For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

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4,800 room Sugarcane Bay multi-resort development to break ground early 2020

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that Karisma Hotels and Resort is set to break ground in the first quarter of next year, for their 4,800 room multi-resort development project in St. Ann. The project represents a near US$1 billion dollar investment.

The popular luxury chain has 26 properties in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe under several brands, including El Dorado, Azul, Generations, Sensatori and Nickelodeon.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announcement at the opening day of the Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference and Operations Summit (CHICOS) said, “This has been a long awaited announcement and I am pleased that with all the necessary approvals granted, this mega project will begin to get on the way.”

This will be a series of hotels in Llandovery in St. Ann and we are excited as this addition of rooms will ensure we remain on target to securing 15,000 rooms by 2021; bring more visitors and create more jobs.”

The Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference & Operations Summit (CHICOS) is reputed as the premier hospitality conference in the region. Having just completed its 8th edition, CHICOS brings together nearly 300 regional and international investors and operators, as well as the region’s leading decision makers.

Following a digital presentation of the Sugarcane Bay design, during the opening day of CHICOS before scores of local and international tourism industry investors, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Business Development of Karisma Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Ruben Becerra, was firm in the chain’s excitement at finally getting the development underway.

Senior Advisor and Strategist for Tourism, Delano Seiveright noted that in addition to Bartlett, Prime Minister Andrew Holness; Minister Daryl Vaz; Shovel Ready Programme lead and Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board, John Lynch; JAMPRO and a raft of other key government stakeholders worked diligently in getting the large and multifaceted project to implementation stage thereby fully opening the door for the creation of thousands of new jobs and lucrative contracts for many local stakeholders.

Karisma Hotels & Resorts plans to operate 35 resorts worldwide by 2020, building on recent growth in the Caribbean and Mexico.

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Jamaica ranked 2nd in the world for prioritizing tourism, says Bartlett

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica has been ranked 2nd in the world for the prioritization of travel and tourism.

The ranking, which was done by the World Economic Forum through its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTIC), highlights that Jamaica prioritizes tourism through government policies and legislation which enable growth of the sector.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announce at the Ministry of Tourism’s Strategic retreat at the Moon Palace Hotel in Ocho Rios today, said “This ranking falls in line with our consistent drive to create strategies that promote growth in arrivals, earnings and ultimately inclusive growth for our small players in the sector.

I am pleased that this ranking gives credibility to our effort as it shows tangibly that the government is doing all that it can to achieve this consistent growth n the sector.”

Published every 2 years by the World Economic Forum, the TTIC measures the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness of 140 economies. The measurement includes the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable development of the Travel & Tourism sector which contributes to the competitiveness of the country.

Minister Bartlett added that, “Jamaica was also ranked 6th for the effectiveness of promotion and brand marketing. This augurs well for our digital transformation drive through the Jamaica Tourist Board, which has transformed the way we market brand Jamaica in the digital space. Both rankings mean that Jamaica is doing it right and the world is taking notice.”

TTCI 2019 results also indicated that air transportation, digital connectivity and international openness are advancing in a global context of growing trade tensions and nationalism.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

Minister Bartlett proposes tourism crisis communication strategy for the Caribbean… Global Resilience Centre to formulate

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre has been tasked with developing a tourism crisis communications strategy which will help Caribbean nations ‘build back better’ following a disaster.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a Tourism Crisis Communications and Disaster Risk Management event yesterday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the Minister said, “In responding to the call to build tourism resilience in the Caribbean, I am very proud that the region’s first resilience centre was recently established at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus Jamaica.

“The Centre is going to focus heavily on crisis communication and will develop an official Tourism Crisis Communication Strategy. We believe that we have established ourselves to provide part of the institutional framework and the physical capacity that the region needs to implement and to have actualised some of the outcomes which we seek to have from our efforts,” he added.

The facility, which is the first of its kind, will assist with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that impact tourism and threaten sector-dependent economies and livelihoods.

It is focused on deliverables including the establishment of an academic journal on resilience and global disruptions, the drafting of a blueprint for resilience, the creation of a resilience barometer and establishment of an Academic Chair for resilience and innovation. This is in keeping with the Centre’s mandate to create, produce and generate toolkits, guidelines and policies to guide the recovery process following a disaster.

“Building resilience will require a system-approach based on strengthening collaborations at the national, regional and international levels among tourism policymakers, lawmakers, tourism enterprises, NGOs, tourism workers, education and training institutions and general populations to reinforce institutional capacity to anticipate, coordinate, monitor and evaluate actions and programmes to lower risk factors,” said the Minister.

While the Centre has been created to assist all tourism nations across the globe, the Minister shared that the Caribbean is particularly vulnerable because it is the most tourism dependent region in the world.

“The most recent economic data indicate that the livelihood of one in every four Caribbean residents is linked to tourism. While travel and tourism contributes to 15.2 % of the region’s GDP in general and over 25% of the GDP of more than half of the countries. In the case of the British Virgin Islands, tourism contributes to 98.5% of GDP.
These figures underscore the importance of developing strategies for mitigating potential hazards that can destabilize tourism services in the region and cause long-term setback to sustainable growth and development,” he said.

During his presentation, the Minister announced that the Centre’s physical space is about 90% completed but is globally linked.

“Next week we go to Kenya to launch at the Kenyatta University, the first satellite centre for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre and then we will head to Kathmandu in Nepal on the first of January to launch the second one. There are also a number of others, which will be launched in 2020,” he said.

The two-day event is being hosted by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the IDB’s Environment, Rural Development and Disaster Risk Management (RND) Division and their Caribbean Country Department.

Over 50 local and regional experts in the field of tourism crisis management and communications and disaster risk management have participated in the event, which is taking place under the theme “Reinforcing Crisis Communication as a Critical Element of Caribbean Tourism Resilience and Disaster Risk Management.”

The event also forms part of part of the IDB’s series of consultations with authorities known as Regional Public Dialogue.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

Minister Bartlett: Tourism Working Group report to help shape new architecture for subsectors

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that findings from the just concluded Tourism Working Group (TWG) report are ready and will be used to help shape a new architecture for the tourism subsectors.

The Tourism Working Group, established in July 2018 and lead by PricewaterhouseCoopers Senior Executive, Wilfred Baghaloo, was set up to review a range of issues within the sector including the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), work permits, ground transportation and entertainment, among others.

The intent of the report is to suggest the way forward for the industry and provide a series of recommendations for strong legislative and policy reforms.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announcement yesterday at a TWG meeting said, “We recognize that global changes in the industry have impacted the business arrangements for some of our indigenous players in various subsectors. The report has highlighted the need for us to retro fit and re-examine our own processes and see how our practices and models are faring against the new disruptive business models.”

The report includes over fifty (50) recommendations that can assist in informing national policies to build stronger partnerships and support for Jamaican businesses.

“Since we established the TWG, there has been several key meetings with foreign and local stakeholders as well as research on other tourism destinations to understand their policy framework.

This is with a view to creating a new architecture that will help build capacity for our suppliers to compete more effectively in an ever changing industry so they can do more and earn more,” added Minister Bartlett.

Co-Chairman of the TWG, Wilfred Baghaloo anticipates that “The next phase of the project will involve consultations among the various ministries and enactment of policies at the local level. Thereafter, there may be meetings with international representatives to discuss the way forward.”

The Minister noted that the findings would be reviewed thoroughly and a number of consultations would take place with relevant stakeholders before the findings are released to the public and any action is taken.

“We are happy that you were able to apply the level of rigour to the investigations which have now concluded with this document. We are excited to peruse it and look carefully on how we can apply some of the recommendations that you have made. We need to have further discussions with stakeholders, because we recognise that it is not going to be a one-glove fit all situation, but we certainly want to fit it right so that we protect the local sector, which is critical to us,” said Minister Bartlett.

He expressed gratitude to the team, which is chaired by Tourism Linkages Council head and Hotelier, Adam Stewart. As well as members such as: Prominent Business leaders, Michael McMorris and Godfrey Dyer; Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), President, Omar Robinson and Senior Executive, Nicola Madden-Greig; President of the Jamaica Cooperative Automobile and Limousine Services (JCAL), Brian Thelwell.

Other members include: Jamaica Vacations, Chairman, Bert Wright; National Craft Traders and Producers Association, President, Melody Haughton-Adams; Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Spencer and representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; Ministry of Labour and Social Security; Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) and the Ministry of Tourism.

Minister Bartlett to conclude discussions for establishment of first Satellite Center in Kenya

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett is currently in Kenya to conclude discussions for the establishment of the first Satellite Center for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center (GTRCMC), at the Kenyatta University.

Speaking at a meeting earlier today with Kenyan officials, at the offices of Minister of Tourism and Wildlife of Kenya, Hon Najib Balala, Minister Bartlett said, “I am very excited that we are very close to opening the first satellite center for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center in Kenya. We will head to Kathmandu in Nepal on January 1 to launch the second one. There are also a number of others, which will be launched in 2020.”

The Satellite Center will focus on regional issues and will share information in Nano time with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center. It will then function as a think tank to develop possible solutions.

The Kenyatta University will collaborate with The University of the West Indies, and by extension the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center — that is tasked with assessing, forecasting, mitigating and managing risks related to tourism resilience, caused by various disruptive factors.

The universities are then expected to sign an MOU, which includes the facilitation of a strategic partnership as it relates to Research and Development; Policy Advocacy and Communication Management; Program/Project Design and Management and Training and Capacity Building.

Minister Balala expressed excitement at the opportunity to collaborate with the GTRCMC, located in Jamaica, as he believes the agreement will be mutually beneficial to both nations.

He also shared that he would, “hold the University’s hand and try to find ways on how we can resolve these issues – from funding but also implementation. They are beyond the tragedies; some of them are beneficial to us, not just as a country but also as a Ministry.”

Executive Director of the GTRCMC, Professor Lloyd Waller added that, “The establishment of satellite Centers will help to create a type of global think tank connected through digital technologies which will be able to share information, collaborate and resolve critical issues through a network of global experts.”

Minister Bartlett will later have bilateral talks with Minister Balala, who is Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council in his capacity as Chair of the Commission of the Americas regarding the Global Summit on Innovation Resilience and Crisis Management scheduled to be hosted by Jamaica on May 21-23, 2020. Jamaica will also host the 65th Regional meeting of the Americas.

The Minister is also in Kenya on official duties with Prime Minister Holness and other government officials. In this capacity, he will attend the he 9th ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government, along with the Prime Minister Holness and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon Kamina Johnson Smith.

The summit will look into ways of reducing, preventing and overcoming terrorism and insecurity to enhance development while also taking into consideration socioeconomic and cultural issues.

He will also meet with a group of private sector investors interested in Jamaica’s tourism product at a formal dinner hosted by Minister Balala on Tuesday night in Nairobi.

Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett returns to the island on Thursday, December 12, 2019.

Minister Bartlett calls for Kingston to be the premier hub of Northern Caribbean

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says that the projected expansion projects in Kingston, as well as those currently underway are a signal of the City’s potential to be the primary hub of the Northern Caribbean.

The Minister made this announcement yesterday, during the inaugural Caribbean Airlines flight from Kingston to Grand Cayman.

“With the changes that have taken place in Kingston and the expansion we are anticipating, we are hoping that Kingston will become a hub for the Northern Caribbean so that connectivity – between Jamaica and Havana, Santiago, Cancun – can be achieved from here. I think Caribbean Airlines is well positioned to be that carrier that makes those connections, utilizing Kingston as a hub,” said the Minister.

This is a sentiment shared by the airline’s CEO, Garvin Medera, who said, “Caribbean Airlines has a clear vision to connect the region, which is a major element in strengthening our Caribbean identity.”

The Minister shared that currently the region is growing at 6.1%, but lack of connectivity within the Caribbean has hindered tourism arrivals to grow to double digits.

“Today’s flight to Grand Cayman is expanding the airline’s range of connectivity and is helping to sunder those dividing elements that prevent us from connecting. The 300 additional seats to Jamaica, with two weekly rotations, add a significant amount to the growing number of seats that are coming on stream,” said the Minister.

Improved air connectivity is one of the Minister’s pillars in achieving growth in the industry. Under this growth strategy, his Ministry is aggressively implementing strategies to attract five million visitors by 2021, generate US$5 billion in tourism earnings, increase the total direct jobs to 125,000, and add 15,000 new hotel rooms.

The Ministry has also been pursuing new and emerging markets whilst maintaining traditional ones through airlift arrangements.

According to data from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the island has increased seats out of the USA by 79,522, Canada by 21,418, the Caribbean by 15,280, and Latin America by 8,280. However, Jamaica is down from UK/Europe but overall the country is looking at an additional 98,676 seats for the season.

As it relates to the Caribbean, over the last three years, Jamaica has seen increased year on year growth. For 2019, Jamaica has so far seen a 6.1 percent increase in visitors from the region.

This new flight from Caribbean Airlines will now make an impressive 22 destinations for Caribbean Airlines, which already has over 600 weekly flights in the Caribbean and North and South America. It will include two departures from either destination per week – Tuesdays and Saturdays – between December 17 and March 28.

Amatterra Jamaica inks deal with Marriott International for first Marriott all-inclusive resort in Jamaica

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The architects of Jamaica’s largest integrated tourism real estate development, the Keith and Paula Russell led Amaterra Jamaica Group, have entered into a hotel management operator agreement with award-winning global travel company, Marriott International.

The official signing took place this evening in Montego Bay, Jamaica in the presence of Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Industry Minister, Audley Shaw, JAMPRO President Diane Edwards and Jampro Board Directors Delano Seiveright and Ian Levy.

Responding to consumers’ growing desire around the world for premium, worry-free vacations, Marriott International announced in August that it is launching an all-inclusive platform to serve this increasingly popular vacation segment. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, Marriott International’s portfolio currently encompasses more than 7,200 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 134 countries and territories.

The company plans to build its new platform by leveraging seven of its established full-service and luxury brands.

In partnering with Amaterra Jamaica Limited, Marriott will further expand its all-inclusive portfolio in popular, leisure destinations worldwide and bring the first Marriott Hotels branded all-inclusive property to Jamaica, providing its 137 million Marriott Bonvoy members with the opportunity to enjoy a new vacation option in the popular destination.

Amaterra’s 800-room flagship development will be located 25 miles east of Montego Bay airport on the island’s north coast and is set on two miles of white sand beach. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2020 and completed in 2022.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, noted that the development forms a key part of the, “Largest expansion of hotel room stock in Jamaica’s history representing the most powerful week in investment developments for the tourism industry, with the Marriot’s entry being a major step in the right direction.” Bartlett also listed an array of initiatives already bearing fruit in deepening linkages, broadening human capital development for tourism workers and spreading the benefits of tourism further afield.

Commenting on the partnership with Marriott International, Amaterra Group, Chairman Keith Russell noted, “The Amaterra Group is excited to welcome Marriott International as our Hotel Management Operator. The Marriott brand is internationally renowned and well respected and we couldn’t be happier to have them on board and be one of their first all-inclusive properties globally. This is a great step not only for Amaterra but also the Jamaican tourism industry and we look forward to partnering with Marriott’s other iconic brands as we go forward.”

Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer for Marriott International in the Caribbean and Latin America remarked, “We are thrilled to partner with Amaterra on this exciting project. Jamaica is a key destination for our new All-Inclusive brand extensions. We are pleased to start off with a flagship Marriott All-Inclusive resort project and confident that Amaterra has the vision to bring it to life on the island.”

Jamaica to host TD Jakes Caribbean Leadership Conference

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, says internationally acclaimed Bishop TD Jakes is looking at staging his flagship leadership conference in Jamaica next year.

The announcement was made at a special brunch, organized by Jamaica Vacations at Royalton Resort, for Bishop Jakes who docked in Trelawny with over 1800 guests as part of his Faith and Family Caribbean Cruise.

Thomas Dexter Jakes, more popularly known as TD Jakes, is a pastor, author and film maker. As pastor of the Potter’s House, Bishop TD Jakes’ conferences draw over 30,000 people.

“As Jamaica continues to diversify its product offerings to suit the passion points of our visitors, developing faith based tourism is high on our priority list. Many people travel for religious reasons.

I am therefore honoured that Bishop TD Jakes has indicated his interest to host his mega conference in Jamaica which will attract thousands locally and overseas,” said Minister Bartlett.

It is estimated by the World Tourism Organization, that 300 to 330 million people travel for religious purposes every year.

Bishop TD Jakes’ church services and evangelistic sermons are broadcast on The Potters Touch, which airs on lightsource.com, the Trinity Broadcast Network, Black Entertainment Television, the Daystar Television Network and the Word Network.

“We are excited about the possibilities of having some events in Jamaica that i think would be of interest not only to Jamaicans.

We are interested in leadership development, where business and faith can collaborate to create a more wholesome atmosphere,” said Bishop TD Jakes.

Minister Bartlett added that, “Jamaica will be the ideal location for this mega conference given the island’s Christian and religious culture.”

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

Jamaica’s Manual on Tourism Ethics hailed by international community

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Jamaica’s Manual on Tourism Ethics scheduled to be released at the end of the year, has been hailed as innovative and timely by the intentional tourism community. The manual forms part of the outcomes of the island wide security audit of hotels and attractions undertaken earlier this year.

“The issue of safety and security remains a critical component of any destination’s assurance to visitors. Jamaica, in its commitment to ensuring safety and security for all visitors and locals alike, reviewed security arrangements of all hotels and attractions with a view to creating a new architecture and the manual of tourism ethics will guide that,” said Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett commissioned the security audit to ensure that the destination remains safe, secure and seamless for visitors and locals alike. The audit was carried out by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) with support from well-known international security expert Dr. Peter Tarlow.

Minister Bartlett highlighted the manual during his presentation yesterday as a key panellist on the World Travel Market (WTM) discussion on ‘Taking responsibility for Safety and Security’. Other panellists included German Porras, former Secretary of Tourism for Spain; John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs of Sri Lanka, Sethembiso Dlamini, COO and Acting CEO at South African Tourism; and Nikki White, Director of Destinations and Sustainability at ABTA.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB and features many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Minister Bartlett added that, “This will be a first of its kind manual that will help to guide security arrangements for the region. It will be a game changer in the area of safety and security in the industry.”

Whilst at WTM, Minister Bartlett will use the opportunity to increase in outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets.

Minister Bartlett is expected to return to the island on November 8, 2019.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

Jamaica and Panama to establish multi-destination arrangement, says Minister Bartlett

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that Jamaica and the Republic of Panama is set to establish a multi destination arrangement, as part of efforts to strengthen tourism relations between both countries.

This announcement follows discussions with Minister of Tourism for Panama, His Excellency Ivan Alfaro, and Minister Bartlett at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London yesterday.

“Multi destination tourism is a strategy to increase the product offerings of the respective destinations but more so to enable better air connectivity between markets particularly, for long haul destinations. With this multi destination arrangement, Panama will become a hub for long haul flights and Emirates and Air China are among the two targeted carriers,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Jamaica Tourist Board and the Panamanian Tourism Authority will meet to conclude details of the arrangement by January 2020 for signing during FITUR in Spain.

“The second area of collaboration will be to explore how we can better leverage the Jamaican Diaspora that has contributed to the cultural enrichment of Panama.

The third and final area of collaboration will be resilience building in the region, which will include the establishment of a satellite Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at an agreed university in Panama,” added Minister Bartlett.

Jamaica has had diplomatic relations with Panama since 1966. Currently, COPA Airlines, which is the flag carrier of Panama, operates eleven (11) flights weekly into Jamaica.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB and features many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Minister Bartlett, who is participating in WTM as part of efforts to increase outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets, will return to the island on November 8.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.