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On the back of a gruelling European trip which finished in the UK, Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett announced a landmark day for Jamaica's tourism industry with the news that visitor arrival figures were at their highest in Jamaica's history. The announcement came as Minister Bartlett participated in the launch of the ‘Meet Jamaica at London 2012’ initiative,...

Jamaica's buoyant tourism sector could provide the stimulus for growing the island's agriculture sector and by extension the productive sector, Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed. Addressing the Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit (ACTS) in Brussels, Belgium on March 14, Minister Bartlett said “we in tourism and our domestic industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and services need to...

Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who recently assumed his duties as a member of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), representing the entire Americas region, has met with David Scowsill President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) at ITB Berlin, to discuss the possibility of standardizing tourism messaging from...

Jamaica has secured yet another award after the destination was recognized as the "Best Emerging Tourism Market" by PATWA (Pacific Area Travel Writers Association) at the organization's annual Awards, held at the International Tourism Exchange (ITB Berlin), the world's biggest tourism trade fair, on Thursday March 10. Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who was the guest speaker at...

Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who is presently in Berlin, Germany for the International Tourism Exchange (ITB Berlin), the world’s biggest tourism trade fair, is moving to increase awareness of Jamaica’s tourism product, not only in existing markets but also in emerging markets, such as Russia. To this end, Minister Bartlett met with Alexander Radkov from the Russian...

Minister of Transport and Works, the Hon Mike Henry, has appealed to Trelawny residents not too carry out demonstrations which could endanger the fledging cruise industry in Falmouth. Mr. Henry told JIS News Monday afternoon (March 7) that he was concerned about reports of planned road blocking demonstrations on the Springvale Main Road (commonly called Wakefield Main Road) in Northern...

Tourism Minister the Hon. Edmund Bartlettis to hold critical discussions with tourism interests as he travels to Europe for several important meetings over the next few days. Minister Bartlett, who had been in Washington D.C. for a number of crucial meetings with key players in the global tourism industry, as he assumes his duties as a member of the Executive...

The Government is in discussions with the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), a subsidiary of the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD), to access US$10 million in funding to assist small hotels and medium-sized businesses that supply the tourism sector. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who met with officials from both institutions at the IDB’s Washington, D.C., headquarters on Tuesday, March 1, said...

Tourism matters took priority at a meeting which Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett had with Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza and World Tourism Organisation (WTO) Regional Director for the Americas, Carlos Vogeler, in Washington, on March 2. It was agreed that countries of the region could more effectively tackle poverty, gender inequality and climate...

With Jamaica’s newest airport, the Ian Fleming International Airport, now fully operational, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) have joined forces to participate in the Sun ‘N’ Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Florida at month end. The annual event, which runs from Tuesday, March 29 to Sunday, April 3, in Lakeland, Florida, is...

Sole traders and small operators, providing goods and services to the tourism industry, will now be able to benefit from a $100 million loan facility, which was launched on February 28 by the Ministry of Tourism and Jamaica National Small Business Loans. The ‘Five for Five’ loan scheme, which is being driven by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is offering...

Provisional figures from the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) show that the tourism industry earned some US$470.4 million from visitor arrivals during the October to December 2010 quarter. Director General of the PIOJ, Professor Gladstone Hutchinson, addressing the quarterly briefing at the Institute's New Kingston offices on Wednesday (February 23), said the earnings reflect increased real value of 5.4 per...