Continued Support For Small And Medium Tourism Enterprises

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Government continues to provide much-needed support to small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) that are being impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

These include artisans and craft vendors, transportation providers, restaurants and eateries, bed and breakfast operators and farmers.

“Within the last few months, we have built out a robust support structure for enterprises within the sector. The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has collaborated with key partners to create several initiatives geared towards helping SMTEs retool and rebound from COVID-19, including the provision of resilience packages, loan facilitation and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service grants,” Minister Bartlett noted.

He was addressing the opening of the 2021/22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (April 20).

Minister Bartlett said that the sustainability of the tourism industry is integral to the country’s recovery process.

He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic presented the greatest challenge to the sector that he has ever witnessed and focus is now being placed on rebuilding a product that is safe, equitable and generates economic opportunities for more Jamaicans.

The Minister said that when the virus hit the country, measures were implemented to guide the recovery process, including robust health and security protocols that can withstand local and international scrutiny; training for all sector workers to manage the protocols and new behavioural patterns moving forward; strategies around COVID-19 security infrastructure (personal protective equipment, masks, infrared machines, etc.); and communication with the local and international markets about reopening.

Minister Bartlett reported that the protective systems initiated for the industry have received endorsement from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and, to date, “there have been few known cases of transmission of COVID-19 along the Resilient Corridors, which is proof that our highly regarded health and safety protocols are working and is a testament to the high level of compliance by tourism stakeholders”.

He told the House that tourism front-line workers have been participating in the COVID-19 vaccination programme and, recently, a special task force was formed, involving the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the private sector, to spearhead efforts to boost the country’s efforts to do wide-scale COVID-19 testing of visitors to the island.

Minister Bartlett said that as the industry seeks to recover and prepare for the future “we embrace new strategies, a new orientation and new ethos that will ensure that the tourism sector becomes more resilient, sustainable, inclusive and competitive. I am confident that a strong multilevel response and partnership will help us to achieve full recovery”.