Jamaica tourism minister Ed Bartlett to receive MIPAD lifetime achievement award
Key Points(5)
- Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is scheduled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality in New York on Friday, recognizing his work in tourism development and resilience.
- The award is part of the 2026 Global Top 100 Travel, Tourism & Hospitality recognition by Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), which celebrates leaders of African descent influencing tourism, aviation, hospitality, investment and cultural storytelling.
- Bartlett was named to MIPAD’s 2026 Global Top 100 list in July, alongside tourism ministers, aviation executives, hospitality leaders and travel industry figures from Africa and the diaspora.
- The initiative is organized in partnership with The Pyne Hospitality Company.
- The Jamaica Tourist Board said Bartlett’s inclusion recognized his work in promoting sustainable tourism, strengthening diaspora connections and building resilience in the industry.
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is scheduled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality in New York on Friday, recognizing his work in tourism development and resilience.
The award is part of the 2026 Global Top 100 Travel, Tourism & Hospitality recognition by Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), which celebrates leaders of African descent influencing tourism, aviation, hospitality, investment and cultural storytelling.
Bartlett was named to MIPAD’s 2026 Global Top 100 list in July, alongside tourism ministers, aviation executives, hospitality leaders and travel industry figures from Africa and the diaspora. The initiative is organized in partnership with The Pyne Hospitality Company.
The Jamaica Tourist Board said Bartlett’s inclusion recognized his work in promoting sustainable tourism, strengthening diaspora connections and building resilience in the industry.
“This recognition is not just for me, but for Jamaica and for the people whose warmth, culture and resilience make our island the heart of global tourism,” Bartlett said following the announcement. “Tourism must continue to be a vehicle for empowerment, for telling our stories and for connecting the African diaspora to opportunity.”
Bartlett has served as Jamaica’s tourism minister during two main periods, first from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2016. He was appointed to the position for a fourth time in September 2025, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
A key focus of his work has been tourism resilience, including efforts to help destinations prepare for and recover from disruptions such as natural disasters and economic shocks. He co-founded the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in 2018. Based at the University of the West Indies, Mona, the center works on destination preparedness, crisis management and recovery.
Bartlett has also received other international tourism honors. In March 2026, he was named Tourism Minister of the Year – Worldwide by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association. He previously received the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion of Sustainable Travel & Tourism in 2023.
His latest recognition comes during a visit to the United States focused on strengthening Jamaica’s tourism prospects ahead of the 2026-27 winter season. While in New York, Bartlett is scheduled to meet with tourism marketing partners to review market conditions, forward bookings and strategies to attract visitors.
He is also scheduled to attend the American Friends of Jamaica’s Hummingbird Gala on Friday at The Plaza Hotel, where he is expected to present the International Humanitarian Award to Jamaican-born actress Sheryl Lee Ralph.
MIPAD’s Global Top 100 program recognizes leaders whose work connects tourism and hospitality with economic development, cultural exchange and opportunities across Africa and its global diaspora.
