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New President of Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association Announced

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has welcomed newly-elected President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Clifton Reader. Reader was elected on Friday, September 18, during the JHTA’s 59th annual general meeting, which was hosted virtually. He succeeded Omar Robinson, who served in the capacity for the last four years.

“I must extend my heartiest congratulations to the incoming President of the JHTA. You have been given this responsibility during a critical time in our recovery process, as an industry. However, I am confident that with your experience and innovative ideas, that you will have a successful tenure,” said Minister Bartlett.

“The Ministry of Tourism stands ready to assist you and your team at the JHTA in any way that we can. We are all in this together. Strong partnerships and the sharing of ideas is the only way we can move forward, as an industry,” he added.

“I must also thank Omar Robinson for the excellent job he has done over the years as JHTA’s President. Mr. Robinson has been a firm leader who has used his platform to lobby effectively for his members,” said the Minister.

During the AGM, Minister Bartlett praised the JHTA for the work they have done throughout the years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The JHTA has always been a valuable tourism partner.  It has been a rough seven months and I want to commend you for your resilience in the face of such great adversity. I just want to reassure you that we have your back. So, let us continue to collaborate for the success of the tourism industry and the betterment of the many persons and entities that greatly rely on it,” expressed Bartlett.

Reader is currently the managing director of Moon Palace Jamaica and has a wealth of experience in the tourism and hospitality sector.

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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: Jamaica’s Tourism Ministry to launch Tourism Supplies Hub

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Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry will be developing a Tourism Supplies Hub that will help to position Jamaica as the premier logistics centre in the region. The hub will focus on training and certification of tourism workers, serving as suppliers for cruise and airlines; and resilience and technology support.

The Minister made the announcement recently during his address at the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association’s (JHTA) 59th annual general meeting (AGM), which was hosted virtually.

During his address, he added that this hub would be “a critical response to the cruise companies, which have indicated that they would like to secure supplies from Jamaica as well as additional workers.”

He shared that his Ministry has been proactive with its approach to the cruise industry, by meeting with them frequently to get updates on how the industry will safely re-open.

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“We have been in long discussions with our cruise partners. Although I cannot announce to you today the exact date when cruise will resume in Jamaica, I can tell you that we have been very vigorous in terms of our efforts to redefine the relationships between the cruise industry stakeholders and ourselves,” said the Minister.

“This is being done with the hope of ensuring that a greater level of not just resources will come to Jamaica but that Jamaica will benefit greater from the ability that the cruise lines have to generate more local involvement and more inclusiveness, in terms of the returns from the sector,” he added.

The Tourism Ministry is also seeking to launch a collaborative global marketing campaign that will bring partners in private sector and Government together to speak with one voice and market Jamaica as a COVID-19 resilient destination, based on the destination’s world-class protocols and innovative Resilient Corridors.

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

Jamaica Carnival Postponed Until Next Year

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett today announced that Carnival in Jamaica organizers will forgo its annual road march and related activities until April 11, 2021.

“As the country enters the community transmission phase of the COVID-19 virus, we strongly believe it is in the best interest of our people, to forego hosting our annual carnival celebrations for this year,” Minister Bartlett expressed.

“We are mindful of the significant economic loss this will have on our country, as this event generates billions annually, with many small and medium sized enterprises benefitting from the celebrations. However, the Government of Jamaica must continue to put strong measures in place to prevent unnecessary exposure of our people and visitors to the deadly disease,” said Minister Bartlett.

The road parade originally scheduled for Sunday, April 19 was first postponed to Sunday, October 25, due to the threat of the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision to forego hosting the event in 2020 was made after consultation with event organizers and members of Government and is in keeping with current containment measures.

“Based on all of the professional healthcare advice, taking into account that carnival is not only a local but also an international tourism entertainment product, we have no choice but to reschedule the staging of our Carnival in Jamaica Road Parade from October 25th 2020 to April 11th 2021.  This will allow us the time to do what we need to do to have a safe and enjoyable Carnival in 2021,” said Chairman of the Carnival in Jamaica stakeholders committee, Kamal Bankay.

He further noted that all of the bands and fetes will honor all tickets and costumes purchased in 2020 for the 2021 staging.

A revised Carnival in Jamaica calendar, including all the major fetes will follow in the coming days.

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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 committed to ensuring tourism entities are COVID compliant

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Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has indicated his commitment to ensuring that tourism entities, especially the small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs), are COVID compliant.

Minister Bartlett, who gave the assurance during a recent tour of tourism entities in Hanover and Westmoreland, said: “My Ministry in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, has been devising initiatives to ensure that all stakeholders particularly the small and micro enterprises are COVID compliant.

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), through the Linkages Network, has been at the forefront of ensuring that these small players in the sector have the gadgetry and personal protective gear available to them.”

The Tourism Linkages Network (TLN) has been donating tourism protective kits, that include infrared thermometers, touchless hand sanitizers, touchless garbage bins, buckets retrofitted with pipes as well as masks.

“These protective kits, which are valued at J$20Million, will be distributed across the island to 500 small tourism entities, such as the vendors who sell fish and bammy at the border of Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, to ensure they are operating within COVID guidelines.

This is part of our overall product assurance, so visitors and locals feel confident that what they are buying is safe, especially in this new COVID-19 era,” added Minister Bartlett.

SMTEs, through a mixture of loans and grants facilitated by the TEF and its partners, have also been given a lifeline with access to over J$ 2 Billion in funding to help them retool and rebound amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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 pleased with COVID-19 protocol compliance in Westmoreland

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett says he is satisfied with the level of compliance with established COVID-19 protocols among tourism entities in the parish of Westmoreland.

“I’m very pleased with what I have seen,” said Minister Bartlett following an extensive tour recently to examine large and small hotels and villas and concluding that: “The properties are fully compliant.”

The tour, was the latest in a series of onsite inspections of properties located along COVID-19 Resilient corridors led by Minister Bartlett to examine properties that are certified in terms of requirements under Jamaica’s health and safety protocols. The tour entailed stops at Riu Palace Tropical Bay and Rondel Village in Negril as well as Zimbali Culinary Retreats; Bluefields Bay Villas and Whitehouse. The Minister also handed over an ambulance valued at $18 million to the Negril Fire Station, which was financed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

Defending the push to reopen the industry while managing the coronavirus, Mr Bartlett said Jamaica wanted to establish that health security was at the foundation of the country’s tourism destination assurance framework. He is pleased that in this regard, “Jamaica has excelled and I’m excited at how the rest of the world is looking at us and viewing the way in which we have managed this pandemic.”

The Minister said there was a determination “to make sure that tourism toes the line” and supported the call by the Ministry of Health & Wellness that if there are constant cases of breaches “that we must take action, and strong action and we are at the forefront of seeing to it that that happens.”

Minister Bartlett also expressed delight that tourism would soon have a COVID security insurance plan, noting that: “We are in the closing stages of it now and hopefully within the next few weeks we will be able to have the first of that programme established.” This insurance is to provide another layer of coverage to Destination Jamaica, while ensuring that visitors are compliant, in a cost-effective manner.

In response to calls for Jamaica to diversify its economy and not be so heavily dependent on tourism for economic sustainability, Minister Bartlett agreed but pointed out that: “We see tourism in the context of driving a wider and deeper, bigger market for production of goods and services through linkages.”

He highlighted the value of a tourism economy having a huge link with various areas of economic activity, citing for instance: “If we bring more visitors to Jamaica, it means an expanded market for more agricultural produce, for instance, requiring larger plantations or more technologically advanced methods that produce higher quality and greater levels of output, then employ more people and generates more.”

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

New Ambulance to Boost Health Security for Visitors and Locals, says Bartlett

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the donation of a brand-new ambulance by the Tourism Enhancement Fund to the Negril Fire station will boost Jamaica health security for visitors and locals alike.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony on Friday (July 31, 2020), Minister Bartlett highlighted that: “Negril represents a very critical resort area that continues to add to Jamaica’s prestige as a destination and this donation of an ambulance will boost the health security that is needed for this growing town.

Visitors and locals will feel more confident moving around, as the response to health emergencies will be strengthened.”

The Minister spoke also to the importance of the assurance every destination needs to provide, that if something happens there is adequate resources to respond.

“This is what this ambulance will represent for the town of Negril, the assurance that in event of an emergency, the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) at the fire station will be able to respond and respond quickly,” said Minister Bartlett. 

The ambulance, valued at J$18million, will greatly assist the EMS department at the Negril Fire Station which has been without a working ambulance for the past eight months. The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) also provided an additional $7.6 million for the renovation of the fire station in the resort town.

“Last year we embarked on a strategy lead by my Permanent Secretary to reimagine the town of Negril and this forms part of that strategy to boost the resources required under the new destination plan,” concluded Minister Bartlett.

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

SMTEs Have Key Role to Play in Rejuvenating the Economy – Bartlett

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), have a key role to play in reviving the economy, in the aftermath of the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking recently at the virtual staging of the Tourism Ministry’s signature Christmas in July tradeshow, he said, “The Tourism Linkages Network through initiatives such as Christmas in July is playing a crucial role in this recovery process by stimulating well needed economic activity through partnerships.”

He stressed that “everyone has a role to play in rebuilding the economy and Christmas in July provides an avenue for suppliers to begin to earn again and do their part in rejuvenating the economy.”

Minister Bartlett underscored that assisting local suppliers to meet the demands of the tourism sector through the development of stronger linkages with other sectors, remains a top priority of the Tourism Ministry.

He said, “We remain committed to ensuring that the country’s domestic sectors are better able to supply the products and services that are the necessary inputs of the visitor’s experience.”

The Minister explained that “this is even more critical under the new dispensation brought about by COVID-19, which has put a strain on every sector of the economy, with an added burden on the tourism sector because it is by far the most reliable means of getting the national economy up and running again.”

Christmas in July is an exhibition of locally produced corporate gifts and souvenir items that will enable local entrepreneurs to benefit more from the linkage opportunities available in the tourism industry.

Participants over the years have been chalking up millions of dollars in sales through contracts negotiated at the event. “The 50 highest earners of Christmas in July 2019 made a combined total of J$9.2 million by participating in the event,” Minister Bartlett revealed.

Items on display this year, from 146 entrepreneurs, included locally produced art, fashion and accessories, processed foods, aromatherapy, and souvenirs such as desktop solutions and décor items that are available for purchase. The event also featured a ‘Style Jamaica’ fashion show which showcased apparel by several top local fashion designers.

The tradeshow is organized by the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, in partnership with Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and the Bureau of Standards.

A gift catalog of all participants and samples of their work will be made available at a later date.

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

Jamaica Employees Eager to Help Rebuild Tourism

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Employees of some of Jamaica’s leading tourist attractions have expressed gratitude to be able to return to work and told Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett that they were eager to be back playing their role in rebuilding the tourism sector.

Mr. Bartlett toured attractions in the Ocho Rios area, along the North Coast Resilient Corridor recently. He heard first-hand, overwhelming expressions of appreciation from workers, who welcomed the recent decision to reopen COVID-19 compliant attractions effective July 21, 2020. A number of the entities are currently receiving strong support from local patrons.

While awaiting final Cabinet approval for attractions impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic to reopen to international patrons, Minister Bartlett and ministry officials visited Mystic Mountain, Dolphin Cove and Chukka Caribbean Adventures to check their levels of compliance with stipulated protocols and equipment to manage the spread of the virus.

At all three, he was warmly greeted by staff members expressing their excitement to be able to return to work. Their sentiments were encapsulated by Team Leader at Chukka, Alicia Green. “We want to thank you for freeing up tourism so we can all have our jobs back,” she said, supported by resounding applause from her co-workers. “We promise to follow all protocols to remain COVID-free and to have a wonderful time,” she added.

Minister Bartlett underscored that: “We have been opening the industry in a very carefully structured and strategized way” and “we want to ensure also that in the process the jobs come back.”

He expressed deep satisfaction with what he had seen, adding that the partnership between tourism and health was paramount in overcoming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While underscoring the importance of health security to the hospitality industry, he stressed the need for tourism to be seen as part of the solution.

Noting that “tourism is the heartbeat of the country”, he expressed that visitors don’t just come here to have a drink and then to move on but to expand the Jamaican market and enable producers to have a larger group of people to feed and to provide goods and services for. “Tourism expands the demand for goods and services and enables jobs, jobs and more jobs as a result,” proclaimed Minister Bartlett.

Jamaica Employees of Tourist Attractions Thankful to Return to Work
The reopening of attractions is welcomed by operators, staff and small tourism enterprise operators like Beverley Creary-Green (right), who is happy that she can again sell her handmade trinkets at Mystic Mountain. She was pleased to show off her handy-work to Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (centre), while Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Joy Roberts (left), looks on.

He said it was important to underscore that point “because I believe there is a ‘disconnect’ in the minds of our people in relation to this industry” which, it is now being realized, impacts so many other industries that are forced to close when tourism shuts down.

Director of Chukka, John Byles, said “I want to express how grateful we are to be seeing that our jobs are coming back, that we have the opportunity to work.”

Mr. Byles, who is also Chairman of the joint public-private sector COVID-19 resilient corridor management team, underscored that “all of us in the private sector commit to joining the partnership. We see it as us protecting ourselves by helping with the surveillance, the enforcement; to help with the entire program of ensuring compliance.”

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

Jamaica Tourism Minister to Hospitality: Comply or shut down

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has warned that tourism entities that fail to comply with health and safety protocols designed to facilitate the phased reopening of the tourism sector, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, will be shut down.

Speaking at the Golf View Hotel in Manchester, during a tour of the newly opened South Coast Resilient Corridor on the weekend, the Minister stressed that: “If you are not COVID compliant we are going to shut you down and whether you’re big or you’re small, because we cannot compromise on health security.”

The new corridor was introduced on July 15. Similar to the North Coast Resilient Corridor, which was introduced in June, this area will welcome visitors with robust health and safety protocols.

Minister Bartlett said: “The start of the South Coast phase of the reopening is very important to us,” noting that “this is a really popular region for Jamaicans and some international visitors because this is country style tourism.”

Mr. Bartlett underscored the importance of tourism interests working in collaboration with various ministries and agencies, including the Ministries of Tourism and Health and Wellness, in ensuring adherence to the protocols and effectively managing the process of containing the virus “to keep Jamaica safe, secure and seamless for ourselves first and our friends and visitors.”

A team is in place, comprising government personnel and private sector stakeholders, to monitor and ensure compliance. “So, the message to the South Coast is that this corridor is going to be managed as tight, if not tighter, as we are trying to manage the Northern corridor and breaches within this corridor are going to be met with very strong action,” said the Tourism Minister.

Comply or shut down: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism warns hotels and resorts
TREASURE BEACH – Chairman of the South Coast Chapter of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and owner of Jakes Hotel, Jason Henzell (3rd right), brought Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (2nd left) up to date on the preparedness of tourism stakeholders along the newly opened South Coast Resilient Corridor, when he toured recently to see and hear first-hand from them. Behind Mr Bartlett is Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Ltd. (JAMVAC), Joy Roberts and at centre is Destination Manager for the South Coast, Jonathan Bamidele.

He continued that “I’m not going to mince words on it, the instruction from me is to shut them down if they don’t comply. This is not just a South Coast edict, this is a Jamaica edict, it’s for every tourism facility that is operating in Jamaica.”

Minister Bartlett said: “So if you are a little man and you’re not compliant if you’re a medium-sized man and you’re not compliant if you’re a big man and you’re not compliant, any man you are and you are not compliant, you’re going to be treated the same.”

Minister Bartlett outlined that Jamaica has to be strong in its resolve “because we recognize that we’re operating in a global community that is still not compliant fully” with the spread of the virus being seen in Jamaica’s source markets “in a manner that is frightening to some of us.”

The South Coast Tour also entailed stops in Black River and Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, including visits to Jakes Hotel; Jack Sprat Restaurant, and the Lashings Boutique Hotel, as well as a stakeholder meeting.

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

Jamaica South Coast Now Open to Tourists says Bartlett

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The Jamaica South Coast is now open to tourists following the launch of a South Coast Resilient Corridor, which runs from Milk River to Negril. In an effort to drive the continued safe re-opening of the tourism sector, Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. yesterday announced that the new corridor will be introduced on July 15. Much like the North Coast Resilient Corridor, which was introduced in June, this area will welcome visitors with robust health and safety protocols.

While addressing Parliament yesterday, the Minister said: “This expansion, which takes effect on July 15, will enable more visitors to experience the tourism product, while enabling tourism businesses and workers to restart operations in a safe environment.”

He noted that the key protocols of this corridor includes limiting access to only authorised properties to ensure that visitors will be travelling to COVID-compliant locations, as well as ensuring that public and private sector stakeholders are responsible for collaborating, to guarantee the extensive monitoring that is required.

“The protocols were designed based on benchmarks of nearly 20 markets in the Caribbean and globally as well as international health agencies.  They cover big and small hotels, guesthouses, attractions, beaches, transportation, shopping, social activities (restaurants and bars) and cruise ports,” said the Minister.

Mr. Bartlett noted that “the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) is playing a lead role in driving compliance with these protocols. The TPDCo has redeployed existing product quality officers to increase the complement of persons dedicated to overseeing compliance from 11 to 70, to ensure they have proper capacity to manage this task, which entails constant monitoring.”

“Moving forward, the intention is for the TPDCo to work in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Wellness; Local Government and Community Development; Transport and National Security, along with other tourism partners to enforce protocols along the corridors. To this end the Ministry of National Security, will deploy over 140 TPDCo trained District Constables, to boost the surveillance mechanism,” he said.

In order to become COVID-certified, tourism entities are required to, among other things, submit a recovery plan based on the protocols; introduce proper COVID-related signage, as well as enforce social distancing, hand sanitising, and the wearing of masks.

During his presentation, the Minister also announced that the next phase of the re-opening exercise would see the opening of COVID-19 compliant attractions on July 21, 2020.

“We have already had indications that 23 such attractions, in the vicinity of the North Coast area have become compliant and we have two along the South Coast, including one that is not in this immediate corridor.  One of the reasons we have put the opening of the attractions to July 21, is to ensure that we have that full level of compliance that is required,” he explained.

“The tourism sector reopened to visitors on June 15, 2020 and since then, has welcomed over 35,000 visitors and resident Jamaicans. It is estimated that during the month of July, Jamaica will welcome a total of 41,000 passengers (visitors and resident Jamaicans). This will result in approximately US$80 Million in earnings,” Minister Bartlett said.

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