With tourism having contributed approximately $62.2 billion in revenue to the Government coffers in 2017, stakeholders say the industry is now indisputably Jamaica’s best bet in the quest to attain economic prosperity. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who heads the many persons articulating this view, points to revenue of $33.2 billion in visitor expenditure and $29 billion in direct taxes...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says music tourism is a rapidly expanding market, which plays perfectly into Jamaica’s strength as the top entertainment destination in the region. Addressing the graduation ceremony for the DJ Capacity Building Training Programme at the Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, St. James, on June 21, Mr. Bartlett said to fully capitalize, “we are positioning” the...

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will be established in Jamaica to deal with climate-related issues, is expected to be fully operational by next year. This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, at the opening ceremony for the Organisational Development Transformation Conference, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on June 20. “We...

The Ministry of Tourism is developing a destination assurance policy and strategy that will ensure that the tourism product remains first class and that the country can maintain its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. “We cannot allow any threat or challenge to interfere with this product [because tourism] is the only sector in Jamaica that has grown consistently for...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says with the addition of more hotel rooms in the country’s capital, Kingston is positioning itself as a centre for city tourism. “City tourism is a very exciting area of development; that’s what makes New York what it is, London what it is and Paris what it is, and Kingston is now poised.” “When...

Development of a Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in Jamaica to deal with climate-related issues has been attracting attention from international financial and academic interests, says Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. He noted that his Senior Advisor, Dr. Lloyd Waller, is in Cuba meeting with “particular persons who are interested in funding a significant element of the resilience centre”...

The St. Mary Municipal Corporation, with input from several private and public sector entities, is far advanced in establishing a Tour Project to attract overseas visitors to the parish. According to Mayor of Port Maria, Councillor Richard Creary, there are several historic sites in the parish that are being looked at to begin the project, such as the old civic...