As Jamaica braces to experience its best summer tourist season ever, Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett has departed for the US.
The minister along with a team of senior tourism officials have departed the island for America to engage with critical stakeholders in Jamaica’s largest visitor source market.
Minister Bartlett’s first stop will be in New York City where he will participate in the annual Caribbean Week celebrations organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). The signature event provides a platform to showcase the Caribbean brand and provide updates and support to travel agents and media, promote thought leadership, and encourage networking within the tourism industry.
Over three days (June 5-8), the tourism minister will be involved in a series of activities which include the Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting, a meeting with JetBlue Vacations and JetBlue Airlines, an interview with Good Day New York, the CTO Tourism Industry Marketing Conference, the official signing of an agreement between the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and George Washington University and the CTO Media Marketplace.
“We’re hitting the road to bolster arrivals from our biggest and best market, the United States. More than 74% of our visitors come from the US and we don’t take that for granted. We’re determined to future-proof the sector this summer, and meeting with our American partners is crucial to realizing that objective,” stated Minister Bartlett.
Considering the recent travel advisory issued by the US State Department, the tourism minister underscored that it is essential that American visitors are reminded of the “safe, secure and seamless” experience that a Jamaican vacation offers.
With destination assurance central to the Ministry of Tourism’s policy direction, Minister Bartlett further noted that it is prudent for Jamaica’s presence to be felt in the American market at this time.
The tourism minister will briefly return to Jamaica before heading to Miami, Florida, where he will meet with key players in the cruise industry, including Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA). Minister Bartlett and his team will also make a quick trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for meetings with Delta Vacations and Delta Airlines, one of America’s major legacy carriers.
Following his Atlanta visit, Minister Bartlett will return to Florida for the Miami World Travel Expo (WTE), where he will participate in a panel discussion followed by a meeting with executives from the Expedia Group, owners of more than 200 travel booking sites across 75 countries.
“New York, Miami and Atlanta are the cities from which we traditionally get a large influx of American visitors. These areas also have a high concentration of ‘Jamericans’ who often choose to return home and spend their tourism dollars during the summer season. We’ve strategically targeted these cities for maximum impact as we make sure tourism’s contribution to the Jamaican economy continues to grow,” Minister Bartlett added.
