Jamaica Looking to Capture Larger Share of Gastronomy Tourism

Jamaica is looking to capture a larger share of the global gastronomy market, estimated at US$2.1 trillion last year, by positioning its local cuisine as a key driver for tourism and economic growth.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said that culinary experiences are a primary driver of tourist expenditure.

He noted that last year, global tourism saw 1.4 billion travellers spending US$5 trillion, of which 42 per cent was dedicated to food.

Jamaica welcomed 4.3 million visitors, who generated US$4.5 billion in earnings, with approximately 42 per cent spent on food.

“The number-one attraction all over the world is food. Forty-two per cent of expenditure is on food, and when we do the analysis of the profiles of why people travel, food and gastronomy is the number one, so Jamaica has that capability,” said Minister Bartlett said.

He was speaking at Hope Gardens in St. Andrew on Saturday (March 7), where Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival partnered with the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival to deliver a one-of -a-kind food and drink event.

The festival blended Jamaica’s renowned Blue Mountain Coffee with street food, bringing together more than 80 vendors, restaurants, and food trucks in a showcase and celebration of local gastronomy.

The Minister said that the event is part of a wider concept of celebrating and showcasing Jamaica’s culture through food.

“Today marks a new term in building gastronomy tourism in Jamaica,” he noted. “The idea behind it is to celebrate all things Jamaican, but coffee stands out… the fusion of coffee and food is an exciting prospect,” he pointed out.

He noted that several journalists were invited to attend so that they can get a sense of the extent and variety of Jamaican food types.

“But more importantly, they can recognise what we’ve always been saying, that this confluence of culture and ethnicity that we have in this mosaic called Jamaica, reflected in our motto ‘Out of Many One People’, is truly reflective in our cuisine and our food.” he said.

Minister Bartlett said that the fusion of coffee and food provides an attraction for tourists interested in culinary experiences.

“We want to expand this… we want to see more of this collaboration. Next year, we probably will widen the collaboration and moving to other cities like Montego Bay,” he said.

Minister Bartlett noted that the gastronomy tourism push is in keeping with the Local First model, which aims to ensure that Jamaicans are the primary beneficiaries of the country’s booming tourism sector.

He said that the initiative has already created tangible economic opportunities for thousands of Jamaicans.

“We will be spending a lot of time and energy and resources in building the capacity of our Jamaicans to own the supply side of tourism and to buy into the idea that, yes, your creativity, your ingenuity, your innovation is sufficient to satisfy the consumption patterns of our visitors,” he said.