Ministers Jamming for Tourism Resilience Jamaica Style

On a critical be aware, the Hon. Minister Bartlett introduced his factors to the members.

Minister Bartlett mentioned:

• The very important position of tourism within the growth of rising economies is indeniable. This was underscored by the latest COVID-19 pandemic. When trade exercise halted in the course of the disaster, economies had been decimated. Fast ahead three years and we’re witnessing a renaissance like by no means earlier than as tourism proves its resilience, driving the post-pandemic restoration of nationwide economies and international commerce.  Here in Jamaica, this all-important trade has been powering financial progress for 9 consecutive quarters, based on the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ)
• The Caribbean has made the quickest restoration of any area on the planet from the devastation of the pandemic, based on the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).  As record-setting numbers of holiday makers flock to the Caribbean, most islands are reclaiming between 85% and 95% of complete arrivals in 2019. This is a blessing for the area’s tourism-dependent economies the place the trade is a significant generator of taxes, employment, earnings and overseas change. It additionally augurs nicely for the restoration of investor confidence on this essential trade.
• In the Caribbean, tourism employs 2.4 million individuals and contributes some 13.9% of GDP making it essentially the most tourism-reliant area on the planet. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), eight out of the ten nations most depending on tourism are from the area.  
• In addition, tourism is the one largest generator of overseas change in 16 of the 28 nations within the Caribbean and is the sector receiving essentially the most overseas direct funding(FDI). 
• You can see, subsequently, why the tourism trade have to be made a precedence for financial growth.
• Yet, at the same time as we expertise this profitable rebound, we’re merely scratching the floor of this trade’s huge potential. Investment, I imagine, holds the important thing to unleashing Caribbean tourism’s full potential and constructing a sustainable and resilient trade.
• This is why platforms comparable to this Global Tourism Resilience Conference, and at present’s Investment Summit, specifically, are so very important.  To encourage collaboration and the change of concepts and greatest practices in addition to handle present financial and social points affecting tourism within the Caribbean.  This in flip will assist us to construct a framework to foster better sustainability and resilience in journey and tourism progress.
• My philosophy behind regional growth has at all times been that the long run fortunes of Caribbean tourism lie in financial convergence between complementary economies.
• It can’t be enterprise as typical if the Caribbean intends to keep up its present post-pandemic progress trajectory.  It can’t be enterprise as typical if we’re critical about constructing a sustainable, resilient and inclusive regional tourism trade that advantages all of our residents. Likewise, it can’t be enterprise as typical if the Caribbean is to maintain its aggressive benefit within the international tourism market.
• It is inside this context that it turns into important that we create the framework for the sustainable and resilient progress of Caribbean tourism.

THE JAMAICAN PERSPECTIVE

• Before I contact on the broader Caribbean, let me first share the structure behind Jamaica’s tourism success. It relies on broad goals important to constructing an inclusive, equitable and sustainable sector. These are:
  • Strengthening linkages with different sectors of the economic system, notably the agricultural and manufacturing sectors;
  • Boosting the advantages derived from the trade by locals and communities;
  • Promoting broader participation by all Jamaicans; and
  • Ensuring the protection, safety, and sustainability of the pure and constructed environments.
• Five pillars underpin these broad goals as we search double-digit tourism progress.  These are:
• Identifying and aggressively concentrating on new markets;
• Offering new merchandise;
• Increasing Investments;
• Building new partnerships; and
• Renewal of Human Capital.
• Guided by our Blue Ocean Strategy, we are actually capitalizing on Jamaica’s pure and cultural property to revitalize our tourism product and appeal to a brand new buyer phase – the premium journey traveller. This buyer is much less risk-averse, much less price-sensitive and extra prone to spend regionally.
• We have shifted our strategic focus away from standardization to one in all enhanced worth creation via product differentiation and diversification.  We are uncovering hidden alternatives that may give us a aggressive benefit.
• Also, we’re harnessing our tradition and heritage to inform the genuine Jamaican story; music is being given satisfaction of place as a extra predominant and inclusive a part of the customer expertise; and we’re creating experiences to get guests out of the motels and into our communities.
• In addition, we’re coaching and constructing the capability of our individuals to reply to an ever-evolving trade; renewing our give attention to vacation spot assurance; and offering technical and monetary assist for Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), which contribute invaluably to the authenticity and totality of the customer expertise.  
• Much-needed native and overseas funding has a important position to play within the renewal of Jamaica’s tourism product. We, subsequently, welcome the document wave of resort investments within the tourism sector, which has seen some US$1.3 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between 2015 and 2021; that’s, some 30% of complete FDI for the interval.
• Furthermore, new and present buyers are set to spend near US$2 billion so as to add new rooms to our tourism product over the subsequent 4 years. This will end result within the addition of some 8,500 new rooms and greater than 24,000 new part-time and full-time jobs, in addition to at the least 12,000 jobs for building staff.
• We proceed to work tirelessly to place in place the methods, infrastructure, and companies to assist investments and continued progress within the tourism sector.
• We are investing closely in infrastructural growth (e.g., the $1 billion complete improve of Montego Bay’s common Hip Strip); certifying and upskilling our trade staff; diversifying our product via the 5 networks of the Tourism Linkages Network – Gastronomy; Sport & Entertainment; Health & Wellness, Shopping and Knowledge; and aggressively advertising Brand Jamaica in new and conventional markets with distinctive outcomes, as evidenced by our document customer numbers.
• The latter is being supported by an aggressive airlift technique out of gateways in Canada, the United States and Europe in addition to out of regional and non-traditional markets.  For the interval January to December 2022, there have been 5,891 extra flights delivering 1,137,668 extra seats. Also, in a historic first for Jamaica and the Caribbean, Emirates Airlines, the biggest airline within the Gulf Coast Countries (GCC), is now promoting seats to Jamaica. This association opens gateways from the Middle East, Asia and Africa to Jamaica and the remainder of the area.
• As we place the trade as a number one catalyst of financial growth and inclusion, we’re strengthening linkages with different sectors of the economic system, notably the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, with nice success. Of be aware, the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) venture continues to learn the 1,104 farmers and 242 consumers within the hospitality trade who’re registered on the platform. Between January and December 2022 produce offered on the web site totalled 1,219,853 kg with a worth of $330,127,101.00. 
• This is simply one of many many initiatives of the Tourism Linkages Network getting used to strengthen the linkages between tourism and different sectors of the economic system, which has resulted in contracts price hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs).

THE CARIBBEAN PERSPECTIVE

• For essentially the most half, Jamaica’s framework for revitalizing its tourism panorama might be translated to the broader Caribbean as we search to determine methods and actions to mobilize funding to create a extra sustainable and equitable regional tourism sector.  As I discussed beforehand, even with the area’s successes, we’re seeing merely the tip of the iceberg of the probabilities for the trade.
• It is subsequently incumbent on us to collaborate to create a wholesome funding local weather that maximizes the trade’s huge untapped potential. Investment is important to continued restoration, enhancing productiveness, and thereby growing the competitiveness of Caribbean locations. We can obtain this by inserting financial emphasis on the areas the place the area has a aggressive benefit and modern niches that may propel the trade ahead.  
• We should play to our strengths – a geographically numerous, multicultural product; we’re on the doorstep of the world’s richest market (USA); we’re a magnet for FDI; and we now have a rich 9-million sturdy Caribbean Diaspora desperate to put money into their respective homelands.  This is the place the actual affect lies.
• MULTI-DESTINATION TOURISM: Multi-destination tourism is the reply to sustaining tourism within the Caribbean and a regional multi-destination framework is on observe with Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Panama and Cuba as gamers.
• This new structure revolves across the concept of holiday makers with the ability to seamlessly journey to 2, three or extra geographically proximate nations throughout their holidays at engaging bundle costs. This is a very engaging choice for long-haul travellers. We anticipate that this association will broaden the financial advantages of the tourism sector to roughly 33 million individuals.
• However, a multi-destination association will solely be attainable with viable, sustainable intra-regional air companies to assist it.  Air connectivity is on the coronary heart of an efficient tourism convergence within the Caribbean. This is one in all our biggest challenges along with the prohibitive price of intra-regional journey and the continued restrictions to free motion.

• In November 2022, the area’s latest airline, Arajet, commenced direct flights between Santo Domingo and Kingston, which is a part of a broader and wider technique of integrating the Caribbean extra, and of additionally creating backward connections between Central America and South America. We are additionally in talks with the 4 large airways – Qatar, Etihad, Emirates and Saudia, which will likely be an actual sport changer for the Caribbean.
• Connectivity, each by air and sea, is important in supporting the area’s financial progress generally and tourism progress specifically. It is an space ripe for funding. 
• HEALTH & WELLNESS TOURISM: More and extra individuals are travelling far and extensive in quest of well being advantages, each actual and promised, and COVID-19 has heightened this demand. The international well being and wellness market is valued at some $4.4 trillion and is predicted to develop a median of 10% yearly via 2025, based on the Global Wellness Institute.
• The Caribbean’s pure assets and geographic location make the area well-positioned to be a pacesetter on this area of interest tourism market.   It has a number of the most interesting pure spas on the planet, together with Jamaica’s Milk River and Bath Fountain, St. Lucia’s Sulphur Springs and Dominica’s Screw’s Natural Sulphur Spa.  In addition, pure crops and herbs endemic to the Caribbean abound to gas the event of the Caribbean’s nascent nutraceutical trade; particularly the creation of spa merchandise (physique scrubs, lotions, skincare merchandise, and so forth.) for the well being and wellness tourism trade.
• This is a sub-sector that’s ripe for funding as now, greater than ever, the demand for well being and wellness tourism is at a premium on the planet.  I enchantment to monetary establishments and buyers to pay attention to this viable funding choice and capitalize on the chance.

• TOURISM LINKAGES:  The tourism sector can also be multi-dimensional, reducing throughout many spheres, sectors and limits, which supplies appreciable scope for collaboration and cooperation on the regional stage in a variety of areas together with manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, human useful resource growth and the artistic industries.
• By constructing out capability at each hyperlink in that worth chain, each nationally and regionally, we will make sure that tourism advantages a wider cross-section of individuals and helps home-grown companies.
• Additionally, whereas we welcome FDI because the bedrock of tourism funding, we should do much more to encourage native buyers and the event of the small enterprise sector if we intend to make sure actual progress. That is, not simply in arrivals however financial progress that enhances the well-being of our individuals.
• It requires a brand new structure that focuses on the provision facet and the retention of the tourism greenback inside the area.  We should goal the kinds of funding that may permit us to do that. The retention of the greenback globally is averaging 20 cents; within the case of the Caribbean we’re between 15 cents on the low finish and 50 cents.  We should plug these leakages (primarily from the imports of the products and companies that the trade requires) by boosting tourism linkages with different sectors of the economic system. Thus, incomes and retaining extra of the customer spend. 
• We should construct out the capability of the provision facet, which supplies for the consumption patterns of our guests, inside the recipient nations in order that the wealth of tourism can attain the bizarre man in our communities.
• There is a broad vary of funding alternatives that exist on this space. Imagine if you’ll, that every one the beds, sheets, pots, pans, kettles, and meals wanted for the regional tourism trade had been produced and provided regionally. This would assist to plug the leakages so we will earn extra and retain extra of the customer spend. 
• Consequently, we should pay extra consideration to constructing the capability of Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs), which drive 80% of tourism exercise however, sadly, profit from 20% of the wealth from the sector.
• Jamaica initiated the extremely profitable Tourism Linkages Network (TLN) inside the Ministry to strengthen sustainable linkages between tourism and different sectors of the economic system. However, we’re in search of to broaden linkages past the native economic system by shifting to develop Jamaica as a provides hub for the native tourism sector and different tourism-dependent nations within the area. The hub will give attention to coaching and certification of tourism staff, serving as suppliers for motels, cruises, airways in addition to resilience and expertise assist.
• Plans are nicely underway. We have already had preliminary discussions with JAMPRO, the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority and a non-public logistics firm as we lay the framework to make this Tourism Supplies Hub a actuality.
• BLUE ECONOMY: According to the World Bank, coastal and marine-based industries contribute upwards of US$2.5 trillion to the worldwide economic system. The Blue Economy is rising on the worldwide scene as a strong new idea for sustainable growth constructed on the oceans’ financial actions based mostly on balancing three goals: the financial growth of the maritime sectors, social fairness, and environmental sustainability. 
• Small Island Developing States (SIDS) management 30 per cent of all oceans and seas. Yet, regardless of being surrounded by the ocean (the premise of most of our tourism fashions), we aren’t maximizing the marine assets to create sustainable techniques that profit island nations and coastal communities. There are funding alternatives, starting from marinas; tourism and ecotourism centres; sports activities, fishing and cultural villages; renewable marine vitality, and marine transport.

• As we search partnerships for the sustainable administration of our ocean assets, I need to level out that the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) has dedicated to offering devoted assist to the tourism sector with a give attention to sustainable and regenerative tourism. Within the framework of FITUR 2023 in Spain not too long ago, CAF organized a gathering with Caribbean Ministers of Tourism throughout which concepts and experiences had been shared on creating a tourism mannequin based mostly on group growth, resilient infrastructures, the preservation of biodiversity, abilities growth and capacity-building.  

CONCLUSION

• I’ve certainly not exhausted the checklist of potential areas of funding; nonetheless, there isn’t a doubt that the Caribbean has important funding alternatives in lodging, points of interest, journey expertise, agro-tourism, inexperienced tasks, nutraceuticals, manufacturing in addition to the event of supporting infrastructure that improves the customer expertise.
• These funding prospects have to be leveraged to realize long-term financial progress within the Caribbean as we work collectively to create a lovely and enabling local weather for buyers. As a area, we are going to at all times be stronger collectively than we’re aside. However, this synergy have to be based mostly on shared targets, inclusive progress and higher residing requirements for our individuals, whereas defending our surroundings.
• In so doing, we will mobilize personal funding for Caribbean tourism whereas staying true to the UNWTO’s definition of Sustainable Development: “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

Thank you.