Message from Minister of Tourism And Entertainment to Mark World Tourism Day

Jamaica joins our fellow member states of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in marking World Tourism Day.

The UNWTO theme this year is ‘One Billion Tourists, One Billion Opportunities’. This theme emphasizes the fact that world tourism has grown significantly over the past decade and continues to contribute extensively to global development.

The theme highlights the tremendous opportunities that tourism provides across all sectors and the Ministry is focusing on ensuring that the benefits to be derived are felt across the length and breadth of our island.

The tourism sector continues to do very well. It is the leading earner of foreign exchange. It is attracting major investments from both local and international companies in accommodations, attractions, transportation and other sub-sectors and providing employment for thousands of Jamaicans.

One of our initiatives is the creation of the Tourism Linkages Hub which is making good progress as we seek to ensure that the products and indeed the services that are utilized in the sector are grown or manufactured in Jamaica.

I assure Jamaicans that the improvements to our product by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo); the new marketing programmes of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the investment by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in a wide range of environmental, heritage, infrastructure, security and community tourism initiatives will all ensure  the continued success of  this important sector.

I take this opportunity to say “thank you” to all the workers and stakeholders for their cooperation, their innovative ideas and the hard work they have consistently put in to ensure the success of our sector.

We look forward to even greater success in the future.

Wykeham McNeill

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment