KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island Sunday (March 5, 2017) to attend the largest tourism tradeshow in the world – ITB Berlin, now underway in Germany.
While there the Minister will seek to promote the destination and encourage investment in the country’s tourism industry through the Ministry’s Shovel Ready initiative.
“ITB Berlin will provide an excellent environment to network with some of the industry’s leading travel and tourism influencers across the globe. It will be the perfect opportunity to market brand Jamaica so that we can continue our mission to boost our arrivals and tourism earnings while also encouraging investment in the destination,” said Minister Bartlett.
The tradeshow, which runs from March 8-12, 2017, will feature leading speakers from the tourism industry and other sectors, who will highlight the latest trends and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the global travel industry.
ITB Berlin showcases hotels, tourist boards, tour operators, airlines among others related to the travel industry. It is typically attended by some 7,000 international journalists from some of the world’s leading trade, business and travel magazines. It is also expected to showcase products and/or services from some 11,000 exhibitors to around 180,000 visitors, most of whom are trade visitors.
While in Germany, the Minister and will also attend the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) from March 6 – 11, 2017. The IHIF focuses on delivering opportunities to persons who currently operate within the tourism industry or who want to do business in the sector, including tourism and government officials.
“ITB Berlin and IHIF are the perfect platforms for us to promote our Shovel-Ready initiative which allows investors to easily get the support they need to build properties in our accommodations and attractions sub-sectors. If successful, the investments will not only be a tool for generating new capital and jobs, but also a tool for marketing Jamaica, because wherever you have new investments the visitors will follow,” said the Minister.
The Minister added that “as part of our push for investments we will also be having a series of meetings with several hotel investors and senior tourism executives. I will also participate in a special press briefing to boost publicity worldwide for the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) historic Global Conference on Building Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism for Development, which is being hosted by Jamaica.” The highly anticipated event will be held from November 27 to 29, 2017, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.
The Minister will then visit the United States, to attend the Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Fort Lauderdale on March 14.
The conference is the cruise industry’s premier global event. It creates the ideal environment for cruise line executives, buyers and suppliers to network with industry leaders who are sourcing new products and services.
Minister Bartlett is being accompanied by Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor/Senior Communications Strategist, Tourism Enhancement Fund; Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook; and Deputy Director of Tourism – Marketing, Marcia McLaughlin. They are slated to return to the island on March 15, 2017.
