Displaying items by tag: TOURISM

BUOYED by a rebound in tourist arrivals, transport and logistics company Knutsford Express has seen a return to profitability in the second quarter (Q2) of financial year (FY) 2022/23, according to an unaudited financial statement shared on the Jamaica Stock Exchange website.

THE Ministry of Tourism, through its Tourism Linkages Network (TLN), is relaunching its 'Top Events campaign', which is designed to increase attendance by visitors to events and activities islandwide.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says a strong government and good governance have been the catalysts for improvement and recovery in the country's economy post-pandemic. 

Speaking Tuesday at the Invest Jamaica Conference in Montego Bay, St James, Prime Minister Holness stressed that the speed of Jamaica's recovery can be attributed to making the right decisions for the overall good of the country, while balancing lives and livelihood.

“We managed the pandemic in such a way that we didn’t have to sacrifice businesses, we ensured that businesses could recover quickly. Now we are happy to say that our tourism product has recovered," said Holness.

He also noted that the recovery after the pandemic is phenomenal, especially after several months of complete shutdown of the industry.

Pointing to this as evidence of the robustness of the Jamaican economy, the prime minister said, now, more than ever, the country is equipped and poised for greater investment.

He, therefore, moved to encourage greater investment in the country, while highlighting Jamaica’s peak performance in tourism and the high employment rate.

“If you are looking for a place that is near your shores, on the same time zones, accessible, an hour and a half from any major destination that you may be originating from, and you want high-quality labour that can easily communicate, then Jamaica is the place,” said Holness.

He also underscored that the objective of the Government is to convert the country’s assets into prosperity.

The prime minister said: "Jamaica has one of the oldest democracies of modern time and it can become the country that has converted its democracy, its political stability and its economic sustainability into prosperity for the people."

Holness also gave the assurance that the Government and people of Jamaica are committed to the journey of advancement and prosperity of the nation and, therefore, welcome investments that will accomplish this mission.

INCREASED yields backed by the recovery of tourism saw the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry leading the performance for estimated out-turns in the goods-producing industry during the just-concluded July-September quarter.

The impending inaugural visit next month by the world's largest cruise ship, the "Wonder of the Seas," has heightened local stakeholders' optimism about the prospect of a positive 2022/23 winter tourist season, especially for cruise shipping.

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, says the island had been able to secure an estimated 26,000 more airline seats to Jamaica this winter.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — The long-established relationship between Jamaica and Canada, the island’s second largest tourism market, has been strengthened with an agreement to enter a new era of cooperation and collaboration in tourism, resilience and sustainability.

On Thursday, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and his Canadian counterpart, Randy Boissonnault, agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) when they met on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Boissonnault is Canada’s first full-fledged Minister of Tourism but also holds the portfolio of Associate Minister of Finance. Two other key stakeholders in the Parliament Hill meeting were Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sharon Miller and Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maninder Sidhu.

The two ministers agreed on an MOU to share best practices and build capacity in training and human capital development, marketing, investment and the expansion of tourism resilience and sustainability programmes and projects.

Although tourism is Canada’s second largest export and growing, Minister Boissonnault said the industry was never seen as being critical. However, with a changing paradigm, it was now being pursued with new insights and a commitment made to funding and support for a meaningful MOU, recognising the key role that Jamaica and Canada can play in strengthening global tourism.

The renewed partnership has been welcomed by Bartlett who said Minister Boissonnault was a supporter of the new tourism that has been emerging since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and being the first full-fledged tourism minister for his country was an indication of how important tourism was now being seen.

Minister Bartlett elaborated on the MOU, stating that it will focus heavily on building the capacity of tourism workers and stakeholders of the industry “to provide a greater level of service, but more so to be able to pivot and to respond to different challenges and crises that may appear from time to time.”

In a release on Friday, it was revealed that an Employment Charter, being developed to attract and retain tourism workers, has received the backing of the Canadian tourism minister who indicated that he wanted to play an active role in the dialogue relating to the charter leading up to its promulgation at a later date.

“We looked at the wider question of resilience and sustainability, in particular the work of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and Canada will support the Global Tourism Resilience agenda and participate in the Global Tourism Resilience Day activities to take place in February 2023 at the University of the West Indies,” said Minister Bartlett.

Satellite centres of the GTRCMC are to be established at Carlton University in Ottawa, in addition to the one that already exists at George Brown University in Toronto.

The MOU also calls for exchanges to be initiated with Carlton University, George Brown College, and other key technical institutions that are tourism and hospitality oriented.

Minister Bartlett disclosed that Canada and Jamaica will collaborate on a number of initiatives he did not identify but stated that “this was a great encounter.”

Canada and Jamaica have enjoyed a longstanding relationship spanning over 60 years. Canada is also one of the preferred countries for settlement by migrating Jamaicans, with some 350,000 making it their home.

Two home-grown Jamaicans have joined forces to invest US$100 million into the construction of a multipurpose vacation and residential resort that will reshape Jamaica’s tourism capital, Montego Bay in St James.

The government of the United States is again urging its citizens to reconsider travel to Jamaica, due to what it says is the high level of crime.

After months of closure following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the tourism sector said it has, to date, raked in over US$5.7 billion in earnings since reopening its borders in June 2020.