Jamaica Wants 10 Million Visitors and $10 Billion | Jamaica Tourism | WTM Riyadh | Edmund Bartlett
Travel And Tour World brings you an exclusive, wide ranging interview with Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, recorded live at WTM Riyadh. In this conversation, the Minister shares Jamaica's ambitious vision for growth, worker welfare, and global disaster resilience, while exploring new connectivity opportunities with the GCC region. Key highlights from this interview: 1. Jamaica's growing push into the GCC market, exploring stronger connectivity through Riyadh Air Jamaica Caribbean connectivity, alongside partnerships with Saudia, Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways 2. Why Jamaica positions itself as a natural hub for the Caribbean and Latin America, thanks to its central location and existing airline traffic 3. An introduction to Jamaica's bold Jamaica 10 million visitors 10 billion dollars plan, built on major infrastructure investment and 20,000 new hotel rooms 4. A deep dive into their groundbreaking Jamaica tourism worker pension program, the world's first comprehensive pension plan covering hotel staff, attraction workers, and self employed tourism professionals 5. How the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation certification program helps experienced workers gain global mobility through certified, portable credentials 6. Their innovative approach to supporting small businesses through the Jamaica MSME tourism small business support strategy, focused on training, funding, and marketing access 7. The story behind Jamaica's Global Tourism Resilience Crisis Management Center, born from their successful, low infection COVID era tourism corridor 8. Real world lessons from Jamaica hurricane recovery tourism resilience efforts, rebuilding within nine months after a recent hurricane 9. A thoughtful discussion on protecting destination reputation, referencing the Minister's own book, Destination Reputation Resilience book tourism, addressing misinformation and disinformation in the digital age 10. A creative proposal for a global tourism resilience fund, encouraging travellers to leave small voluntary tips at every point of consumption to support vulnerable destinations This interview offers valuable insight for policymakers, travel professionals, and hospitality leaders looking to understand how Jamaica's innovative tourism policies are shaping the future of sustainable, worker centered tourism in 2026 and beyond. About Travel And Tour World: Travel And Tour World is a global travel media platform covering travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, MICE, cruise, and luxury travel, with readership across 195 countries. [Jamaica tourism strategy, Jamaica GCC market, Jamaica 10 by 10 by 10, Jamaica tourism resilience, WTM Riyadh Jamaica, Jamaica 10 million visitors 10 billion dollars plan, Jamaica tourism worker pension program, Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation certification, Global Tourism Resilience Crisis Management Center, Jamaica hurricane recovery tourism resilience] #JamaicaTourism #WTMRiyadh #TravelAndTourWorld #GCCTravel #TravelTrends #MICE #SustainableTourism #VisitJamaica #TourismInnovation #CaribbeanTravel #WorkerWelfare