Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett left Miami, Florida yesterday, to participate in the Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners on January 30, 2018 in Puerto Rico during the annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM).
During the council meeting, the Minister will participate in discussions on issues regarding the future of the Caribbean tourism sector, such as the development of: the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan; a proposal regarding tourism marketing and development initiative, which will be presented to CARICOM Heads in February 2018; and the Public/Private Sector Short Term Marketing Plan.
“I was very pleased to receive a personal invitation from the Secretary General and CEO of the CTO, Mr. Hugh Riley, to participate in this year’s Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners meeting. I am eager to engage in crucial discussions with my fellow tourism leaders, and help plot the way forward to collectively improve the region’s tourism product,” said Minister Bartlett.
While in Puerto Rico, Minister Bartlett will also take part in several business meetings on the development of a Global Tourism Resilience Centre in Jamaica and provide an update on the Caribbean Recovery Plan.
“Unfortunately, our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico after its passage last September. While we can’t provide immediate aid, we can learn from the experiences, which will ultimately allow our region to have better preparedness planning, better communication, and more effective methods to deal with crises after they happen,” said the Minister.
The Centre, which is set to be established at the University of the West Indies, Mona, will be tasked with creating: toolkits, guidelines and policies to handle the recovery process. It will also include the development of a Sustainable Tourism Observatory, which will assist in preparedness, management and recovery of crises which impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihood.
Minister Bartlett is also expected to attend the Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM), which is the largest Tourism Marketing event in the Caribbean. More than 1000 delegates from over 25 countries are expected to attend. It will showcase a number of hotels, tourist boards, destination management companies, tour operators, airlines among others related to the travel industry.
He will then travel to Canada, to participate in critical meetings with strategic tourism partners and participate in the roll out of the Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) marketing plan to reassure key markets that Jamaica is still open for business.
The Minister will be accompanied by Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company, Dr. Andrew Spencer in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is expected to return to the island on February 03, 2017.
