Jamaica is a powerful medium for sustainable and inclusive growth

BY PAUL JUNOR

Honourable Edmund Bartlett has been an innovative and creative leader in the tourism industry for over twenty years. Since his appointment as Minister of Tourism in 2007 he has received much praise for his leadership as a pioneering and visionary tourism leader. Minister Bartlett’s inspirational leadership has enabled Jamaica to record over $2.2 billion in revenue over the last year from the tourism sector.

Minister Bartlett believes that Jamaica is a powerful medium for sustainable and inclusive growth to create jobs and wealth creation and community transformation through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). In addition, through the Tourism Linkages Network, Agriculture, Entertainment and Manufacturing have been integrated into the sustainable tourism ecosystem to ensure that local goods and services are consumed within the tourism communities.

The institutionalization of the first Tourism Workers Pension Scheme in the Caribbean became effective in January 2021, and it was a game changer for many tourism-related workers. It ensures that about 350,000 workers whether permanent, contract, or self-employed receive coverage as a result of employers and employees paying into this pension fund.

Mr. Bartlett has received recognition both regionally and internationally as one of the most prominent tourism leaders in the world. In his first tenure in 2018, he was appointed to the African Tourism Board as a sitting Minister. In 2019, he facilitated the First United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Conference on Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTES). It was a collaboration between the Government of Canada and UNWTO. The basis of SMTES was to facilitate loans that ensure that capital is accessible in light of potential disasters.

He is the founder and Co-Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. It is primarily involved in destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and crises. It has partnered with Kenya University in Nairobi and George Brown College in Toronto.

I interviewed Minister Bartlett on Friday morning, September 22nd, 2023, prior to the official part of the award ceremony. He shared with me his academic background in business and accounting prior to his venture into the private sector. His entry into public life and the tourism sector has afforded him opportunities to travel the world and learn valuable lessons from many countries. His role with the GTRCMC enabled him to acquire significant insights and obtain best practices and evidence-based approaches to understanding the tourism industry.

Minister Bartlett mentioned that “Tourism is a consumptive activity that brings benefits not just to the individual tourist but also to varied stakeholders.” It has to do with creating positive experiences for individuals which in turn will improve their quality of life and evoke positive memories. He believes that tourism is a vehicle for economic prosperity as it creates jobs through the varied stakeholders in areas such as: transport, culture, agriculture, farming, arts and entertainment. It is within this context of a sustainable ecosystem that makes Jamaica’s tourism sector internationally recognized.

Canada is the second-largest source market where about 400,000 Canadians visited Jamaica before the pandemic. Minister Bartlett forecasts that there will be an increase of up to 500,000 per year by 2025.