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Top tourism officials to visit Jamaica for high-level UNWTO meeting

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Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, and Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, are among the global tourism officials who will visit Jamaica this week to attend the blended staging of the UNWTO’s 66th Regional Commission of the Americas (CAM) on June 24. The trip will mark Mr. Pololikashvili’s first visit to the English-speaking Caribbean. 

Additionally, the Caribbean will also be strongly represented as the Minister of Tourism and International Transport for Barbados, Senator, the Hon. Lisa Cummins, will also travel to Jamaica to attend the CAM meeting to be chaired by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. The tourism officials will also participate in the Ministerial Dialogue on the reactivation of the tourism sector for inclusive growth. 

Minister Bartlett indicates that investment will be high on the agenda when local officials meet with the Saudi Minister. He says Mr. Al Khateeb will be arriving with a delegation of eleven, including an investor who will hold talks with Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator, the Hon. Aubyn Hill, around a number of matters including renewable energy. 

Noting the importance of Mr. Al Khateeb’s visit, Minister Bartlett said it will be the first by a Saudi Arabian Minister of Tourism and that he is seen as the leading minister holding that portfolio in the Arabian region. He also oversees the Red Sea project, said to be the largest tourism venture to be undertaken anywhere in the world. 

Mr. Bartlett revealed that the Red Sea project involves building out a number of islands to create a whole new US$40-billion tourism experience that will rival the much talked about Dubai development and is expected to transform Saudi Arabia’s oil-based economy into one driven by tourism. Minister Bartlett said this was of significance to Jamaica as it underscored the central value of tourism as a transformational tool in economic development. 

The Saudi tourism minister will be visiting the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) at the University of the West Indies, where he will participate in a bi-lateral meeting on tourism cooperation. “We will have a series of discussions relating to fostering collaboration between tourism in Jamaica and tourism in Saudi Arabia,” Minister Bartlett disclosed. 

Also, on their agenda is exploring areas of community tourism and cruise development, as well as sustainability and resilience “and the building out of a very tangible facility, we hope, in the region to enable a broader appreciation of sustainable tourism, as well as the importance of resilience in building the capacity to recover from disruptions that will ultimately happen,” said Mr. Bartlett. 

While here, the tourism officials and their delegations will tour the Bob Marley Museum, the GTRCMC and Craighton Estate. Minister Bartlett will also host a welcome dinner for the special guests at the Devon House, while Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness will extend the same courtesy at AC Marriott Hotel. 

More news about Jamaica

MEDIA CONTACT:  

Corporate Communications Division 

Ministry of Tourism  

64 Knutsford Boulevard 

Kingston 5 

Telephone: 920-4924,  

Fax: 906-1729 

Or 

Kingsley Roberts 

Senior Director, Corporate Communications 

Ministry of Tourism 

64 Knutsford Boulevard 

Kingston 5 

Tel: 920-4926-30, ext.: 5990 

Cell: (876) 505-6118 

Fax: 920-4944 

UNWTO Secretary General to visit Jamaica in June

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Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett (seen left in the photo) and his colleague, Senator, the Hon. Aubyn Hill (seen right), Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, share a light moment with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, (seen center) following their high-level meeting today in Madrid, Spain.

During their meeting they discussed strategies to foster the rebound of the global tourism industry and also finalized plans for Jamaica to host the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) meeting from June 23-24, 2021. Jamaica currently chairs the CAM and will relinquish its position at the General Assembly in Morocco in October.

Minister Bartlett also outlined that the Cabinet has since approved Jamaica’s candidacy for the UNWTO Executive Council for the period 2022-2026.

The Secretary General is expected to visit Jamaica for the CAM meeting in June as well as an official tour of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. It will be the first time Mr. Pololikashvili will be visiting the English-speaking Caribbean.

The Jamaica Ministry of Tourism and its agencies are on a mission to enhance and transform Jamaica’s tourism product, while ensuring that the benefits which flow from the tourism sector are increased for all Jamaicans. To this end it has implemented policies and strategies that will provide further momentum for tourism as the engine of growth for the Jamaican economy. The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that the tourism sector makes the fullest contribution possible to Jamaica’s economic development given its tremendous earning potential.

At the Ministry, they are leading the charge to strengthen the linkages between tourism and other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and entertainment, and in so doing encourage every Jamaican to play their part in improving the country’s tourism product, sustaining investment, and modernizing and diversifying the sector to foster growth and job creation for fellow Jamaicans. The Ministry sees this as critical to Jamaica’s survival and success and has undertaken this process through an inclusive approach, which is driven by the Resort Boards, through wide-scale consultation.

Recognizing that a collaborative effort and a committed partnership between the public and private sectors will be needed to achieve set targets, central to the Ministry’s plans is maintaining and nurturing its relationship with all key stakeholders. In so doing, it is believed that with the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development as a guide and the National Development Plan – Vision 2030 as a benchmark – the Ministry’s goals are achievable for the benefit of all Jamaicans.

More news about Jamaica

#rebuildingtravel

Media contact:

Corporate Communications Division

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Telephone: 920-4924,

Fax: 906-1729

Or

Kingsley Roberts

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

Ministry of Tourism

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Tel: 920-4926-30, ext.: 5990

Cell: (876) 505-6118

Fax: 920-4944

African Tourism Board urgent appeal to Iran and the United States

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A war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will not only send fear to American travelers, traveling for business and tourism but to the global travel and tourism industry as a whole.

Many countries and regions in Africa rely on tourism revenue as the main foreign currency earner. Ministers of Tourism from around the African continent are in disbelieve in the state of the world at this time, and some are nervous. Many heads of State in Africa don’t really know how to react.

Also, UNWTO  Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili has not made any statements, and Gloria Guevara, head of  WTTC  has not reacted.

Iran is an important country for the UNWTO Secretary-General. eTurboNews reported about it a year ago.

Hopefully, UNWTO is working behind the scene by pointing out to Iran and the U.S. about the consequences for the tourism industry in case of a growing conflict between the two nations.

The U.S. President tweeted yesterday he had 52 Iranian targets in site representing also Iranian Cultural sites. This was a threat targeting global heritage, and would not only punish Iran. Global heritage is part of global tourism.

Cuthbert Ncube, Chairman of the African Tourism Board seems to be the first tourism leader with a message to U.S. President Donald Trump and President Hassan Rouhani.

African Tourism Board is now officially in business
Cuthbert Ncube, ATB Chair

Cuthbert said on Sunday:

“At the African Tourism Board (ATB)  we condemn the use of violence perpetrated by either party as violence begets violence, and in most cases, innocent people get caught up on the crossfire.

We therefore encourage and are pleading for a constructive dialogue between the United States and the Iran presidents Donald Trump and Hassan Rouhani.

The tension between the U.S. and Iran will affect Global Peace, and deprive connectivity within the tourism space.  Tourism is the livelihood for more than 10% of the global population and specifically, in Africa it is critical income needed by our people.

If the situation between the two nations is not checked and corrected it will raise mistrust, others will get involved and could spread like a bushfire.

We, therefore condemn in the strongest terms any act of violence. Such violence will most likely lead to retaliation and further escalate into a full-blown war.”

Joining the African Tourism board go to www.africantourismboard.com/join 

MEDIA CONTACT: TravelMarketingNetwork, 954 Lexington Ave. #1037, New York, NY 10021 USA, PH: (+1) 718-374-6816, [email protected]

African Tourism Board and African Union Development Agency in talks

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The African Tourism Board is taking leadership for the continents’ travel and tourism industry in working hard to establish relationships and forming alliances with all relevant players.

On Monday, the African Tourism Board Chairperson Cuthbert Ncube and the ATB Chief Executive Officer Doris Woerfel met with African Union Development Agency  Martin Bwalya , head of the Industrialisation Division at the AUDA head offices in Midrand, South Africa.

Both Organisations have agreed to work together in fulfilling the objectives and mandate of the UNWTO and AU’s Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted in 2015 by all countries of the UN.

Traditional development efforts have often focused on one issue at a time, i.e first hunger, then clean energy, then inclusive institutions. The SDGs recognize that Development must balance economic, social and environmental sustainability— and that interventions in one area will affect outcomes in others. For example, actions to support women’s and girls’ empowerment may also catalyze local economies, enable safer childbirth, and build more inclusive communities.

The emphasis dwelt on collectively engaging both parties on implementation on projects earmarked for Development within the continent.

The Chairperson emphasized that ATB believes with a full conviction on Africa’s resources, in fact, it is the wealthiest landmass on the face of the earth. This wealth can be found in its abundant mineral resources and in its huge agricultural potential. Africa’s mineral wealth includes a wide variety and huge volume of resources that are critical to the technical and industrial development of humanity.

However, because this wealth is unevenly distributed, showing no relationship to the artificial, imperialist imposed divisions of the continent, this wealth can only benefit the masses of African people when shared on a continent-wide basis.

This strategic partnership with the African Union will see a more robust and accelerated approach in acknowledging the need for the continent to appreciate and unify this effort.

Only a united Africa, with it’s more than one billion people, can provide the requisite market size to stimulate large scale production. How ever, as it stands, a weak and divided Africa has been forced to turn its purchasing power over to foreign industrialized nations of the world.

These nations, in turn, use this opportunity to flood Africa’s markets with goods, many of which are of very dubious quality, produced by their large scale factories, plants, and farms.

More on the African Tourism Board: www.africantourismboard.com

MEDIA CONTACT: TravelMarketingNetwork, 954 Lexington Ave. #1037, New York, NY 10021 USA, PH: (+1) 718-374-6816, [email protected]   

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Bartlett calls for global support for hurricane-impacted Bahamas

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett today urged members of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly to express solidarity with the Government and people of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, following the passage of Hurricane Dorian.

Addressing the members of the 23rd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Minister said, “The Bahamas is a key partner in the UNWTO network and served as chair of the Americas. We think this General Assembly should take note of the current situation there and resolve to offer all the support that is possible to ensure a speedy and effective recovery.

I further call upon the UNWTO to support in the reconstruction process with a focus on ‘building back better’ and thriving which is the essence of resilience.”

In his official address, the Minister also stated The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, located at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, stands ready to serve as a vehicle of implementation for the collective efforts of the UNWTO.

“It is real experiences such as this that inspired the establishment of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. For decades, we have championed resilience in words, now is the time to act,” 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.

He also noted that resilience efforts for the tourism sector should be founded on effective crisis communication to build awareness and public education for informed messaging.

The UNWTO is an agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It includes members from 158 countries, 6 territories and over 500 affiliate members from the private sector. It also offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

The Minister also used the opportunity to invite the members of the General Assembly to further show their support for the Bahamas by booking their next vacation to the island.

“We emphasize and reiterate the position of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, that indeed the best way to support the Bahamas is to visit the Bahamas as a tourist.

The Minister and his delegation are expected to return from Russia on September 14, 2019.

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