Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is reporting growth in visitor arrivals and earnings up to May 2016. He said there were 1. 7 million visitors to the island representing a 6.7 per cent increase over the same period last year, with a 4.9 per cent growth in earnings at $1.1 billion. Mr. Bartlett was addressing the inaugural meeting of...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, on Wednesday (June 22), broke ground for the construction of a new ice cream shop at Devon House. The $27-million ice cream parlour, to be situated on the north lawns of the historic site, is slated to be completed by November. The project, which is being funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) forms...

Immediate past president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Nicola Madden-Greig, says Jamaica’s tourism sector has all the ingredients to continue to grow and command a greater share of the world travel market. “There is really no country in the region that has the quality tourism product that we have,” she told JIS News in a recent interview....

Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, says the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has launched a strategic summer advertising campaign, targeting several cities in the United States (US), particularly those with direct flights into Jamaica. The campaign, he said, includes buys on Facebook and Instagram where “we are now reaching markets that have eluded us in the past”. Mr. Pennicook, who was...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Government is looking to grow repeat tourist arrivals by at least 50 per cent per year. He said the increase, from the current rate of 42 per cent, would guarantee some certainty in terms of annual arrivals. He was addressing a post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on...

The Ministry of Tourism will be pursuing the development of a fully functional craft institute and a hospitality school. This was revealed by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in his Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on June 15. Mr. Bartlett said the institutions are crucial to enhancing training and educational opportunities for current and future workers in...

Jamaica has benefited from the first major investment under the ‘Shovel Ready’ programme. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett on June 14, signed a contract with Karisma Hotels and Resorts for the construction of 5,000 new hotel rooms in Llandovery, St. Ann. The project is to be undertaken over the next five to 10 years, with some 8,000 jobs to...