Minister Bartlett Urges Shift To Tourism As Driver of National Development

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has emphasised that tourism must move beyond the traditional focus on arrivals and hotel occupancy to become a powerful driver of national development.

Speaking during ‘The Event Playbook: Strategies for Event Tourism Success’ workshop on Thursday (May 28) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus in St. Andrew, Minister Bartlett noted that for years the industry was perceived as exclusive.

He explained that it was widely regarded 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”.

Mr. Bartlett said this perception has shifted significantly, noting that more Jamaicans are now finding opportunities to contribute to tourism.

He attributed this change to deliberate policy measures, stronger linkages, and the expansion of tourism offerings, including community and cultural tourism, gastronomy, sports, entertainment, health and wellness, and the creative economy.

Mr. Bartlett used the occasion to reiterate and reinforce his vision for ‘Tourism 3.0’, an initiative aimed at expanding the tourism economy by enabling more Jamaicans to participate.

“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.

The Minister also emphasised that the workshop forms part of an ongoing effort to build capacity within the local sector, ensuring that Jamaicans can meet the tourism industry’s supply needs and maximise the retention of earnings within the industry and, by extension, the economy.

The workshop, which will be delivered as a series, is organised by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Tourism Linkages Network through its Sports and Entertainment Network.

It was developed in partnership with UWI under the UWI Short-Term Academic Resources Centre (UWISTAR) and is intended to equip local event promoters with the tools needed to strengthen Jamaica’s entertainment and event tourism offerings.

Noting the partnership with the UWI for the three-day workshop, and the introduction of two short courses at the tertiary institution – Event Planning and Design, and Artiste Management – Minister Bartlett said the University possesses all the elements needed to help build the next generation of tourism products and services.

He emphasised that events go beyond simple entertainment, noting that they are, in fact, key tourism products that generate marketplaces and serve as assets for building resilience.

The Minister further explained that successful events drive economic demand across a wide range of industries, including hospitality, food and agriculture, the creative arts and entertainment, event production, logistics, and marketing.

“So, this is why tourism matters… because of what tourism offers for entertainment and what entertainment does for the economy,” Mr. Bartlett stated.

The workshop series began on Thursday (May 28) with Event Planning and Design and will run for three days, with the next staging of the short course scheduled for June 17 to 19 in Kingston.

It will then be staged at the UWI Western Jamaica Campus in Montego Bay, St. James, in October and November, while the Artiste Management course will be offered in June and October in Kingston.

Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at UWI, Mona, Dr. Deon Edwards-Kerr, noted that the courses are “designed to meet the workforce development needs of a dynamic and rapidly evolving sector”.

The courses will be facilitated by the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Reggae Studies Unit at the University.