The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (June 25), passed the Tourism Workers Pension Bill, which seeks to establish a defined contribution pension scheme for hospitality industry workers. The Bill, which was piloted by Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, was passed with 11 amendments. Mr. Bartlett, who closed the debate on the legislation, said the scheme will be the largest single...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the new 220-room AC Marriott Kingston Hotel development, represents the type of investment that is designed to create economic opportunities and address social issues such as unemployment, which the Government is focused on promoting. The US$55 million hotel, which slated to be officially opened on Monday (June 17), resulted from a partnership...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says global tourism has taken on an extraordinary new lease on life, where almost everything is now done outside of what was once considered the norm. According to Mr. Bartlett, tourism processes, tools, structures, systems and actors are no longer the same, and to the point where the industry is now being “reimagined”. “It...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says both the Sangster International Airport and the Montego Bay Convention Centre have been helping Jamaica to make huge inroads in the business travel market. In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Bartlett said the situation is further boosted by the fact that a number of quality hotels are also in close proximity to...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is reporting that the island welcomed a record two million visitors for the first five months of 2019. “That is the first time in the history of Jamaica that within the first five months of the year, we have brought two million visitors to Jamaica,” he said. He was speaking at the official opening of...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the opening of the US$6.5-million R Hotel in New Kingston will have an immediate impact on the overall economy of the country. “A venture such as this one brings with it job creation, an important effect as the Government seeks to reduce, even further, Jamaica’s unemployment rate. And you will know that...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Caribbean is focused on building resilience in order to protect the future of tourism, on which so many countries depend. He said that the threats facing the sector are dynamic and range from environmental issues, such as climate change and global warming, to epidemics and pandemics, terrorism and cybercrime. “Not only is...