Government of Jamaica
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bartlett: Partnerships Are the “Real Infrastructure” of Jamaica’s Tourism Industry
KINGSTON, Jamaica (October 16, 2026) – Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has declared that Jamaica’s ability to build a more competitive, inclusive and resilient tourism industry will increasingly depend on stronger partnerships across government, communities and the private sector, describing cooperation as the “real infrastructure” of tourism.
In remarks prepared for the Tourism Product Development Company Limited’s (TPDCo) 30th Anniversary Stakeholder Awards Ceremony at The Garden Hotel, Mandeville, on Thursday, October 15, and delivered on his behalf by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, Minister Bartlett stated that the strength of Jamaica’s tourism industry extends far beyond hotels, attractions and physical infrastructure.
“The real infrastructure of tourism is not concrete. It is cooperation. The strongest asset in Jamaican tourism is not a building. It is trust. The greatest resource we possess is not our beaches; it is our people. And the most important investment we can make is in relationships,” the Permanent Secretary said, quoting the Minister’s prepared remarks.
The ceremony formed part of TPDCo’s 30th anniversary celebrations and recognised more than 40 stakeholder organisations for the partnerships and contributions that have helped to develop and strengthen Jamaica’s tourism product. The event was designed both to reflect on TPDCo’s journey since its establishment in 1996 and to thank partners who have supported sustainable tourism development across Jamaica.
Minister Bartlett stressed that tourism is too broad and interconnected to be developed by any single government ministry, agency or sector.
“The Ministry of Tourism may set the vision. Our agencies may coordinate the programmes, but tourism is far too big and far too important to be built by one ministry, one agency, or one sector alone. Tourism succeeds only when everybody shows up,” the Permanent Secretary said in delivering the Minister’s remarks.
He noted that every stakeholder involved in areas ranging from environmental protection and heritage preservation to safety, transportation, public health, community empowerment, training and communications contributes directly or indirectly to the quality of Jamaica’s visitor experience.
According to the Minister, these partnerships will become even more critical as Jamaica advances into Tourism 3.0, which places greater emphasis on who benefits from tourism, inclusive growth, sustainability, destination resilience, technology, culture, creativity and innovation. The framework also focuses on creating value not only for visitors, but for Jamaicans.
“Tourism 3.0 demands collaboration on a scale we have never seen before,” the Permanent Secretary said, quoting the Minister’s prepared remarks.
The Minister further warned that Jamaica’s next chapter of tourism development cannot be defined solely by visitor arrivals or the number of hotel rooms, but must increasingly focus on value, inclusion, resilience, innovation and shared prosperity.
She said this shift makes partnerships indispensable to the industry’s continued success, quoting the Minister’s observation: “If tourism were to disappear tomorrow, Jamaica would immediately feel the loss. But if partnerships were to disappear tomorrow, tourism itself would soon collapse.”
Against that background, Minister Bartlett praised TPDCo’s three decades of service, describing the organisation as a convener, facilitator, standard bearer, bridgebuilder and catalyst for collaboration, as well as a champion of destination assurance and sustainable tourism development.
The event brought together tourism stakeholders and senior national and industry representatives, including Lt. Col. the Honourable Garfield S. Green, Custos Rotulorum of Manchester; Councillor Donovan Mitchell, Mayor of Mandeville; Ian Dear, CD, JP, Chairman of the Board of TPDCo; Wade Mars, Executive Director of TPDCo; Lionel Myrie, Deputy Executive Director of TPDCo; and Dr. Carey Wallace, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund and Georgeia Robinson, Executive Director of Devon House Development Limited.
Among the stakeholder organisations identified for recognition were the Jamaica Tourist Board, Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Jamaica Constabulary Force, Jamaica Information Service, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, National Environment and Planning Agency, National Works Agency, Port Authority of Jamaica, Jamaica Vacations Limited and several municipal corporations, along with organisations spanning transportation, environmental management, heritage, community development, emergency services and other areas.
The Minister said this breadth of involvement demonstrates why tourism must be treated as a national development strategy rather than simply an economic activity.
Looking ahead, he pointed to artificial intelligence, climate change, evolving consumer expectations, and increased competition among destinations as forces that will require even deeper collaboration. Jamaica’s advantage, he maintained, lies in something competitors cannot easily reproduce: the strength of its people and partnerships.
Minister Bartlett also used the occasion to thank the organisations being honoured for their longstanding contribution to the sector.
“Your contributions may not always make headlines, but they have made a difference, and today, we celebrate that difference,” the Permanent Secretary said in delivering the Minister’s remarks, urging stakeholders to use TPDCo’s 30th anniversary as “a launching pad for the future” and to recommit to partnership, innovation and inclusion.
She added that Jamaica’s next tourism chapter must be defined “not only by growth, but by shared growth and by shared success,” stressing that “when tourism works for all Jamaicans, Jamaica wins.”
Caption:
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, delivers remarks on behalf of Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, during the Tourism Product Development Company Limited’s (TPDCo) 30th Anniversary Stakeholder Awards Ceremony in Mandeville. The ceremony recognized over 40 stakeholders for their partnership and contribution to the development of Jamaica’s tourism product.
Caption:
Awardees display their plaques following the Tourism Product Development Company Limited’s (TPDCo) 30th Anniversary Stakeholder Awards Ceremony in Mandeville. TPDCo Executive Director, Wade Mars, is pictured at centre in the second row. The ceremony recognised stakeholders for their partnership and contribution to the development of Jamaica’s tourism product.
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For further information on these developments, please contact:
Marline Stephenson Dalley
Coordinator, Corporate Communications and Community Awareness
Tourism Product Development Company Limited
Email: marline.stephenson@tpdco.org
Tel: 876 550 0733