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Minister Bartlett lauds JHTA’s COVID-19 Ambassador Program

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has lauded the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) for their new COVID-19 Ambassador Program and has given his assurance that the Ministry of Tourism will continue to provide tangible support towards the initiative.

Speaking recently at the Kingston Launch of the initiative at R Hotel, the Minister said: “The celebration of the ambassador program is a full statement of how responsible we are as an industry and how we are playing our part in this whole process of managing the risk.”

“This is the kind of response that a responsible partner makes. What has happened, starting in Ocho Rios a few weeks ago, is a tangible indication of the partnership that tourism has with health in the delivery of service in the public health system of Jamaica,” he added.

The JHTA COVID-19 Ambassador Program, which was first launched last month at the Moon Palace Jamaica hotel in Ocho Rios, will continue to see hotel employees trained in the health and safety protocols for the tourism sector, going into communities where they live to train community members in the COVID-19 protocols such as proper handwashing techniques, social distancing, mask-wearing and sanitization.

Minister Bartlett indicated that the program complements the measures and protocols implemented by the Ministry of Tourism working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Wellness and other government bodies and tourism partners.

Bartlett noted that his Ministry has donated masks towards the initiative and has also engaged in a public education campaign to support the JHTA’s ambassador program.

“The Ministry is fully behind the ambassador Program. TPDCo is already on board and TEF has provided 10,000 masks and we are in the position to provide 10,000 more.  Our own workers in the tourism ministry and agencies are willing to walk with you in the field as we make this one work. Public education not just by words but by being proactive and by practice,” said Minister Bartlett.

The JHTA’s COVID-19 Ambassador Program will also be launched in Montego Bay, Negril and the South Coast in the weeks to come.

“Every individual who is involved in this industry must embrace this, and let us go out into the hinterlands. Let’s go into the alleys and into the hills and the valleys and all across Jamaica carrying this message, that the only way we can secure the economy of Jamaica and secure the health of our people is through abiding by the protocols that have been established,” said the Minister

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Health and Wellness Key to Driving Tourism Industry Post COVID – Bartlett

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Health and wellness tourism has been identified as a key area that will help to drive growth in the Jamaica tourism industry moving forward, in light of the new norm created in the global travel and hospitality market, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This position was outlined by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett at the opening of the two-day Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference now underway at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. This is the second such conference being hosted by the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and with physical attendance restricted by COVID-19 protocols, this year’s event is being streamed live to online participants.

Minister Bartlett said: “Health and Wellness will become one of the key cornerstones for destination differentiation in our tourism marketing. This is primarily because the new demographic emerging, Gen C, are going to be the new drivers of travel and they are going to require destinations that have strong health security properties.”

He noted that the Jamaican people are key players in the new thrust. “This is one of the reasons why we are going to be focusing heavily on building the capacity of our people to better take care of themselves and also to provide those elements of care that are going to be fitting the need that the visitors have when they come to the country,” said the Tourism Minister.

He proffered that the coronavirus pandemic has provided a new opportunity in the health and wellness tourism arena while also creating great demand for the island to be more pristine by making a greater investment in destination assurance. “Jamaica is going to have to establish itself as a destination where the confidence that the visitor wants, that he is going to be safe and secure, and he will have a seamless experience, is never second guessed,” underscored Minister Bartlett.

He says Jamaica’s tourism marketing will focus heavily on that as it seeks to woo back hundreds of thousands of visitors whose travel plans have been derailed since February this year by the pandemic. In that regard, Mr. Bartlett disclosed that an international team has begun work on Jamaica’s Destination Assurance Policy which will become the guiding light for the country’s own strategies to ensure better management of the destination.

The new tourism marketing thrust is supported by President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Clifton Reader who said “coming out of COVID-19 there will be a great demand, especially for older people travelling; they have the money to travel and they are going to bring their families, but, of course, they have preexisting conditions.”

Stating that health and wellness tourism was a very lucrative US billion dollar industry, Mr. Reader said: “When you look at the economic viability of this area, it is tremendous and Jamaica is so poised with all the facilities we have.” The JHTA president also said it was very important that through collaboration with government and private stakeholders, that the medical facilities within Jamaica be developed to attract more travelers.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Jamaica Tourism Minister Addresses Pandemic in Travel and Tourism

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Bartlett, who recently received the Tourism Heroes award from the World Tourism Network, addressed this morning the Tourism Recovery discussion hosted by EU Commissioner Elena Kountoura.

Here is a transcript of his speech:

Global travel and tourism have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UNWTO reported a 65% drop in international tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2020. In 2020, the global travel and tourism market is predicted to experience a loss of 121 million jobs worldwide and USD 3,435 billion in global GDP.  Evidently, the sector is facing a crisis of historic proportions with no clear timeline for a return to normalcy in sight.  The pandemic has elicited various responses from destinations globally to generally mitigate the economic fallout and prepare for recovery in the post covid19 era.  One of the foremost responses has been for tourism stakeholders to pay closer attention to their frameworks for building confidence in their destination security during this period of heightened anxiety and uncertainty.  After the initial period of border closures, which brought international tourism to a halt, many destinations, beginning in May/June, began to roll out plans for controlled reopening that generally emphasized reassuring international tourists that it was safe to visit.  This has meant a heightened focus on health and safety protocols.

In the initial reopening phase, some destinations limited the reopening of tourism  to domestic visitors and  between specific countries, through the introduction of a  “travel bubble” that allowed tourists to travel feely between two  countries which have both recorded relatively low deaths from covid-19,  before gradually opening up to international tourists.   Other destinations have developed comprehensive health and safety protocols.  In Jamaica, my ministry introduced our Tourism Industry Post Covid-19 Protocols, which were developed to ensure the safety of the workers in the industry, as well as to build confidence among travelers to adapt to “the new normal” of additional health and hygiene practices. The protocols, which are contained in an 88-page document, cover all segments of the industry including –Airports; Cruise Ports; Accommodations; Attractions; Tourism Transportation Operators; Craft Traders; Water Sports Operators; General Security and Public Safety; and Mega Events. The COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols have been endorsed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The protocols have been globally recognized as providing leadership in tourism COVID-19 management arrangements and when fully adhered to, will make Jamaica among the most COVID-19-resilient destinations in the world. Generally, most hotel and resorts island-wide have introduced protocols to mitigate  the spread of COVID-19, including increased physical distancing, wearing of masks in public places, removal of shared or self-service items, installation of handwashing/sanitisation stations, visible cleaning taking place frequently, and more contactless/tech-based transactions.

We have also introduced the concept of resilient corridors to boost the country’s ability to manage and trace the movement of tourists along controlled corridors of the island.  We have strategically planned the reopening stages, first requiring travelers to stay on the resort grounds and now giving them freedom to visit attractions within the Resilient Corridors using transportation approved under the Tourist Board. The Resilient Corridors, which encompass the majority of the island’s tourism regions, provide the opportunity for visitors to enjoy more of the country’s unique offerings, as many coronavirus (COVID-19)-compliant attractions, located along the Corridors, are authorized for visits by the health authorities. The Resilient Corridors will play a key role as the sector continues on the path to recovery.

This crisis has also provided countries with the opportunity to untap hidden sources of resilience. Reduced international travel has forced destinations to pay closer attention to domestic markets which they have traditionally overlooked or underutilized.   My ministry recently launched a Rediscover Jamaica campaign, which is an initiative to encourage Jamaicans to take advantage of the country’s many tourism products and attractions through lower-priced staycation packages based on lower rates. The initiative has received tremendously positive reception from locals, with some hotels reporting 60-80 % reservations from locals.  As we look to the future many destinations are realizing the benefit of incentivizing local tourism to offset seasonal downturns in international tourist arrivals as well as volatility in the global tourism .

Recovery plans for the post-COVID era are also well-advanced in most countries. As devastating as the pandemic has been, it will not be permanent.  Recovery of the tourism sector will, however, not be an automatic, seamless experience. Recovery has to be carefully planned and managed to ensure the desired results. To this end, my ministry has already unveiled a  five-point plan for the recovery of the tourism sector  which includes developing robust health and safety protocols, increased training for all segments of the tourism sector, building safety and security infrastructure, and acquiring PPE and hygiene tools. This framework is based on public-private sector collaboration consisting of key stakeholders from the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism, and Agencies of the Ministry. It will be supported by two Working Teams – one for general tourism and another for cruise tourism – and a Secretariat. These  specially -assigned teams will  promote a realistic view of the sector’s baseline or starting position; develop scenarios for multiple versions of the future; establish the strategic posture for the sector as well as a broad direction of the journey back to growth; establish actions and strategic imperatives that will be reflected across various scenarios; and establish trigger points to tackle action, which includes a planned vision in a world that is learning to evolve rapidly.

Global responses have also paid attention to the human side of the impact of the pandemic on tourism specifically as it relates to the well-being of displaced workers and the survival of small businesses.  At the onset of the pandemic, my ministry entered discussions with commercial banks for them to provide temporary cash-flow support to businesses and consumers in affected sectors through deferral of principal payments, new lines of credit and other measures.  We have also provided fiscal stimulus for displaced workers and business through the provision of various grants and cash transfers. Also, to ensure that tourism workers are using this time to develop competencies for the post-covid19 tourism sector, since April, we have been providing 11 free online courses for tourism workers as part of the Government’s thrust to ensure the continued development of employees in the sector. The courses are offered in areas such as laundry attendant, gift room attendant, kitchen steward/porter, public area sanitation, hospitality team leader, certified banquet server, certified restaurant server, Servsafe training in food safety, certified hospitality supervisor, introduction to Spanish, and disc jock (DJ) certification. 

To further strengthen the responsiveness of the sector to the current crisis as well as future ones, the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre intends to establish a tool to facilitate reliable measurement of tourism-related risks  as well as to  ensure that there is a  repository of information with policy implications for international tourism. The idea of The Global Tourism Resilience Barometer (GTRB) will ensure that tourism stakeholders will have be access to a centralized  instructional and supportive tool that will help them to develop sound policies and identify mechanisms that will help to reverse  divisive and disruptive trends that are threatening the sector.  This Framework will essentially assist policy makers and stakeholders to determine the level of tourism resilience readiness across countries. Through the framework and index, stakeholders will be able to:

– Determine, through a composite score and ranking, how well a country is doing as it relates to tourism resilience.

– Identify Tourism Resilience gaps across countries and, implement corrective strategies to prepare these countries for various disruptions.

– Enable progress on global tourism resilience to be measured over time.

– Access new insights which will deepen understanding of global tourism resilience by enabling comparisons and facilitating conversations based on broader, long- term considerations rather than some of the usual insular considerations.

I am also proposing a Global Tourism Resilience Fund to equip vulnerable countries to be able to respond, manage, and to then recover and grow after disruptions.  The Fund would especially target destinations that are recognized as facing high vulnerability but have insufficient financial capacity to prepare for and recover quickly from disruption.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Tourism Linkages Network to Host Major Spa Standards Workshop says Bartlett

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As part of efforts to encourage the adoption of national and international standards by spas across the island, the Tourism Linkages Network will be hosting a free two-day Spa Standards Workshop, beginning next Monday, November 16, 2020. The workshop will seek to sensitize the industry about the Linkages Network’s newly developed COVID-19 Safety Manual for Jamaican Spas, which is the first of its kind in the region.

The manual incorporates existing protocols for spas from the Ministry of Tourism’s COVID-19 protocol document as well as the standards outlined by the International Spa Association.

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, highlighted that: “This year a record 498 persons have registered for the workshop, which will be streamed on the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s social media pages, on November 16 and 17.”

“This is a very important workshop which will include presentations on topics such as: ‘Visioning the Spa Industry through destination integrity and assurance,’ Understanding the requirements of the Spa Standard JS319, as well as a presentation on the new COVID-19 Safety Manual for Spas,” he explained.

The Ministry’s training arm, the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation, will also be collaborating on this initiative to offer Spa Certification training for qualified spa practitioners.

The Spa Standards and Certification program began in 2017, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Jamaica Bureau of Standards and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo). To date, over 250 stakeholders across the island have benefited.

The Tourism Linkages Network will also be hosting its second annual Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference from Wednesday, November 18 to Thursday, November 19 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, under the theme: “Reset, Reimagine, Restore.”

“The conference will bring together leaders in the health and wellness tourism industry from Jamaica, the Caribbean and around the world for one of the most important conferences on Jamaica’s tourism schedule. This year’s conference will be a hybrid event with limited in person attendance and live streaming via social media, which will bring the activity to the entire global wellness tourism community,” Minister Bartlett outlined. 

Additional information on both events can be accessed at: wellnessinja.com

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett Wins Gusi Peace Prize

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, was yesterday awarded the prestigious Gusi Peace prize from the Gusi Foundation of Manila, Philippines.

“I’m greatly honored to be considered by the esteemed Gusi Foundation in this critical period of global history. Certainly, our work with regards to tourism and global resilience has made a mark. I think Jamaica, and certainly all of us who have been in the tourism management business in the island, can feel justly proud that we are being considered and our work is recognized well beyond our shores,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Gusi Foundation is a charitable organization, whose main objective is “to give proper recognition, through the conferment of awards of excellence and distinction, to individuals or groups worldwide who have distinguished themselves as brilliant exemplars of society.”

Specifically, the organizers have noted that these individuals or groups must make exemplary contributions to peace and human rights, in scientific discoveries, politics, academe, performing arts, literature, medicine or physiology, journalism, humanities, physics, chemistry, religion, business and philanthropy, economics and internationalism.

The Award is named after the late Captain Gemeniano Javier Gusi, a World War II veteran who fought against Japanese oppression and became a popular active advocate of human rights.

It is deemed to approximate the honor and respect accorded to the Nobel Peace Prize of Norway, and the Pulitzer of the United States of America.

“I am pleased to accept this award, though virtually, and it is my hope that I will be able to go next to receive it physically in Manilla. On behalf of all of us, this is indeed a very humbling but significant moment in my life and certainly for all of us in tourism,” said the Minister.

Bartlett joins distinguished past laureates such as Jamaican veteran advertiser and diplomat Arnold Foote Jr, who received the honor in 2010; Dr. Isaias Salas Hererra of Costa Rica who received the award in 2016; Jamaican Businessman, Lascelles Chin, awarded in 2017 and Jamaican Humanitarian, Father Richard Ryan Ho Lung, awarded in 2011.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Bartlett Joins Discussions on Developing a Global Tourism Recovery Plan

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, recently participated in a global ministerial panel discussion on rethinking the global travel and tourism industry with a comprehensive recovery plan, which encourages innovation and investment to rebuild destinations.

The discussions took place earlier this week during the annual International Tourism and Investment Conference in London, held in partnership with the World Travel Market (WTM), which took place on a virtual platform, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, consequent social distancing and global travel restrictions.

“The aspirational objectives of destinations for recovery in the   post-COVID era are increasingly being reflected in the rolling out of comprehensive recovery plans for the tourism sector which seek to leverage the collective power and resources of key stakeholders including: governments, international tourism bodies, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, booking agencies etc.,” said Bartlett.

“Recovery has become almost synonymous with resilience-building. The sector needs to become more adaptable, resilient and agile.  This pandemic has presented us with a unique opportunity to transition towards a more balanced tourism as it is anticipated that more international tourists will opt for “sustainable” destinations in the post-COVID era,” he added.

Other Ministers joining the panel included Hon. Nigel Huddleston, Minister of Tourism, UK; Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Kenya; Hon. Marcelo Álvaro Antônio, Minister of Tourism, Brazil; and Hon. Elena Kountoura, Member of the European Parliament.

Minister Bartlett also reiterated the call for the establishment of a Global Tourism Resilience Fund to equip vulnerable countries to be able to respond, manage, and to then recover and grow after disruptions. The Fund would especially target destinations that are recognized as facing high vulnerability but have insufficient financial capacity to prepare for and recover quickly from disruptions.

“It is also important for policymakers, industry leaders, investors and financial institutions to collaborate more closely to support investments and provide incentives to support  product differentiation into areas such as health, wellness and the green economy which are linked to the promotion of more sustainable behaviors and practices by all involved in the tourism value chain,” said Bartlett.

The global tourism investment summit was organized with the goal of helping to accelerate the recovery of travel and tourism businesses and restore travelers’ confidence after the COVID-19 pandemic. It brought together global leading voices and luminaries across different segments to discuss the future of the travel and tourism industry, its challenges, opportunities, financial strategies and mechanisms required to aid its successful recovery.

The three-day summit began on November 9 under the theme: “Invest, Finance and Rebuild the Travel and Tourism Industry.” Bartlett also participated in the resilience panel discussion, on Tuesday November 10, 2020.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

International Tourism Partners Want to Expand Jamaica Cares Insurance Globally

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has revealed that the Jamaica Cares mandatory travel insurance program has received very positive feedback from global tourism stakeholders. He also outlined that international tourism partners would like to expand the program globally.

The Minister made this announcement today during the Tourism Ministry’s two-day strategic planning retreat being held at the Terra Nova All-Suite hotel in Kingston where heads of agencies, divisions, and senior managers within the ministry and its agencies are discussing ways to reposition the sector and plot the way forward in light of the impact of COVID-19.

“This morning the world said to me, during a virtual meeting based in Asia, that Jamaica Cares is too large for Jamaica. We want to have a World Cares. The World Travel and Tourism Council and other leadership groups are putting it forward for other countries to borrow because they know that the fourth element of the response to the renewal during and after COVID-19 is health security,” said Bartlett.

Jamaica Cares, which is being led by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, is a ground-breaking travel protection and emergency services program that provides visitors with cost of medical care, evacuations, field rescue, case management and patient advocacy in all circumstances up to and including natural disasters. As it relates to COVID-19, the protection plan also covers testing for symptomatic travelers, quarantine/isolation in a medical facility or in sanctioned quarantine facilities and evacuation, if necessary.

The initiative is aimed at providing travel protection and emergency services to tourists coming into the island, as well as to ensure the safety and protection of workers in the tourism sector and, by extension Jamaican citizens.

“Jamaica Cares says to the visitors everywhere: that when you come to a destination, do not put the burden of your health arrangements on the destination that you are coming to; don’t displace the locals from beds in hospitals if they are affected; enable them to manage with you and that your costs become your burden, shared by the billions who travel across the world,” said Bartlett.

“And in that context, the economies of scale chips in and the unit cost of doing it becomes small. Little countries like Jamaica and elsewhere can manage properly and provide you with safety and security and a good time. That reasoning resonated with the rest of the world,” he added.

The resilience center has signed an agreement with Global Rescue for the implementation of the program, which will become effective later this month.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Tourism must get back on track, Bartlett

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the industry is a key driver of the Jamaican economy and urges stakeholders to view the unprecedented crisis brought on by the pandemic as a transformational opportunity to help get tourism back on track.

Speaking at the opening of the first-ever virtual staging of the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the Minister said, “Tourism must get back on track. Pre-pandemic, there were 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals; travel and tourism accounted for 10.3% of global GDP, and it employed 1 in 10 persons around the world.  At home, as we welcomed 4.3 million visitors, the sector earned US$3.7 billion, contributed 9.5% to the nation’s GDP and generated some 170,000 direct jobs.”

Bartlett noted that the Government is doing its part to rebuild the economy and tourism will play a key role. He shared that despite Covid-19, proactive measures were being implemented that will ensure a tourism product that is safe, attractive for visitors, and economically viable for all tourism stakeholders.

Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, Bartlett remains cautiously optimistic as data from the Jamaica Tourist Board indicate that the industry is slowly rebuilding.

Preliminary JTB figures indicate that since reopening on June 15, the country has recorded a little over 211,000 passengers to the island; June to September earnings amounted to US$231.9 million, and hotel occupancy rates are slowly inching up. A 40% increase in arrivals over the winter season when compared to the preceding periods of massive downturn, is also projected.  

“In terms of airlift, most of the major airlines serving the destination are increasing service as the demand picks up. These include the following airlines in the Americas: American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United, Southwest, Air Canada, WestJet, and Copa,” he said. 

Expedia also reported that searches for Jamaica’s Montego Bay rose 15 percent in July, and Jamaica was among the most-searched-for destinations in the Caribbean.

“I have received reports that some of our hotel properties have reported that they are reaching up to 60% occupancy through a combination of international and local guests, with numbers reaching nearly 90% around holiday weekends,” he said.

The Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) is the premier trade event and the single most important business generator for Jamaica’s tourism industry. It facilitates pre-scheduled appointments for leading wholesalers and tour operators with hundreds of Jamaica’s leading tourism suppliers to conduct business negotiations.

Since its 1990 inception, The Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) has been a joint project of The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB). It is supported by every Jamaican organization involved in the development, promotion and sale of the Island’s tourism product.

According to the organizers, the three-day event, which is being held virtually  this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, has more than 2,000 buyer and supplier delegates, travel agents and media representatives from countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, China, India, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Minister Bartlett remembers Canadian Tourism icon Edith Baxter

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed deep regret at the passing of long-time friend and industry colleague Edith Baxter, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Canadian publishing group Baxter Media.

“I wish to offer my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Baxter’s daughter Wendy McClung, along with her extended family and the entire Baxter Media management and staff during this difficult time. Ms. Baxter was a powerful voice within the Canadian travel industry for more than five decades and her legacy will be remembered for years to come,” said Minister Bartlett.

Edith, or Mrs. B as she was fondly known among friends, was an unparalleled leader in Canada’s travel industry. For more than 50 years, she served at the helm of Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier – two of the country’s most respected and widely read weekly travel trade publications.

She founded the prominent media group in 1968 alongside her late husband and business partner William (Bill) Henry Baxter, who passed away in 2004.

Reflecting on Baxter’s passing, Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) John Lynch said, “She will be remembered fondly as a brilliant journalist, a savvy businesswoman and a true friend of Jamaica. She made dozens of trips to the island – particularly enjoying her time at Half Moon Resort – and she developed strong friendships with former JTB Regional Directors Pat Samuels and Sandra Scott.”

Under the leadership of Edith Baxter, Baxter Media has played an integral role in spotlighting Destination Jamaica in the Canadian market over the last five decades.

In 2018, Baxter was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in recognition of her contributions to the tourism industry and the important work she had done behalf of Jamaica.

For the last 25 years, Baxter Media has organized the popular Canadian Travel Industry Golf Tournament, hosted on island in partnership with Sandals Resorts. The annual industry event brings dozens of travel agents, tour operators, airline representatives and tourism partners together in Jamaica for a week of networking events, friendly competition on the links and vibrant island hospitality.

Jamaica has also been featured prominently as an award-winning destination and tourism board at Baxter Media’s annual Agents’ Choice Awards, the largest and most comprehensive survey of travel agents in Canada. For 15 consecutive years, Jamaica has been named ‘Favourite Tourist Board – Caribbean’ at the annual readers’ choice awards.

“Edith Baxter was a true trailblazer who made an enormous impact on the travel community here in Canada and beyond,” recalls Angella Bennett, Regional Director, Canada, JTB.

“Whenever I had the pleasure of meeting with her, I always found myself in awe as she spoke about her career and shared stories of her travels to Jamaica. She had a true love affair with the island and will be dearly missed.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Jamaica’s Tourism Recovery on the Horizon says Bartlett

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Buoyed by the success of the resilient corridor in safeguarding Jamaica’s tourism against the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), discussions have begun regarding the return of cruise ships to the port of Falmouth.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett disclosed that as recent as Wednesday, he was in was discussion “with Disney Cruise about their plans for coming back to Falmouth shortly. They made reference to our resilient corridor as the signature statement of how destinations can make their areas safer for travel and tourism in the future.”

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new development at The Shoppes at Rose Hall, St. James, on Thursday (Oct 29), Minister Bartlett said, “Although concerns continue in our major markets, we are already seeing positive signs of buoyancy which offer encouragement as we rebuild the tourism economy and continue to contribute meaningfully to the rebuilding of the national economy.”

He said preliminary figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) indicated that since reopening on June 15, Jamaica has recorded a little over 200,000 passengers to the country with June to September earnings amounting to just over US$250 million.

Meanwhile, he noted that with the reopening of global economies, air travel was being restored “and we are cautiously optimistic that we will see a 40 percent increase in arrival over the winter season when compared to the preceding period before the massive downturn.”  Also, “airlift continues to increase and this is a good indicator that there is demand by travelers, waiting or indeed making bookings to travel.”

Mr. Bartlett said the JTB,  the Ministry of Tourism’s marketing arm, was maintaining strong engagements with operators and airline companies to drive bookings for the winter “and already seat support out of key markets include the US 567,427, Canada 166,032, the United Kingdom 1,801 and continental Europe overall, 45,311 seats.”

The Tourism Minister publicly thanked Jamaicans both at home and in the diaspora for their contribution to the occupancy levels hotels have been enjoying. To date, there has been no known case of the COVID-19 virus among hotel guests or staff and about 30 percent of tourism workers were back on their jobs.

Strides are being made in laying the groundwork for the full reopening of the tourism sector in Jamaica, in a safe and responsible manner, he said.

“We understand the eagerness of all our tourism workers to get back on the job to support their families and the industry, and assure them that every possible effort is being made to expedite the recovery of the industry. In the meantime, however, they can play their part by encouraging those with whom they come in contact to practice the protocols laid down by the Ministry of Health that will facilitate an early  recovery from COVID-19,” said Minister Bartlett.

He noted that while Jamaica’s health and safety protocols were working and stand out as testament to the high level of compliance by tourism stakeholders, so much so that other tourism destinations were seeking to follow suit, there is no room for complacency.  “But there is a measure of comfort in the fact that the united effort taken in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, is paying off handsomely as we take bold and decisive steps to safeguard everyone,” he said.

Earlier this week, another layer was added to existing health and safety measures to reassure visitors of Jamaica’s resilience against the coronavirus with the launch of an end-to-end health insurance, repatriation, and logistics program branded as “Jamaica Cares.”

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944