The Government and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will be hosting the Global Conference on ‘Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs)’ at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, on Tuesday, January 29. The conference seeks to develop the capacity of the SMTEs to deliver on the demand of the sector and generate...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is reporting that Jamaica welcomed a record 4.31 million visitors in 2018. “This represents the second year in a row that Jamaica has had more than 4.3 million visitors in a single year,” he said at a press briefing held at his New Kingston offices on Tuesday (January 8). He noted that the country...

The second phase of the island-wide security audit of hotels and attractions being undertaken by the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo), is to be completed by June this year. This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who informed that 16 properties located in Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios have been audited to date. Mr. Bartlett...

Director of the Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald-Riley, has emphasised the importance of the five networks in further diversifying the country’s tourism offerings and creating business opportunities among various sectors. The five networks – Gastronomy, Sports and Entertainment, Health and Wellness, Shopping, and the Knowledge economy – which were officially launched in December 2016 as part of the Tourism Linkages...

Jamaica is poised to generate a record US$3.3 billion in tourism earnings for 2018. This, according to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who says that up to December 14, revenue inflows had increased by nine percent, with visitor arrivals up 5.3 per cent over the corresponding period in 2017. “That means that the US$3.3 billion will be a new benchmark...

Jamaica is receiving international expertise in undertaking the security audit of the tourism sector. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, announced in October that he had directed the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), to conduct the audit through its Destination Assurance Division. The objective, he said, was to identify gaps and ensure that the destination remains safe, secure, and seamless...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says that the warmth and hospitality of the Jamaican people, coupled with the iconic culture, are what set the country apart and give it a competitive advantage in the global tourism market. Noting that the industry “is now seeing arrival figures that were once unthinkable”, he said that the uniqueness of the people...