Hon, Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, has highlighted the importance of innovative global collaboration in strengthening tourism resilience during a high-level roundtable discussion put on by the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, yesterday announced a major push to streamline visa procedures for visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, aiming to boost tourism and strengthen economic ties. The new measures will focus on simplifying visa application processes for visitors from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who departed Jamaica over the weekend for Dubai, has begun his participation in the much-anticipated 2025 staging of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), one of the world’s largest travel and trade events. While en route to Dubai, Minister Bartlett made a brief stop in Florida, where he was the guest speaker at the 29th Anniversary Fundraising Gala hosted by the Friends of Good Shepherd International (FOGS) at the Double Tree Hotel in Sunrise. The event, attended by a full house of patrons from the Jamaican Diaspora, recognised the charitable efforts of the organisation and its founder, Archbishop Emeritus of Kingston, The Most Rev. Hon. Charles Dufour, in support of the Mustard Seed Communities in Jamaica.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has welcomed new flight service from Emirates Airlines which will create significant tourism and economic opportunities for Jamaica. The announcement follows several strategic meetings and partnerships led by the Minister and key tourism stakeholders.

Beaches Resorts announced plans to invest nearly US $1 billion in the expansion of its leading family all-inclusive vacation brand, doubling its footprint within the next five years. Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Beaches Resorts, unveiled the groundbreaking announcement and ambitious expansion plans at the company’s Made of Caribbean global launch event held in New York City. Stewart shared the announcement of new destinations for the Beaches brand including: a new Beaches in Barbados, plans for a Beaches in Exuma, The Bahamas, and Beaches Runaway Bay in Jamaica – along with a sneak peek of the new Treasure Beach Village coming to Beaches Turks and Caicos.

Five Jamaican and three Canadian individuals and organizations have been recognized for their outstanding contribution to boosting tourism resilience. The Jamaican winners received their awards from the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), while the Canadian victors earned their accolades from ECO Canada.