Jamaica’s Tourism Minister challenges north and south American sales

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has issued a strong challenge to members of the North and South American sales and marketing team to intensify its efforts to meet the projected growth lev

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has issued a strong challenge to members of the North and South American sales and marketing team to intensify its efforts to meet the projected growth levels for Jamaica’s tourism industry. Minister Bartlett who, since assuming office has branded himself chief salesman, told team members at a meeting in Miami on Thursday, June 26, that partnership is key in order to achieve the desired double digit growth.

According to Minister Bartlett, “Tourism is the engine which drives our economy and this growth will benefit many related industries. To help us achieve this goal, a greater focus will need to be placed on niche markets: golf, luxury, sports tourism, as well as faith-based or religious travel,” stressed Bartlett.

The Tourism Minister used the occasion to introduce two new team members who are based in Jamaica and have been added to achieve the set objectives. They are Rosemary Johnson, regional director and Zachary Harding, deputy director of Tourism with responsibility for Cruise, Marine Tourism and Attractions.

Mr. Bartlett pointed to Jamaica’s diversity which has helped in making the island one of the top vacation locations in the Caribbean region and underscored the importance of developing and promoting attractions as part of the overall strategy in attaining the projected level of growth.

Minister Bartlett acknowledged that despite the challenges facing the tourism industry, the United States remains a primary source market and creative ways must be found to increase this key market segment. “It is imperative that we work together and innovatively create and implement strategies designed to keep pace and respond to global demands in an effort to remain competitive in the international marketplace,” emphasized Mr. Bartlett.

The Tourism Minister boldly reminded the team of his long-term vision of increasing visitor arrivals to five million visitors by 2012.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...