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PHOTO CAPTION: Carolyn McDonald-Riley, Head of the Tourism Linkages Network.

Tourism is regarded as one of the fastest growing economic sectors and a crucial contributor to growth, poverty eradication, the creation of employment, wealth and the preservation of the global environment.  

Tourism role in the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been documented and discussed far and wide.   The SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, are described by the United Nations as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.  These goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals and include new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among others.  

PHOTO CAPTION: Youtube.com
KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 24, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, stands ready to support Indonesia in their recovery programme, following a tsunami that struck along the rim of the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra islands, killing at least 373 people.

In a letter to the Tourism Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, Hon. Arief Yahya, Co-Chairman of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, “I express to you our deepest sympathies on the horrible tsunami event which claimed so many lives and destroyed so much of the human and other assets of your beautiful country.”

He further noted, “The Centre stands ready to support your recovery efforts and will meet with its partners to identify possible solutions.”

Fresh off its coronation as the 2018 World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination, Saint Lucia has been nominated for four new tourism industry awards.

 the 26^th annual World Travel Awards (WTA), the destination will vie for the titles of:

• Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination 2019
• Caribbean’s Leading Destination 2019
• Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2019
• Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination 2019

Saint Lucia has won the Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination honour nine times since the WTA began recognising the top honeymoon hotspots in the Caribbean region in 2009. However, the destination has never won in any of the other categories in which it has been nominated.

SOURCE: eTurbo News

Today Swoop celebrates its first international flight from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) to Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The sold-out flight departs Hamilton at 8:00 a.m. EST and arrives in Montego Bay at 12:10 p.m. EST. Travelers will be greeted upon landing in Montego Bay with a celebratory water arch, met with live entertainment and donned with local customary decorative beads.

December 12, 2018. Returning Residents are Jamaicans so named because they have lived, worked abroad and have returned home, in some cases to retire, to invest, or to continue working and sharing their many years of experience and expertise. However, after any significant period of time abroad, the process of returning to reside takes planning and requires accurate information before relocating to the land of one’s birth.

Access Jamaica Network, a WhatsApp group, founded by Theo Chambers, marketing guru, was abuzz with posts responding to a video that spread across the social media like wildfire last week (week of Dec. 3, 2018). The video showed an unidentified woman driving a motorcar who faced the camera as she described three murders of returning residents. Appealing to viewers not to return to Jamaica, she rationalized that after working abroad, saving their hard-earned money to buy their dream homes, they could be targeted and killed.

While the woman in the video offered one dire solution to a string of murders of which she mentioned three, the members of Access Jamaica Network offered several solutions some of which are mentioned herein. Returning Residents were dissuaded from returning to their old neighborhoods to build large homes, becoming targets, instead they were encouraged to live in gated communities.  Dr. Marcia Brandon sustainable development entrepreneur who has lived in Barbados and worked in the region for almost 30 years, a daughter of the Jamaican soil, who intends to return home in the near future, agreed with Sharon Oshun Chambers, author & public relations consultant, who called for a peaceful march on Jamaica to bring the returning resident community together and help eliminate fear. Brandon said “mobilize members in all parishes and march on Jamaica to take action; we need our returning residents and there is no way we can just let them be harmed and killed and we sit back and take it”. Chambers suggested a town a town hall meeting, inviting government agencies to help find solutions.

Festival’s third and final night made attendees dance with Pepe Hernandez’s Latin jazz, followed by the awe-inspiring skill of world-renowned Lalah Hathaway. Bobby McFerrin provided a spectacular grand finale that reinforced the importance of Riviera Maya Jazz Festival, a free event that has drawn huge world talents; national and international visitors; and press coverage from Mexico, United States and Canada.

Darío Flota Ocampo, Director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Board and festival organizer, emphasized the positive mood and participation of the audience, who in spite of record-breaking crowds enjoyed the performers and ensured another successful Riviera Maya Jazz Festival.

Source: eTurbo News (Oleg Sziakov assignment editor)

Source: www.Caribjournal.com

Photo Caption: The newly-rebranded Hilton Playa del Carmen.

The newly-rebranded — hotels are the result of a strategic alliance between Hilton and all-inclusive leader Playa Hotels and Resorts, a relationship that will eventually produce 10 all-inclusive properties around the region.

~The handbook for tourism businesses and policymakers provides information and outlines actions and strategies for disaster management in tourism. ~

Bridgetown, Barbados (23 November 2018) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the region’s tourism development agency, is soon to publish a disaster risk management (DRM) guide for the region’s tourism sector as part of its objective to foster a culture of preparedness in destination management.

The publication, which targets tourism businesses and policymakers, will help guide the tourism sector’s preparedness, response and recovery from the multiplicity of hazards that impact and/or potentially threaten the region. 

Source: The Caribbean Journal staff

Riu has reopened another all-inclusive hotel in the Caribbean.

The latest Riu property to undergo a major renovation is the all-inclusive Riu Palace Tropical Bay in Negril, part of a widespread upgrade push across the region.

November 2, 2018. Portland, Jamaica, W.I. The fourth and final staging of Mama Africa Arise and Unite 2018 is set to take place on the 24th of November 2018 (New Date) at Di Atlantic Entertainment Center in Manchioneal, Portland. Its focus will be on school/community development and empowerment of the people, youth and girls especially.

In the theme of “One Perfect Love” this culminative event will commence with gates opening at 10:00 a.m. Presentations by sponsors and beneficiaries will precede the opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place between 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. It will feature addresses from Mayor and Councillor Paul Thompson, Chairman Portland Municipal Cooperation; Amina Blackwood-Meeks, Cultural Historian; Kesha Brown, President Kiwanis Eastern St. Andrew; Sharon Parris-Chambers, Deputy Coordinator, Caribbean RIC of the Pan African Federalist Movement, as well as, other speakers, sponsors and beneficiaries.

A Press Conference ensues 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.  Additionally, workshops will be facilitated to cultivate a spirit of liberation and African unity within patrons. The previous three staging of this initiative have built momentum for community support of this final showcase, which promises to be nothing short of inspirational.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; July 8 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett is confirming strong regional support for the establishment of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which is expected to be operational in September of this year.

“Following a series of discussions with our partners and stakeholders, the Caribbean region has thrown its support behind the initiative. Most recently, the Caribbean Development Bank confirmed that it is fully committed to working with the Resilience Centre in terms of its establishment and the series of programmes and activities that will ensue,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Centre will be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona, and is being designed to help vulnerable states across the world, to recover quickly from natural disasters. It will specifically target destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that threaten economies and livelihoods globally, with real time data and effective communication. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 24, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island on Saturday to participate in the first ‘Resilience Through Tourism Summit’ in Amman, Jordan and to garner more international support for the Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which will be hosted at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

“The trip to Jordan is critical to the development of our Resilience Centre. While there, I will meet with the former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization Dr Taleb Rifai and a number of other experts. Critical to this visit will be my meeting with former Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon to see what role he can play in this centre which has the potential to have a positive impact on vulnerable states across the globe,” said Minister Bartlett.

The invitation for Minister Bartlett to speak was extended by the Travel Weekly Group, via one of the event’s organizers Jacobs Media Group, Europe's largest travel and hospitality business to business media company.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 26, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett leaves the island tomorrow to participate in the 4th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand.  While there, the Minister will participate in a cooking demonstration of Jamaican cuisine.

“Thais have expressed that they are excited about the prospect of Jamaica’s Run Down, coming to compete with their Rengdang. While we were talking about the cuisines in South Korea recently, they asked us to look at the two and have a cook-off. So, I agreed on the condition that at the end of the demonstrations we create a new cuisine that is a fusion of both the Rengdang and Run Down, which we can call Jamdang,” said the Minister.

The Minister explained that he first noticed the similarities in the Thai Rengdang and the Jamaican Run Down while at the last UNWTO Gastronomy Forum, which took place in San Sebastian, Spain.

It took just one short email for World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvil’s Azerbaijani chief of staff to destroy three years of hard work and expectation by Louis D’Amore, known as the man behind Peace Through Tourism. D’Amore is the founder and president of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT). IIPT is recognized and highly respected worldwide.

It took this short email in March to step on the role, legacy, and work of former UNWTO Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai. Rifai was an outspoken supporter of Louis D’Amore and peace through tourism.  Dr. Taleb Rifai joined IIPT as the head of their advisory committee.

The email by the UNWTO chief of staff simply said: “UNWTO decided to no longer have a part in the IIPT – UNWTO summit planned for August in Montreal, Canada.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Wednesday, May 16, 2018: Speaking at the 9th Asian Leadership Conference on Globalisation in Crisis: Navigating the World with New Opportunities in Seoul, South Korea, Min the Hon Edmund Bartlett called for the need for a 'Holistic Sustainable Tourism Roadmap for Asia'.

Recognising the growing and future potential of the region, especially with the potential unification of North and South Korea, the growing economies of Indonesia, India and China Minister Bartlett said that Asia will soon become one of the desired tourism destination for many and, a major source market for various other destinations. According to Bartlett, this will be "a game-changer, not only for the Asian region but for countries like Jamaica who will need to prepare for the influx of curious travellers from Asia".

Bartlett stated that the Asian region will need to work with existing stakeholders such as PATA and the UNWTO to enhance their existing products and services and, to develop new products and services in the region to attract the transitioning travellers. He further stated that there will be a need for travel authorities in the region to manage both inbound and outbound travel, while importantly protecting against harm to the environment and effectively safeguarding heritage spaces.