Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged the Ministry of Tourism and key stakeholders in Jamaica’s tourism sector to enhance and diversify the country’s tourism offerings.
Addressing an audience at a book launch event for Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett on a Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Holness emphasized that international travelers are seeking experiences beyond the traditional allure of sun, sea, and sand.
A demand for enhanced visitor experiences
Prime Minister Holness stressed the need for local stakeholders to elevate the quality of offerings available to tourists.
He argued that an expansion of Jamaica’s tourism product would not only attract a larger influx of visitors but also ensure the sustainability and long-term growth of the industry.
Holness emphasized, “Jamaica has to strategically now seek to recraft and reposition itself if it is to get future growth in tourism. So we’re getting growth now and Ed [Bartlett] is very good at being a good cheerleader for that, but…we can do more and we can do better in our tourism.”
A vision for the future
With a forward-looking perspective, Prime Minister Holness expressed the desire to see substantial growth in the number of available accommodations in Jamaica. However, his vision extends beyond merely increasing the number of rooms.
He emphasized the importance of ensuring that, a decade or more from now, these accommodations continue to be occupied by enthusiastic tourists who explore the island beyond their resort confines.
Holness added,”We’re going to get more rooms, no doubt, and we’re seeing that already, but we want to be sure that 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 20 years from now, those rooms can continue to be filled but we want to ensure that our tourists are not just confined to their rooms or their resorts. We want to see the tourists on our streets, in our towns, in our local community.”
A call for ensuring tourist safety
In addition to promoting enhanced experiences for visitors, Prime Minister Holness called upon Jamaicans to prioritize the safety and well-being of tourists during their stay on the island.
Jamaica has already established itself as a popular destination, having welcomed more than four million visitors the previous year.
