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Tourism on Agenda for Renewed Jamaica-Nigeria Bilateral Talks

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Tourism is expected to be a major item on the agenda of talks to take place soon in Abuja, Nigeria, aimed at formalizing a new Jamaica-Nigeria bilateral agreement between the two nations.

Previously set for earlier this year, the talks were postponed due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic but with a direct air link now open between the two countries, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Geoffrey Onyeama are expressing optimism of it happening soon.

“For many years, we have been looking at formalizing a new bilateral agreement between Jamaica and Nigeria; now the contents of that are being put together. We were to have had a meeting in Abuja in April of this year; it didn’t happen because of Covid but is expected to happen soon,” said Minister Bartlett following a closed door meeting with Minister Onyeama at the Round Hill Hotel in Montego Bay last night.  He is hoping “that in the frame of all of that will be discussions with regards to tourism collaboration between the two countries.”

The Tourism Minister identified marketing through the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) as well as product development and destination assurance strategy developed by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), presented to the world as a new way of dealing with post-Covid tourism, as possible points of collaboration for which a technical corporation agreement can be arrived at.

Also on the cards is the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which was established by Jamaica to assess, forecast, mitigate and managing risks related to tourism resilience, caused by various disruptive factors. “We have already established a satellite in Kenya for East Africa and we really would love to have one established in either Abuja or Lagos for West Africa,” said Minister Bartlett. An arrangement is already under consideration and will be pursued involving the University of the West Indies (Mona), which hosts the resilience centre in Jamaica, and a university in Nigeria.

Minister Onyeama concurred that “We now have the framework in place to strengthen the cooperation and to take it to another level and we are going to pursue that. Covid has delayed it but it has not stopped it so we are going to cooperate in different areas, in trade, agriculture, sports, you name it, and really fuse the two countries and our peoples together.”

He stated that Jamaica “has a comparative advantage in tourism, which plays an enormous role in the economy, job creation and so on, so we really feel that we would like for you to share that experience with us. We believe it will be a game changer. We’re looking at diversifying our economy; we’ve depended too much on oil and the petroleum sector and there are gold mines out there in other sectors that can really transform our economy and provide jobs for our teeming population of 200 million.”

The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister said his country had a youthful population with most being in the age range of 30 years “so we believe with our brothers and sisters in Jamaica that we can transform the future of both of us into real wins. We’re looking at prosperity for our people and we believe that this partnership can deliver that for our two countries.”

He also expressed an interest in learning about Jamaica’s culinary strategy. “Nigeria has a wide variety of dishes and we were told that your ackee was voted by National Geographic as the world’s second best national dish, so I think there’s some knowledge that you have there that we also want to tap into,” he said.

On December 21, the historical link between Jamaica and Nigeria was strengthened with the first non-stop flight from Lagos landing at the Sangster International Airport. Among those on board with the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister was Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency Esmond Reid. Last night he said this direct flight “is the beginning of a transformed relationship, not just for Jamaica-Nigeria, but for Africa and the Caribbean and Jamaica stands ready to play a central role in that partnership.”

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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’s Tourism Minister Bartlett welcomes new Chukka $2M nature adventure park

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Jamaica’s attractions sub-sector has received a major boost with the addition of a new nature adventure park in Sandy Bay, Lucea, at a cost of over US$2 million by Chukka Caribbean Adventures.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett declared the attraction officially opened yesterday (December 17), during a ribbon cutting ceremony, supported by Chukka’s Executive Director, John Byles and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Melville, after which he toured the seaside facility, which sits on 26 acres.

Chukka Ocean Outpost Sandy Bay, joins the list of attractions operated by the company in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Belize and more recently, Barbados.

Mr. Bartlett said “the money spent on remodeling and reinventing this experience, to make it COVID-19 compliant and to put it in a positon where it could stand with other attractions of the world and where the new visitors would want to go, was well spent.”

Mr. Bartlett was particularly happy for the investment which, he said, came at a very difficult time but stated that: “As a destination, giving confidence to investors is what Jamaica is all about.”

Mr. Melville posited that: “In the middle of this, many people would have stopped investing,” adding that “investment comes out of hope and confidence and it is the hope and confidence that we received from the leadership at the time, thriving and knowing that we were going in the right direction, that allowed us to go against the tide, put our money where our mouth is and built out the investment that we have here today.”

Also of special interest to Minister Bartlett was that the park was enabling more of the island’s tourism workers laid off by the shutting down of the tourism industry some nine months ago, due to COVID-19, to return to work. He projects that the current winter tourist season will peak at about 40 percent of what it was last year and provide more jobs.

Following a tour of the property, Minister Bartlett commended the innovation that had gone into creating “a facility that will enable the very health conscious, social distance conscious visitor to be happy to enjoy the experiences that are being offered here.”

He observed that the architectural arrangement of the attraction provided for groups in the type of numbers that make it safe for visitors “to find their own bubble and to experience the beauty, the joy and the adrenalin rush that is required, as they seek to satisfy their own passions.”

Mr. Melville said the Ocean Outpost offered: the added attraction of a unique leisure infrastructure with catamarans sailing the Hanover seacoast; diving; snorkeling and riding in the ocean on horseback. There are also two rivers and springs on the property.

The project was undertaken by Chukka working in collaboration with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Hanover Municipal Corporation and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), who provided guidance in ensuring a sustainable and environmentally friendly facility.

– eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News Online

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

Tourism and Culture Ministers Urge Everyone to Buy Jamaican This Christmas

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett and Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, have joined forces in calling on Jamaicans and other persons seeking gift items, to use the yuletide season to shop locally and support and buy Jamaican designers, artisans and other local producers of goods and services.

Their appeal was made at the third annual staging of the Tourism Linkages Network’s Style Jamaica event, a fashion show featuring 14 Jamaican designers whose creations, the ministers agreed, could stand out against any of their international counterparts. This year’s event was also paired with the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s (TEF) new e-Chrismus Marketplace initiative, which is an online shopping marketplace showcasing a range of products from Jamaican designers and artisans.

The two-day event runs from December 16 to 17 and is being staged virtually at the newly opened Main Street Jamaica shopping facility (Formerly The Shoppes at Rose Hall), in Montego Bay, St. James. The location’s linkages concept promotes the best of Jamaica to international travellers with shopping as a major part of their visitor experience. The Style Jamaica event also presented Jamaican participants with an international marketing avenue through an online shopping platform.

“The online marketing of products and services is now the norm and our Jamaican consumers are beginning to appreciate that this comes with other benefits that in themselves add value in terms of cost-savings and even time-savings, in getting goods from the producer to the consumer,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Minister then urged everyone to buy Jamaican this Christmas. He stressed that: “Especially at this time though, I want to invite our Jamaicans to show confidence in ourselves and give meaning to ‘Buy Jamaican’. We are approaching the season of giving to friends and loved ones, a loving act that COVID-19 and social distancing cannot stop, and I really want to appeal to everyone to shop Jamaican this ‘Chrismus’.”

“That special item you may desire is literally at your fingertips. Just visit the shoppinginja.com/echrismus platform and there you will find an amazing array of gift items that are available from local suppliers who are eager for you to contact them,” he added.

While endorsing the call for persons to support local producers when shopping this Christmas, Minister Grange said “shopping is a major area for tourism and Destination Jamaica is one of the great brands.”

She also saw the Main Street Jamaica concept as capturing the essence of what Jamaica is all about, adding that: “What it has done is to present what Jamaica is about; its culture, its music, its food and the great talent our artisans have and has brought all of this together with brands of the world and to show that we can stand up and be a part of what the world is all about.”

Minister Bartlett noted that it was with the knowledge that shopping was one of the most important activities for tourists, and also an important factor in the choice of destination for many, that shopping was identified as one of the must-haves in the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the TEF, which now helps to drive efforts to diversify Jamaica’s product offering.

He said the objectives of Style Jamaica were in keeping with the broader objectives of the tourism sector as it sought to promote Jamaica as a premium shopping destination; promote and highlight local designers to the tourism market, and to diversify the on-island shopping experience. This year’s staging therefore leveraged the growing online market trend even as it sought to develop authentic and unique shopping experiences that add value to the Jamaican tourism product.

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

Minister Bartlett Welcomes Return of BA to Montego Bay

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Three days ahead of the start of the traditional winter tourist season, Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, elatedly welcomed the return of British Airways flights to Montego Bay. The first fully loaded Boeing 777 flight, BA2265 from London Gatwick, touched down at the Sangster International Airport late Saturday afternoon (December 12).

Joining Minister Bartlett in welcoming the capacity 332 passengers, as well as Captain Graham Dawkins and the flight crew, were British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Asif Ahmad, Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations, Joy Roberts, Jamaica Tourist Board Regional Director, Odette Dyer and British Airways Commercial Manager Caribbean, Diane Corrie.

Returning after an absence of 11 years, it was outlined that the BA flight will operate for the winter season until April 17, 2021 with a capacity of 31 Club World (Business Class), 52 World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and 250 World Traveller (Economy) seats. Thereafter, it will be operating a twice weekly schedule with flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

“This is a very good sign because it is starting for us the recovery of the industry, and certainly the British market,” said Mr. Bartlett as the beat of drums mastered by the group Children of the Drums, filled the hallway. The mix of passengers included Brits and Jamaicans from the Diaspora.

He was also cognizant of the importance of the flight in gradually adding to the return of jobs displaced earlier this year by the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted, however, “as we are anxious and excited about the return to economic activities, we have to recognize the responsibility that we have to manage this pandemic and to comply with the protocols that have been established.”

Mr. Bartlett said all workers in the industry had a responsibility to protect themselves and for its part, the ministry had invested in providing protective equipment for them. Also, “all the hotels have been responding extremely well to the need for the COVID-19 infrastructure that will enable us to not only be compliant but to reduce to a minimal, if not to zero, the incidences of infection.”

Responsible management by the tourism sector has ensured that since reopening in June, “the incidence of infection has been very, very low, if not at zero and the resilience corridors that we have developed are an example to the world of how to create a bubble that will protect both locals and international visitors alike,” said Minister Bartlett.

High Commissioner Ahmad said the significance of British Airways coming back to Montego Bay, adding to existing flights into Kingston, was that Montego Bay is important to Britain, and indeed the other way around as well. “It is the kith and kin connections that we have with the 800,000 Jamaicans that we have living in the UK and the tourists who come here repeatedly and visit family and friends; that is important,” he said.

Mrs. Corrie said British Airways has been flying to Jamaica for over 70 years and was “absolutely delighted to be back in Montego Bay.” She said Jamaica had many attractive assets, including its warm weather that people in the UK and in Europe wanted to get out and experience.

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

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