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Jamaica has been listed as one of the top five trending destinations to travel to in January 2019 by international travel website Kayak.  In a recent Kayak report, Jamaica landed at number five among the top ten trending destinations with a thirty percent (30%) increase in year-over-year searches for New Year's by travellers seeking to visit.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says this positioning augurs well for the country’s international appeal by visitors and speaks to “The safe, secure and seamlessness of our tourism products and offerings. This is an indicator that Jamaica’s tourism remains robust and sought after and we are committed to ensuring that our visitors and locals alike are safe as they enjoy what the island has to offer.”

Kayak.com, sometimes styled as KAYAK, is a popular travel website operated by Booking Holdings. KAYAK's website and mobile apps are currently available in over 18 languages and more than 30 local markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, China, and France among many other countries.

The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) BUILDING COMMUNITIES AS BUSINESSES CONFERENCE will take place at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Visitors’ Lodge in Kingston, Jamaica from November 12 – 15, 2018.

The Conference is in collaboration with Countrystyle Villages as Businesses, the UWI Open Campus, the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods, Making Connections Work Ltd UK/Diaspora Connect 2022, the YES Foundation, the National Best Communities Foundation and the UWI Tourism Society. It will feature community tourism case studies from Jamaica, the Caribbean region and Africa and honour outstanding community tourism entities.

The Title Sponsor is COMPETE CARIBBEAN. Compete Caribbean (CCPF) is a facility that delivers innovative and practical solutions that stimulate economic growth, increase productivity, and foster innovation and competitiveness in 13 countries across the Caribbean region. CCPF is a partnership of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Government of Canada.

Lindquist Beach on St. Thomas is popular among visitors and residents.

According to travel website KAYAK's Holiday Travel Hacker, the popular Caribbean destination is the No. 6 Trending New Year's Eve Destination for travelers this season, with a 25 percent increase in web searches about the U.S. Virgin Islands.

KAYAK considered flight destinations with the greatest year-over-year increase in searches of the top 100 most searched destinations for travel dates starting December 25 to 31, 2018, and ending January 1 to 2, 2019, along with the search dates January 1 to August 18, 2018.

The latest international thumbs-up comes fast on the heels of recent news that St. Thomas has been ranked the No. 1 Caribbean destination on Airbnb - with a 600 percent increase in bookings over last year. 

St. Lucia is nestled halfway down the Eastern Caribbean archipelago. The "Helen of the West Indies," Saint Lucia is known for its natural beauty and diverse attractions, including the signature Piton Mountains - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - a tropical rainforest and one of the world's few drive-in volcanoes.

Prime Minister, Honourable Allen Chastanet and acting Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Mrs. Tiffany Howard are among officials set to welcome the inaugural JetBlue Mint service on Saturday November 3, 2018. The flight originating out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is expected to land at the Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) at 12:39 p.m.

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority is ecstatic about the new service. While it is not a new flight, JetBlue has added its premium Mint service to the route, which allows passengers the luxury of kicking back and relaxing on fully lie-flat seats. Each seat features cushions with adjustable firmness and a massage feature, a comforter and pillow, and ergonomic touches. In addition, the Mint service provides individualized seatback TVs and unlimited snacks.

The Acting CEO at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Mrs. Tiffany Howard, said; “This is exciting news for our destination as the introduction of the JetBlue Mint service from Boston shows continued growth in our luxury sector out of Northeast United States. Our goal at the SLTA is to continue welcoming more visitors to Saint Lucia and JetBlue, as a partner, continues to complement our marketing efforts.”

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second left) addresses members of the Personal Water Crafts taskforce during a meeting at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston Office on November 1, 2018. Sharing in the moment are (from left) Senior Director of the Ministry’s Tourism Policy & Monitoring Division, Kerry Chambers; Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Dr Andrew Spencer; and Senior Director of Technical Services at the Ministry of Tourism, David Dobson.

Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry has set a January 2019 target, to rollout new policy arrangements, which will lead to the resumption of Jet Ski activities in the country.

Speaking yesterday at a Jet Ski Taskforce meeting, at the Ministry of Tourism’s New Kingston Office, the Minister said, “I believe that we are now at a point where we can make a cabinet submission in relation to a policy for the water-sport industry in Jamaica.

We are in a position now where we can look at the necessary infrastructure and how we can resource these infrastructure requirements to enable the proper execution of the policy.”

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.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; May 11, 2018:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has tasked the Tourism Linkages Council to complete the tourism demand study by August this year.

“I have charged the Chairman of the Tourism Linkages Council, Adam Stewart, to complete a demand study that will facilitate quantitative analysis of the need for manufacturing and other goods and services within the sector,” Minister Bartlett said.

The study was designed to identify the existing/ potential demand in the tourism sector for goods and services across local sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and entertainment.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 11, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett leaves the island today to attend a series of meetings in South America. While there, he is expected to make a presentation on the Global Disaster Resilience Centre that is to be established in Jamaica, as well as garner more support for Small and Medium Sized Tourism Enterprises.

The centre, which was first announced at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) global conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism held in Montego Bay last November, will be located at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

It is being designed to help vulnerable states to recover quickly from natural disasters and is currently endorsed by World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

Photo Credit: (From left) JetBlue Airways' Jack Massey and Dylan Kleopfer, Virgin Islands Port Authority Executive Director David Mapp, Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty and JetBlue's Eric Tanner in New York this week.

Commissioner Nicholson-Doty meets with media and airline representatives in Atlanta, Chicago and New York

NEW YORK (April 14, 2018) - U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty continues to make audiences across the U.S. mainland and the globe aware that the Territory is open for business.

Source: https://skift.com 

So new questions are being raised about the so-called Trump Slump, the decline of foreign visitors to the United States since the president came into office. As Skift's Dan Peltier reported on Monday, the Commerce Department has suspended releasing data for now because it believes its numbers showing such a decline may be inaccurate.

But now Skift has learned this may not be some short-lived statistical glitch, but a more systemic problem.If true (and who knows what passes for truth in Washington these days) Commerce has a much larger problem on its hands that will have huge implications for the travel industry, in the U.S. and abroad. Companies rely on that information to be accurate to make business plans and projections, launch marketing campaigns, and communicate with shareholders.