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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says it is imperative that the regional campaign continues for changes to the British Government’s Airline Passenger Duty (APD). The Tourism Minister, who spoke to JIS News while in London recently, stated that the tax regime is unfair and is negatively impacting on visitor arrivals in the region. “It is imperative that a successor...

A new 13-member board for the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) is now in place, with its appointment effective from January 1, 2011, for a period of three years. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, presented the Board on January 28, during a press conference, held at the Montego Bay Tourism Centre, in St. James.   Following the presentation he gave a...

When ‘Jamaica House Live’, the Prime Minister’s call-in radio programme opens its microphones tonight, listeners will get first hand reports on the industry’s performance from the Minister of Tourism, Ed Bartlett. Minister Bartlett will be live in studio to take calls, answers questions and give a general update on Jamaica’s performance which has been seeing growth in arrival figures both...

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s (JHTA) 2011 Caribbean Marketplace ended recently with just under 12,000 appointments made between buyers and sellers, at the new, state-of-the-art Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St. James. The event, held January 16 to 18, was the first to be staged at the 84,000 square feet convention centre with a capacity of up...

As Jamaica moves to implement casino gaming, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has said that the Government expects to award the first casino licence this year and construction on the island’s first casino is expected to commence by year-end. "This year, our casino dream will definitely begin to unfold in a more positive and practical way. We expect that...

Caribbean tourism ministers have pledged to work more closely for the development of the region's tourism sector. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in his address at the opening of Caribbean Marketplace 2011 on Sunday January 16 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, said that following a meeting held earlier in the day, the ministers committed to...

Jamaica to host the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism investment conference in May this year. This premier event focuses on the boundless opportunities for tourism related investments in the Caribbean, in hotels, attractions and the supply of goods and services. Prime Minister Bruce Golding made the disclosure January 16 when he officially declared open the two day Caribbean marketplace ceremony and...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says the decision to transform the Boscobel Aerodrome now expanded and re-named the Ian Fleming international port of entry, was a strategic decision taken to upgrade it to handle small jets, international arrivals and to attract the high end of the tourist market. He said government recognised that there are segments of the leisure market that we...

The Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) have signed a US$15 million contract for the establishment of a community-based tourism policy. The policy, which is being implemented under the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) project, is funded by the World Bank and the Government of Jamaica through a US$15 million loan being invested over six years....

Despite the challenges of the global economic crisis, Jamaica's tourism sector continues to register growth, recording a 6.8 percent increase in stop over arrival figures for the fourth quarter, October to December, of 2010 when compared to the same period of 2009. Tourism Minister the Hon. Edmund Bartlett in making the disclosure noted that Jamaica's performance in stop-over arrivals have...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says there will be a major boost to tourism with the opening next week of two new facilities. In his New Year Message, Mr. Golding said the Port of Falmouth will receive its first cruise ship on January 7 and the Montego Bay Convention Centre will be officially declared open. "Construction of the new Port of...

A new Cruise Liner, 'Thompson Dream', with about 1,700 passengers from the United Kingdom, made its inaugural trip to Jamaica docking at the Montego Bay Freeport's shipping pier on Thursday (December 30). Director General in the Ministry of Tourism, Carrole Guntley, led a team of officials from the Ministry and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), to welcome the crew and...