Westmoreland, Jamaica – After welcoming some 4.27 million complete guests and securing earnings of roughly US$4.35 billion in 2024, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is assured that Jamaica is on monitor to reaching its development targets of attracting 5 million guests and producing earnings of US$5 billion for the nation’s financial system by 2025.
Hon Edmund Bartlett (file photograph)
“The 2024 end-of-year figures characterize will increase of 5.3% in customer arrivals and three.3% in earnings when in comparison with 2023 and had been achieved regardless of challenges, together with journey advisories, extreme climate occasions and airlift restrictions over two quarters,” Minister Bartlett stated.
The 5x5x5 targets had been beforehand set in 2016 and had been on the verge of being achieved when the COVID-19 pandemic actually wiped-out international journey, forcing Jamaica and different vacationer locations to start out throughout from floor zero in rebuilding the trade.
Sandals Resorts Worldwide’s 2025 International Gross sales Assembly
Yesterday, on January 9, Minister Bartlett spoke on the Sandals South Coast resort. He was at Sandals Resorts Worldwide’s 2025 International Gross sales Assembly. Bartlett highlighted how necessary tourism is to Jamaica and the Caribbean. He praised Sandals for being a key player in the growth of the industry within the area.
Mr. Edmund Bartlett referred to as Sandals an amazing home-grown multi-national firm. He informed Adam Stewart, the manager chairman, that Sandals ought to develop past the Caribbean. It’s time for Sandals to grow to be a world model.
“We have to transcend the Caribbean now as a result of the world is ready for what you may have given to the Caribbean, making it essentially the most tourism-dependent area on planet Earth,” he advised.
Greater than 50% of the Caribbean area’s gross home product (GDP) relies on tourism and one-in-four of all the employees are employed within the trade and, apart from oil in Guyana, “tourism once more stands out as the massive driver of international direct funding (FDI) within the area,” he identified. Equally, regionally, “when tourism grows, the financial system grows; when tourism contracts, sadly the financial system additionally contracts,” he famous.
Having achieved “extra in 24,” Minister Bartlett hailed the worldwide Sandals gross sales drive as devoted professionals united by the aim of strengthening and rising “the unimaginable Sandals model that has grow to be synonymous with Caribbean hospitality.” Underscoring that “Sandals is an integral a part of our nationwide id,” he challenged them “to thrive for 25”.
Ascribing a number of attributes to Sandals, together with its contribution to the Jamaica workforce and supporting farmers and different industries, Minister Bartlett affirmed that “that is what accountable tourism seems like, the place success is measured not simply in occupancy charges alone however by investing, and persons are on the coronary heart of the tourism trade.”
In that regard, he assured that however the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine studying and the great issues know-how can do to alter the way in which issues are, “they’re going to change it for individuals, and it’s human intelligence that may give efficacy to the adjustments.” Mr. Bartlett argued that “the kind of trade that may survive, no matter transition the world embraces, going ahead, goes to be about individuals and tourism because the trade that’s most associated to individuals, will survive.”
