The Forestry Department has been quietly contributing to the success of tourism in Jamaica’s major vacation belt, through the work of the organisation’s Northwest Regional Office, which operates within the island’s forest reserves and forest management areas. “The northwest region, which stretches from Hanover to St. Ann, covers a wide section of the tourism area, so what we do is...

Caribbean tourism officials, including Jamaica’s Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, believe greater air access from source markets and significant hotel investments are recipes for the industry’s success in the region. They note that it is against this background that countries like Jamaica have been active in the marketplace, securing arrangements for more non-stop flights out of non-traditional destinations to add...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the much-anticipated Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme should be up and running by mid-2018. He said that the pensions committee, which is chaired by retired actuary, Daisy Coke, is moving steadily towards completing the preliminary processes related to the scheme. “Finally, the long-awaited pension plan is now on the horizon. Yesterday (March 18), we...

Government Senator, Don Wehby, has implored entrepreneurs to take advantage of the abundance of business opportunities resulting from the exponential growth of the tourism sector. Speaking at the Tourism Service Excellence Awards ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on March 17, Senator Wehby encouraged small businesses, in particular, to participate in the sector, as the Government has provided an...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says tourism has been the catalyst for the growth of the Jamaican economy, as it “enabled the value-added which lifted the gross domestic product (GDP) and indeed the growth rate on an annual basis”. Speaking at a Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) pilot review luncheon at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, on March...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the tourism industry’s sustainability rests to a great extent on investment in extensive infrastructure development and the sector’s modernisation. He said it is against this background that the Ministry and its agencies are working diligently to provide a product with services meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of visitors and industry partners through...

Players in the tourism industry are being urged to show appreciation to their workers, who have been and continue to be critical to the success of the sector. The Ministry of Tourism is taking a lead role in this regard by identifying and rewarding first-class service through its annual Tourism Service Excellence Awards (TSEA). Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says...