The Ministry of Tourism is pushing ahead with plans to construct artisan villages in resort areas across the island. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the first facility will be built in Ocho Rios, with others to be established in Montego Bay, Falmouth, Port Antonio, and Negril over the next five years. The Minister, who unveiled the design for the...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) will be using social media and other promotional means to go after the 35 million strong African American market. Mr. Bartlett said that in addition to booking advertising spots in the mainstream media, extra effort will be made to target minority groups. "There is a vast African American...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica will be seeking to pursue farm tourism, which has a lucrative travel market worldwide. He noted that many tour operators have been pushing this market in various countries and that Jamaica is geographically poised to benefit from it. “The link between agriculture and tourism is something that we take very seriously and...

Farm tourism is fast developing into a lucrative travel market worldwide and one where Jamaica could easily gain a competitive advantage. General Manger of Round Hill Villas, Hanover, Omar Robinson, told a gathering of farmers at a press conference held recently at the Iberostar Hotel in St. James, that this is a niche market that could boost stopover arrivals. He...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is urging employers in the tourism industry to invest in their workers. In a recent interview with JIS News, Mr. Bartlett argued that pumping money into the development of human resource will benefit the entire industry. “The better we treat them well, the more we train them, the better will be the returns. It...

Tourism stakeholders are hailing the success which the annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) trade show and exposition continues to record, 27 years after its first staging. Chief among them is Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who describes it as “the single most important business-to-business travel trade show for Jamaica’s tourism industry.” Mr. Bartlett points out that the event facilitates the...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the steady growth in the tourism sector will necessitate the construction of 10,000 additional rooms to accommodate visitors to the island. Speaking during an interview with JIS News, Minister Bartlett said the aim is to have about 30,000 rooms available in the sector by the end of 2020. “I think we need immediately 2,000...