Tourism Minister Says Safety and Security Issues Impacting Regional Tourism

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says safety and security issues represent the biggest problems facing global tourism and that Jamaica and the rest of the region must never lose sight of that reality.

Addressing the opening of the 33rd annual general meeting and conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) in Montego Bay on April 30, Mr. Bartlett said that while the Caribbean earned US$37 billion in revenues and attracted some 30 million visitors last year, the figures could be much more.

“It could have been 50 million visitors and US$50 billion in earnings had it not been for a rumbling volcano… creeping sounds of insecurity that are pervading our Caribbean space,” the Minister said.

“We have operated under the basis that we have the most stable economies in the world. We have operated under the basis that we are a stable democracy, and we have operated under the basis that we have the best warm weather and secured destinations in the world. This meeting is timely to address those rumblings… those tremors… that have spread across the region,” he added.

Mr. Bartlett said that Jamaica has taken a proactive approach, “which has enabled us to have a good conversation in the marketplace,” adding that the State of Public Emergency that was called for the parish of St. James was a very good idea.

“We [took measures] proactively. It caused a feeling of jitters, initially. Those jitters, however, dissipated in the face of a narrative, which indicated that the Caribbean remains a safe and secure destination,” he noted.

“As a result, we grew by six per cent for the first quarter of the year. And that is coming off a record 2017 when we grew by 12 per cent and had a record 4.3 million visitors coming to our country,” Mr. Bartlett said.

The Minister told the conference participants that the continued growth of the number-one industry in the region is predicated on safety, security and seamlessness, “which you are all the custodians of, and which I trust you will do all that you can to protect”.

The conference is being held from April 30 to May 4 under the theme ‘An Integrated Approach Against Serious and Organised Crime – Implications for Regional Growth and Development’.
Commissioners of Police from the 25 ACCP member countries, other stakeholders and exhibitors from around the world are attending the event.