KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is on a visit to three Latin American countries for a week-long visit aimed at increasing tourist arrivals from the region.
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett“South America’s economic recovery to pre-pandemic levels has been quite impressive and we’re confident that this is a good time to pursue opportunities for collaboration between Jamaica and tourism players in that region,” Bartlett said.
He said prior to COVID-19, Jamaica would have observed significant interest coming from the Latin American market and post-pandemic, the demand has increased.
“Given this trajectory, we are excited about the future and developing our market share in this side of the world, as we seek to foster the continued growth of our tourism sector,” Bartlett added.
Bartlett, who is leading the delegation, will visit Argentina, Chile and Peru and according to a statement here, the scheduled engagements will involve a series of meetings with representatives of various local authorities, ministries of tourism and Copa Airlines, one of the major carriers in the region.
Before COVID-19, there were some 11 weekly flights between Panama and Jamaica via Copa Airlines and new services by LATAM Airlines with some three flights per week between Lima, Peru and Montego Bay.
“Our mission is to enrich the relationship with Latin America and bolster visitor arrivals coming from the south as we strive to meet our target of five million annual visitors by 2025. I was recently in Ecuador for the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas Meeting and the feedback coming from our partners there was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging, so we must strike while the iron is hot.”
Bartlett will also meet with representatives from local universities to discuss expanding the Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s (GTRCMC) presence in South America.
The delegation is due to return here on August 4.
