Edmund Bartlett travel tips

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.

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

The Norse Atlantic Airways inaugural flight from London Gatwick arrived on 1st December 2023 into Montego Bay with hundreds of excited holidaymakers on board. The much-anticipated flight was given an auspicious welcome amidst a press fanfare at the Sangster International Airport.  The arrival of the historic flight introduced the beginning of a new chapter in travel between the United Kingdom and Jamaica.  The occasion reflects the commitment of both nations to foster mutual growth in the tourism industry, creating boundless opportunities for both Jamaican and British travellers alike. 

With just over two weeks for winter travellers to start their vacations, in anticipation of a record winter tourist season,Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism says: “This surge in airlift represents an increase of 13 percent over winter 2022/2023, where we recorded a whopping 923,000 airline seats.”

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, on the weekend received two major awards for Jamaica from the prestigious World Travel Awards, which is in its 30th year, at the landmark Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  Minister Bartlett also as Founder and Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), a thinktank based in Jamaica, handed out five Global Tourism Resilience Awards to two major Middle East corporations and three countries.

Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will be in Dubai, UAE, on the occasion of COP 28, the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2023, with global leaders and governments discussing how to limit and prepare for future climate change. The 28th edition of the summit is being held from 30 November to 12 December 2023.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is set to represent Jamaica at the much anticipated 173rd General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris, France. The BIE is the Intergovernmental Organization overseeing and regulating international exhibitions lasting more than three weeks, including World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos, and the Triennale di Milano.

During the summit, the Saudi Crown Prince, who is the visionary behind the Saudi Vision 2030, addressed tourism ministers, industry professionals, and leaders.

The tourism industry, a vital contributor to this economic growth, continues to flourish with increased foreign national arrivals. For the mentioned quarter, stopover visitor arrivals surged by 5.5% to 682,586 visitors. While cruise passenger arrivals experienced a modest decline of 20.5%, totaling an estimated 178,412 visitors compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022.

is Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the SAUDI-CARICOM Summit in Riyadh, on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. During the summit, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had photographs taken with the leaders of the participating countries. The official delegation attending the summit includes Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Cabinet Member Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, and Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz. Other ministers representing Saudi Arabia at the summit include Minister of the National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. The delegation also comprises Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet and National Security Adviser Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban as well as Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad (2nd left), smiles as he shakes hands with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith in the presence of Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (3rd right) and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (3rd left) after both governments signed a developmental framework memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the CARICOM-Saudi Arabia Summit in Riyadh on Thursday, November 16, 2023. (Photo: Saudi Press Agency)

Jamaica is poised to welcome a brand new mega-resort, it was announced at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London last week.The country's Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett and his team met with international hotel group, Lopesan, which revealed it's seeking to develop a 1,000-room luxury resort on the island.Details about the resort remain scarce for now but Bartlett said the development would generate over 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, and positively impact farmers, manufacturers, small businesses and other stakeholders.Lopesan currently boasts more than 17,000 hotel rooms across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.The announcement comes ahead of the official opening of the recently renovated $30 million Royalton White Sands resort in Trelawny next month.Additionally, the island will celebrate the openings of two major resorts before the summer of 2024. The new Princess Resort in Hanover will open 1,000 rooms and the RIU Palace Aquarelle resort will add 753 more in Trelawny, creating around 2,500 new jobs.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, CD, MP, has set a new target to welcome 250,000 visitors out of the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland by 2025. This follows on the heels of Jamaica being the number one Caribbean destination among British travellers last year.

A major international hotel group, Lopesan, with over 17,000 hotel rooms across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, called on Minister of Tourism,  Hon. Edmund Bartlett and his team yesterday (November 7) at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, United Kingdom, to announce that they are urgently seeking to develop a 1,000-room luxury resort on the island.

Jamaica’s position as a leader in the global tourism industry has been further bolstered after the Caribbean nation secured the post of second vice chair of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Executive Council.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has welcomed the announcement by American Airlines that it will be commencing a new service to the Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) in Boscobel, St. Mary on February 24, 2024.

In a compelling plea, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has again urged the international community to urgently unite in establishing a Global Resilience Fund to aid in boosting tourism resilience. This innovative initiative, he suggests, would encourage tourists to take personal responsibility for bolstering the ability to respond, mitigate, adapt, and recover from the impacts of climate-related shocks.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has extended heartfelt congratulations to two of Jamaica’s renowned hotels, S Hotel Jamaica and Jamaica Inn, for their exceptional achievements in the prestigious Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards for 2023. In this year’s edition of the awards, readers ranked S Hotel Jamaica #1 Hotel in the Caribbean and Central America with an impressive score of 99.33, while Jamaica Inn secured the 6th position with a commendable score of 94.17.