Kingston, Jamaica – Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon Dr. Wykeham McNeill has underscored that efforts are being made to position tourism as the main driver of the Jamaican economy.
In making his contribution to the on-going Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, on Tuesday July 3, Minister McNeill said “global trends are positive, the performance of our local sector is very credible, our arrivals are good, and we have significant investment potential on the horizon. The prospect for job creation is excellent. So there is no doubt that tourism will drive growth in our economy.”
However he explained that “if tourism is to accelerate growth in the economy to the level we would like, we need to do more than just increase our arrivals and the levels of investment. We must deepen the linkages between tourism and the rest of the economy especially agriculture and manufacturing. We have to look at how tourism impacts the lives of the workers, while deepening the relationship with the people of Jamaica.”
He noted that the Ministry of Agriculture has revealed that already 30% in value of the agricultural produce consumed by the hotel subsector is grown locally. They have determined that this can be increased to 60% if there is greater collaboration between tourism and agriculture.
Minister McNeill outlined that “the strategies being examined to address this issue include identifying the supply needs at the investment stage such as agricultural produce and linen, improving distribution systems, improving short-term financing and providing information on available opportunities to potential investors.”
The Minister said “we will continue to facilitate dialogue between manufacturers, agriculture and other sectors, with the hoteliers so they can work together to capitalize on the many opportunities that exist. We’ve already had some critical meetings and have brought representatives from the agricultural sector, JAMPro and the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica, PSOJ, to the table and we will continue this process.”
