Bartlett Pushes Tourism 3.0 As Wider Path for Jamaican Ownership

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica’s visitor industry has to be judged by more than how many people arrive and how full hotels are, arguing that it must play a stronger role in building the country.

Bartlett made the point on Thursday while addressing “The Event Playbook: Strategies for Event Tourism Success” workshop at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus in St Andrew. He said tourism was, for many years, viewed as an area reserved for powerful interests and formal resort spaces. The minister described that old view as “something confined to hotels, large companies, or spaces beyond the reach of ordinary Jamaicans — small entrepreneurs, community groups, creative workers, farmers, artisans, and young people”.

He said that outlook has changed in a major way, with more Jamaicans now seeing and taking up chances to be part of the industry. Bartlett linked the change to targeted Government policy, deeper connections between tourism and other sectors, and a wider range of products, including community and cultural tourism, food, sport, entertainment, health and wellness, and the creative economy.

At the workshop, Bartlett again set out his Tourism 3.0 approach, which he said is meant to grow the tourism economy by allowing broader Jamaican participation. “So, Tourism 3.0 says tourism must no longer be seen only as a sector of arrivals, rooms, and attractions. Tourism must be seen as a national development platform. It must create space for Jamaicans to participate not only as workers but as owners, suppliers, creators, innovators, service providers, and entrepreneurs,” he said.

Bartlett had previously introduced Tourism 3.0 as a major shift intended to reshape the sector under a new model. He said the pivot is meant to update how the industry works, make it more efficient and inclusive, and improve access for a broader mix of investors and stakeholders, especially small operators and creative entrepreneurs who have not always shared fully in tourism’s expansion.

Under the framework, he said sections of the island would be positioned to offer different tourism experiences. Bartlett has said the south coast is to be built around accessible tourism with new and distinct offerings, while the north coast will continue along a wealth and luxury tourism route, supported by the north-eastern corridor. He also pointed to urban tourism, saying, “Then we’ll be looking at city tourism. That’s a big item, and it says Kingston is ready to take its place [for city tourism],” said Bartlett.