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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism speaks out on the Death of Four Foreign Nationals in Road Crash

Jamaica's Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is among panelists for Resilience Council Mini Masterclass
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Statement from Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett on the Death of Four Foreign National in Road Crash on July 31:

On behalf of the people of Jamaica, I express deep regret at the passing of four foreign nationals in a road crash along the Braco Main Road in Trelawny on July 31.

We are all very saddened at the loss of life, and were deeply moved to learn that the incident involved a group that was on a visit to Jamaica for the holidays.

Road crashes continue to be a global concern for the travel and tourism industry and this is one of the factors, which fuels us to support the work of the Ministry of Transport and Works and the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in the development of programmes to promote safe road use, and at the same time, highlight road safety issues to our visitors.

The Save 300 Lives, road safety education programme launched by the NRSC continues to be an integral tool in promoting safe road use in Jamaica and as visitors arrive in our island, we trust they will observe the campaign’s messages. We also note private sector initiatives such as “Make it Click” by the JN Foundation, and Johnny Walker’s ‘Be A Giant: Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaigns that also help to drive the message home.

We will continue to liaise with global organisations such as the FIA Foundation to help to improve local road infrastructure and advocate for road safety. Having endorsed the United Nations’ “Decade of Action for Road Safety” in May this year, we will continue to partner with the organisation in our work towards the global goal of reducing road fatalities.

The Ministry of Tourism is committing to embed road safety issues related to tourists in our national programmes and to advocate for the inclusion of road safety as an integral aspect of planning and development for the tourism sector as we collaborate with regional and global tourism organizations.

We encourage all road users, locals and visitors to our island, to observe good road practices and in so doing, safely enjoy the beauty of our country and hospitality of our people.

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