adding 20,000 new hotel rooms over the next 10 years. The meeting, led by World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, saw the team providing insights into their ongoing study titled “Future of Tourism in the Caribbean.” This study aims to empower regional markets to enhance competitiveness, improve connectivity, and overcome barriers to tourism growth. 

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (2nd left) presents a special gift to members of the World Bank team: Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc (2nd right); Programme Leader, Nataliya Mylenko (1st left); and Senior Operations Analyst, Jhanelle-Rae Bowie, following a high-level meeting alongside other members of the Ministry’s team.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is leading a collaborative effort between public and private sector stakeholders to build capacity and systematically address the pain points in the tourism industry.  Minister Bartlett made the disclosure following a meeting with industry partners, which he led in conjunction with the president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Robin Russell, yesterday (January 11) at the AC Marriott Hotel. 

As the calendar flips to a new year, Unique Vacations, Inc. (UVI) – an affiliate of the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts – inaugurates 2024 as “The Year of More” at an energizing Global Sales Conference designed to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the travel advisor community and reinforce its crucial role within the ecosystem of tourism for the Caribbean at large. The first of its kind since 2019, the event was held between Sandals Dunn’s River and Sandals Ochi, and united esteemed Caribbean government officials, Sandals Resorts executives, and over 200 members of Unique Vacations global sales force for a weekend of reflection, strategic alignment, and gathering momentum in the direction of selling the coveted Caribbean.

With a record winter tourist season on the horizon and a robust growth trajectory of its vibrant tourism industry, Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, has announced that the island is set to eclipse its growth projections for visitor arrivals and tourism earnings for 2023.