Jamaica’s long-serving Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has announced that he will retire from representational politics at the end of the current parliamentary term, bringing to a close a distinguished career spanning more than four decades in public service.
Bartlett, who turns 75 in December, revealed his decision during an interview on Nationwide at Five on Wednesday. “As Minister, I work at the behest of my Prime Minister, and I’m always willing to give the service as my health and my capacity allows,” he said. “Within the frame of all of this, however, and I recognize that there’s a time lag for everything, so I’m excited about saying to you that yes, this will be my last full term. But I want it to be understood that I have a job to do and we’re going to finish that job. And when we finish, we’re going to pass on to the next generation of those who will do better than we have done.”
Bartlett has served as Member of Parliament for East Central St. James since 2002, after previously representing Eastern St. Andrew from 1980 to 1993. He first became Minister of Tourism in 2007 under the Bruce Golding-led Jamaica Labour Party administration and returned to the portfolio in 2016 under Prime Minister Andrew Holness, where he continues to serve.
During his tenure, Bartlett has been credited with transforming Jamaica’s tourism sector into a global model of growth and resilience. Under his leadership, the country rebounded strongly from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, welcoming 4.3 million visitors in 2024 and generating approximately US$4.35 billion in tourism earnings. He also established the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, the first of its kind, to help the global industry confront issues such as climate change, natural disasters, and pandemics.
Earlier this year, Bartlett received the Premio Excelencias (Global Excellence) 2024 award at the FITUR international tourism trade fair in Madrid, Spain, recognizing his career-long commitment to sustainable tourism and his influence on the global stage. He has also been honored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization for his leadership in promoting inclusive and resilient tourism practices.
Looking ahead, Bartlett said he intends to help prepare his successor before stepping aside. “We have worked very hard in the industry. We’ve built new areas, and we are looking at new areas for the future,” he said. “I intend to complete my work, and when I’m finished with that completion, then I would have trained and built capacity to embrace and carry through the work to high heights and greater depths.”
Bartlett’s planned retirement marks the end of an era for Jamaica’s tourism industry, which has consistently broken visitor arrival and revenue records under his stewardship.
