Tourism Authority Plans to Modernize Jamaica’s Tourism
Bartlett Outlines New Tourism Authority’s Governance Modernisation Mandate
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica is moving to overhaul its tourism governance framework with the creation of a new Tourism Authority and supporting legislation aimed at modernizing sector oversight and advancing the country’s Tourism 3.0 growth agenda.
2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation
Bartlett made the announcement during his 2026 Sectoral Debate presentation in Gordon House, delivered under the theme “Trust and Confidence.
” He said the reforms are intended to create a governance system that is clearer, faster and stronger.
The reform package would repeal and replace the Tourist Board Act of 1955 and the River Rafting Authority Act of 1970, establish a new Tourism Authority Act and create a dedicated Tourism Authority to serve as Jamaica’s principal tourism regulator.
“The Tourism Authority is not about creating another layer of bureaucracy. It is about creating the institutional backbone required to govern a modern tourism economy,” Bartlett said.
He said Jamaica’s tourism sector has moved beyond administrative structures that historically combined marketing, regulation, licensing, inspection and destination assurance functions across multiple entities.
“Tourism has outgrown the older administrative arrangements. The sector we are building now is larger, more complex, more diversified, more exposed to global risk, and more central to national development,” he said.
JTB: Destination Marketing
Under the proposed structure, the Jamaica Tourist Board would focus exclusively on destination marketing, branding and market development. The new Tourism Authority would oversee licensing, registration, standards, compliance, enforcement and regulatory intelligence.
Bartlett said the proposal is now before Cabinet and that the government intends to complete policy development and issue drafting instructions before the end of the current financial year.
“That means we are moving Tourism 3.0 from policy language into institutional action,” Bartlett said.
The authority would also support destination assurance by strengthening Jamaica’s framework to protect quality, safety, reliability, and integrity. This protection would apply across the visitor experience.
“Promotion sells the promise. Regulation protects the promise. Destination assurance delivers the promise. And governance sustains the promise. The Tourism Authority will therefore be the institution that helps protect the promise Jamaica sells to the world,” Bartlett said.
Tourism Enhancement Fund
As part of the reform, the Tourism Product Development Company would move into a more focused role. It would center on product development, destination upgrades, training, quality improvement, and visitor experience support.
The Tourism Enhancement Fund would keep driving product upgrades, new ideas, and strategic investment. Jamaica Vacations would keep responsibility for airlift, cruise development, homeporting, and better access.
Bartlett said all public bodies would operate within a unified Tourism 3.0 framework led by the Ministry of Tourism.
“The Ministry sets policy. The Tourism Authority regulates. JTB markets. TPDCo develops and supports product quality. TEF invests and strengthens linkages. JAMVAC expands access. And all agencies align around one Tourism 3.0 strategy,” he said.
Bartlett framed the proposed authority as part of the wider “Trust and Confidence” agenda. He said governance reform is vital to keep Jamaica competitive. He noted the global environment is uncertain.
“Properly designed, the Tourism Authority will become a confidence institution. It will give confidence to the visitor, confidence to the investor, confidence to the worker, confidence to the community and confidence to the Jamaican people that this industry is being governed in a way that reflects its national importance,” Bartlett said.
