Archives for July 2021

With the tourism sector maintaining a near 100 percent compliance rate along the Resilient Corridors since the reopening of the nation’s borders to international travel in June 2020, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is underscoring the effectiveness of the sector in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

He credited the relentless effort of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), working with the Ministries of Health and Local Government in policing the Resilient Corridors and punishing reported breaches over the past year, for enabling the high level of compliance by tourism entities.

Minister Bartlett was speaking on the weekend at the launch of Key Advantage Training & Recruitment Solutions (KATRS), Jamaica’s latest addition to the education and skills training landscape, at the Hilton Hotel in Rose Hall, St. James. The company has targeted the tourism and business process outsourcing (BPO) sectors in particular but also markets its services to the sales and retail industries.

While underscoring the general success of the sector in managing the pandemic Mr. Bartlett highlighted that complacency and breaches will not be tolerated. Being fully aware that other sectors are seeking to introduce systems to manage the coronavirus, he says: “We stand ready to assist in enabling the complete management of the pandemic,” adding that if all come together to drive that level of management, “we will be able to carry through this process of enabling low infection rates.”

The COVID-19 positivity rate within the corridors is at 0.6 percent and the tourism minister is confident that the sector will be able to manage and mitigate the effects of variants when they reach Jamaica. “Tourism has been a responsible partner; we have invested in it and the hoteliers have burnt cash in the last 14 months to try and keep the sector together and the recovery that we are experiencing is a function of that sacrifice; we don’t want to lose that,” said Minister Bartlett. 

He said there was still a far way to go, citing that an estimated 125,000 tourism workers are not yet back in their jobs. The tourism industry employs some 175,000 workers, most of whom were displaced when COVID-19 brought international travel to a standstill last year. Over the past six months, 50,000 workers have been reengaged. “We have to move to get back the rest,” said Mr. Bartlett.

“So, we cannot stop the process now; we have to recommit ourselves to the task of going beyond our sector now and to work with the other sectors to make sure that the level of compliance that we have achieved can be achieved for all,” he said.

On the issue of vaccine availability, he said tourism was working on a response with an initiative that could see a designated arrangement finalized for tourism workers to receive their vaccines. The outcome will be known in another week.

In welcoming Key Advantage, Mr. Bartlett said training and development of the human capital, combined with careful and responsible management of the pandemic, were essential. He underscored the importance of people to tourism, and that training and development must be given priority. Since the pandemic restricted face to face contact, he said the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) had trained 28,000 workers virtually.

Media Contact:

Corporate Communications Division

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Telephone: 920-4924,

Fax: 906-1729

Or

Kingsley Roberts

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Tel: 920-4926-30, ext.: 5990

Cell: (876) 505-6118

Fax: 920-4944

A complete halt on new tourism accommodation development projects will come into force as of August 1, 2021, until 2023 as immediate action is required for the protection of La Digue from over-development and to preserve its way of life.

The Department of Tourism made the announcement on Monday, July 26, in a meeting held by senior officials of the Department with stakeholders on La Digue to present the findings of a Carrying Capacity Study for La Digue conducted in 2019-21.

The study, conducted by independent consultancy firm, Sustainable Travel International, was mandated to establish the current development status of the island as well as provide recommendations to guide government in developing policies to manage tourism growth and achieve sustainable tourism development on the small island.

La Digue, one of the most picturesque of the Seychelles islands with its laid-back lifestyle, outstanding granite outcrops and one of the most photographed beaches in the world, welcomed in 2019, 17,868 overnight visitors in some 658 accommodation establishments available on the island.

The findings have determined that there is a need for the department to review the development projects on the island, Mrs. Bernice Senaratne, the Director for Policy, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Tourism Department, said in the meeting, conducted virtually from the Department’s Headquarters at Botanical House in the presence of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Mr Sylvestre Radegonde, the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Mrs. Sherin Francis and Sinha Levkovic Director for Product Development on Monday.

While this exercise is being undertaken, with effect from August 1, there will be a complete halt on all tourism accommodation development projects on the island until 2023 as immediate action is required for the protection of the island or until visitor’s arrivals and occupancy, rates recover. This moratorium takes place in the context of the further development of the necessary productive infrastructure such as water, electricity and sewage that would cater for the growth in the industry.

The need to formulate a recovery plan to determine the route to recovery taking into consideration the impact of tourism on the island and nation’s economy, and on businesses and residents alike, is critical, the study highlighted.

Key recommendations of the 2019-2020 Carrying Capacity Study for La Digue includes:

1. The diversification of the tourism product on La Digue to ensure that there are more services and activities to increase visitor engagement and spend and encourage repeat visitors. This could be in terms of food and beverage, cultural and artisanal products as well as niche products, Mrs. Senaratne said.

2. Determining the exact impact of tourism on existing productive infrastructure and the need for La Digue to adopt more sustainable and green solutions.

3. A visitor management plan for key areas and assets on La Digue. This is especially during the cruise ship season where there is an influx of visitors on the islands.

4. The development of a detailed carrying capacity framework involving all stakeholders is critical, the study concluded. This framework should be integrated into existing monitoring efforts, updated on a regular basis, define specific actions to address issues that arise, and be reported to key stakeholders.

It will be recalled that a previous carrying capacity study undertaken in 2013 imposed a moratorium on the development of tourism accommodation establishments limiting development to no more than five rooms per developer.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tourism Seychelles, [email protected] 

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Travelers from Romania will get to enjoy the Seychelles’ warmth and unrivaled beauty from afar when dazzling footage of the destination graces their television screens in October.

A crew from the Romanian’s PROTV was in Seychelles recently, filming the highlights of the destination – from beaches and outdoor activities to cultural and entertainment options – which will be featured on a popular show called La Măruță.

The show, broadcast by PROTV, is presented by Cătălin Maruță who is from a famous and beloved family of TV stars from Romania. The popularity of the show is expected to considerably raise the visibility and profile of Seychelles on that market as winter sets in and everyone dreams of a perfect escape somewhere warm and as inviting as the tiny Indian Ocean islands.

Viewers will have an insight into the delicious Creole cuisine through an entertaining cooking exchange between local chef Marcus Freminot and the show’s presenter, Andreea Dociu, in which they prep traditional dishes from their respective countries.

Chef Freminot presents a mouth-watering pan-fried fish with Creole sauce, as well as a chicken curry and a mango chutney as accompaniment whilst presenter Dociu comes up with a savory and rich main course dish made with polenta (cornflower), parmesan cheese, bacon and egg.

Specially selected, the dishes will tantalize the travelers’ taste buds, enticing them to travel to Seychelles to taste for themselves the amazing and intense flavors of the destination.

The crew also embarked on a tour of the Mahé, filming unique local experiences often missed out on by tourists. They visited the Trois Frères Distillery at La Plaine Ste André to learn the interesting history behind the locally-produced Takamaka Rum and indulge in some exquisite rum-tasting.

No holiday to Seychelles is complete without ‘island hopping’ and PROTV will bring their viewers experiences of journeying to Praslin by air and a sea voyage to nearby La Digue island.

Footage from both islands will depict how tourists can design their own personal experiences, whether it is to embark on exciting excursions and tours, hang out with the locals or when to dip in the dazzling blue ocean.

The filming trip was facilitated through a collaboration between the Tourism Seychelles and Eturia, the tour operator behind the recent charters from Romania.

Speaking about the collaboration, the Tourism Seychelles Director for the Russia and the Eastern Europe region, Lena Hoareau, said even more efforts are being invested into this market now that there is a seasonal charter between the two countries.

“The direct charter flights, between Budapest and Mahé have been much welcomed and we are working in tandem with all partners to ensure an even greater promotion of the Seychelles in Romania in order to ensure full capacity on each flight,” she said.

The filming trip is part of the many activities lined up as part of the joint promotions between Tourism Seychelles and their main partners in Romania to boost the profile of the destination both to the travel trade and consumers. The television show will reach an even greater segment and ensure the destination is well covered over the whole country, Mrs. Hoareau said.

Other activities undertaken so far have included online and social media campaigns, online advertising, webinars to train the agents so that they can sell Seychelles better, and top influencers’ trips.

On her part, the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Mrs. Sherin Francis emphasized that it is important for the world to know that Seychelles is safe for travelling and that tourists can still carry on with their activities in the destination as they would have done prior to COVID.

“It is very important that we get the message out there that leisure holidays to Seychelles are still happening and nothing is stopping any potential traveler from enjoying a fun-filled holiday on our shores. Health measures are in place to ensure the maximum safety of everyone, but tourists are discovering for themselves that Seychelles is safe and that nothing has changed in terms on what they can do and where they can travel to. Visitors are leaving Seychelles very happy,” said PS Francis.

She added that the TV features on Seychelles will help to boost holidaymakers’ confidence in booking a Seychelles holiday and to make use of the direct charters to the destination. 1,199 visitors from Romania have travelled to Seychelles since the charters started operating in April.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tourism Seychelles, [email protected] 

Jamaica’s tourism industry has brought back more than 50,000 workers in the last 6 months, showing its capacity for resilience and its ability to bounce back from crises.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, made the announcement yesterday (July 22) at the 7th staging of the “Christmas in July” trade show at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. The annual initiative encourages the purchase of authentic local products by stakeholders in the tourism sector and corporate Jamaica looking for gifts for clients and staff.

“Also, in the last 7 months, we have brought in nearly 700,000 visitors (stopovers) and, by the end of August, we are projected to reach a million visitors and passengers coming into Jamaica, which will bring somewhere in the region of US$1.5 billion into the local economy. No other industry could do that in seven months; the tourism industry has,” Minister Bartlett told the audience of diplomats, tourism stakeholders and representatives from corporate Jamaica.

Discussing building capacity for local suppliers, Minister Bartlett said: “As we recover, we need to recover together and recover stronger. We need to recoup much of the losses we had before the pandemic because before the pandemic we had a leakage situation of US dollars from the industry of some 60 cents. We had reached the level of 40 cents retention.” 

The tourism minister said Jamaica must move beyond 40 cents to a 50 cents retention rate, noting that “the pandemic has given us this opportunity because we are starting from ground zero so we can recover together.”

He said suppliers, manufacturers, farmers and producers of cultural products will have the chance to develop together as the industry returns. “The demand would be a fraction of what it was in 2019 when we had 4.3 million visitors, when the demand required a level of production that the country couldn’t afford to have. We didn’t have the capacity. The good news is that we can grow capacity with this present level of recovery so that more of the goods that the industry needs can be sourced locally from our manufacturers, our farmers and our suppliers,” he explained.

Minister Bartlett noted that Christmas in July is part of that response as it provides the opportunity for more of our local producers to showcase their output.

This year, some 150 local producers of authentic Jamaican gift and souvenir items displayed their products to corporate entities and various industry players at the annual trade show.  All products on display had to be made with materials sourced locally, proven to be at least 70 percent locally manufactured or assembled, highlighting strong Jamaican cultural influences and themes.

Activities for this year’s virtual staging also included a “Style Jamaica Pop Up Fashion Show” which featured jewelry, bags and accessories made by local artisans. 

Christmas in July is a collaborative effort of the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and its partners: the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), JamaicaManufacturers‘ and Exporters Association (JMEA),the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

MEDIA CONTACT:

Corporate Communications Division

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Telephone: 920-4924,

Fax: 906-019

Or

Kingsley Roberts

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Tel: 920-4926-30, ext.: 5990

Cell: (876) 505-6118

Fax: 920-4944