The Ministry of Tourism will be recognising individuals and organisations in the sector that demonstrate best practices and offer excellent customer service on Saturday, March 4. This will be done at the National Tourism Service Excellence Programme (NTSEP) awards ceremony to be held at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Montego Bay, St. James. The tourism awards aim to promote...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica has adequate time to increase the number of resort attractions available to meet the anticipated growth in visitor arrivals. “I have been preaching religiously that we have to get ourselves ready to meet the inevitable demands, as it relates to our tourism offerings over the next five years,” Mr. Bartlett explains. In this...

Economic Growth Council (EGC) member, Adam Stewart, says Jamaica stands to benefit from over US$3 billion in investment projects up to 2019, which will create over 25,000 new jobs, with another 100,000 persons to benefit indirectly. He noted that the projects, which are either underway or slated to come on stream, span several sectors including mining, tourism, shipping, and business...

Five thousand Jamaicans are expected to gain employment in the tourism industry through the construction of four hotels, to cost some US$250 million, over the coming months. Of the four hotels, two will be located in Trelawny, one in Kingston, and the other in Port Antonio. Addressing the press launch of a revitalised ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ initiative at the Devonshire,...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica stands to benefit tremendously from the high-end luxury tourism market, noting that there is a lot of investor interest for the destination. Fresh from his one-week stint in Spain where he attended the FITUR Trade Fair, the largest international tourism trade show for inbound and outbound Ibero American markets, Mr. Bartlett told...

Chairman of the National Cruise Council (NCC), Michael Belnavis, is describing the start of the cruise-shipping season as phenomenal, noting that the island’s main ports have been seeing a huge increase in arrivals. According to Mr. Belnavis, the ports of Montego Bay, Falmouth and Ocho Rios have been simultaneously receiving almost two ships per day, a noticeable jump from what...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the establishment of a craft institute and the building of a school of hospitality to train tourism workers should be beneficial to Jamaica. According to the Minister, both ventures will coincide with the expected growth within the sector and the need for Jamaican workers to be ready to capitalise on available opportunities. “The...