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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

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.

More news about Jamaica.

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

Bartlett: Ministries of Tourism and Health, JHTA partnering to provide rooms for COVID-19 patients

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry along with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), will be partnering to provide rooms for COVID-19 patients, should the need arise.

“I am in discussions with my colleague Minister of Health and the president of the JHTA to identify suitable rooms in the event they may be required to deal with recovery cases with COVID-19. Right now it is all hands on deck and tourism stands ready to support in any way it can to mitigate against the impact of this pandemic,” said Minister Bartlett.

The COVID-09 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on several countries globally. To date, there has been over 400 thousand cases with over 18 thousand deaths associated with the disease.

“Partnerships at the local, regional and global levels are critical at this stage to help manage this disease and this is just one such example,” added Minister Bartlett.

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon Christopher Tufton has welcomed the initiative, which he says will help to ease the burden on the already limited public health resources.

Speaking on the response by the JHTA, President Omar Robinson said, “The JHTA has requested from our members with closed properties to enter into a partnership arrangement with the Ministry of Health & Wellness in the provision of rooms for quarantine/isolation purposes. We have also requested of our members to donate linens and other soft goods for use at hospitals, and isolation/quarantine rooms.”

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

Global Tourism Resilience Centre provides relief for Bahamas

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett today handed over US$50 thousand to Director General of the Bahamas Tourism and Aviation Ministry, Mrs. Joy Jibrilu at the second Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM) Board of Governors Meeting in London today.

The money forms part of the overall relief fund established by the GTRCM to support tourism-ravaged economies impacted by disruptions such as natural disasters and pandemics.

Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm, hit the Bahamas last month as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall. The storm caused widespread flooding and destruction.

“This donation symbolizes the Centre’s commitment to assisting tourism-dependent states that are vulnerable to disruptions to recover and rebound. Two islands of the Bahamas suffered much damage from the passage of hurricane Dorian and still needs support to rebuild and this contribution will go towards that,” said Minister Bartlett.

In collaboration with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), the GTRCM is providing US$100,000 in support of the tourism ravaged economies of the Bahamas and other areas in the Caribbean that may be impacted in the future. The JHTA has contributed US$20,000 to assist in relief efforts through the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the GTRCM.

In accepting the donation, Director General, Mrs. Jibrilu said “On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation and Government of the Bahamas, I am pleased to accept this contribution which will help with our recovery and rebuilding efforts. This show of support is deeply appreciated and shows the importance of collaboration on issues of disaster and crisis management.”

The fund will also go towards the commissioning of a baseline study to assess the vulnerabilities of the Caribbean to major disruptions such as hurricanes, pandemics and epidemics and building capacity to deal with them.

“Global trends show that given the dynamic and devastating nature of these disruptions, building resilience to predict, manage and recover from these disruptions has become even more critical and that is what the GTRCM has been established to do,” added Minister Bartlett.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s mission includes assisting global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management, and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.

Read more news about Jamaica here.

Tourism Resilience Centre to provide US$100,000 Towards Disaster Recovery Efforts in the Caribbean

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry through the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), has allocated US$100,000 to support tourism-ravaged economies impacted by disruptions such as natural disasters and pandemics.

Speaking at a press conference today at the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Kingston office, the Minister noted that the announcement has stemmed from discussions he had with critical tourism partners at the recently concluded United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) 23rd Session of the General Assembly in Russia. 

“One of the key areas we looked at in Russia is how to deal with some of these disruptions that are affecting us… Coming out of these discussions, in collaboration with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), we are providing US$100,000 in support of the tourism ravaged economies of the Bahamas and other areas in the Caribbean that may be impacted in the future,” said the Minister.

The JHTA has contributed US$20,000 to assist in relief efforts through the UNWTO and the GTRCMC.

The Minister noted that this fund is going to assist in relief efforts in hurricane-ravaged Bahamas but also towards the commissioning of a baseline study to assess the vulnerabilities of the Caribbean to major disruptions.

“A baseline study is being commissioned by the Centre to look at Caribbean vulnerabilities to disruptions of this nature. It is not just about hurricanes but other pandemics and epidemics. We are doing that, not just on the basis that is providing supplies but to build capacity. It is about the building of capacity to deal with disruptions,” said the Minister.

He also noted that, “This fund is going to look at a study in terms of understanding these phenomena but more importantly, how we build capacity to deal with them.” 

The Centre’s newly elected Executive Director, Professor Lloyd Waller and his team have been tasked with overseeing the process.

“We want to also acknowledge the work that the Sandals Foundation has done and is doing in terms of the recovery process in the Bahamas.  We are grateful for their partnership with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, and the massive support they continue to give the Bahamas,” said the Minister.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s mission includes assisting global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.  

MEDIA CONTACT:

Corporate Communications

Ministry of Tourism,

64 Knutsford Boulevard,

Kingston 5.

Tel: 920-4926-30,

Fax: 920-4944