Tweet
Bartlett promises 70 per cent increase in tourist arrivals by 2012
Friday, February 22, 2008
TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett is vowing to increase tourist arrival to the island by 70 per cent or five million visitors by the year 2012, thus boosting the sector earnings to $75 billion annually.
The tourism minister made the promise as he addressed major players from the tourism sector gathered at the Kingston Hilton Hotel yesterday for the first Tourism Outlook Seminar to discuss varying issues surrounding the sector and to chart the way forward.
The initiative which according to Bartlett is dubbed 'Drive For Five', is also geared towards increasing visitor spending from US$85 to US$150 per person.
Bartlett said this initiative will also address the ongoing social challenges the country currently faces.
"It will make new revenue available to address issues like poverty, domestic crime and drugs," he said.
Tourism, he explained is the largest provider of the country's foreign exchange accounting for 47 per cent while employing 80,000 persons directly and 180,000 indirectly.
"It is the only industry in Jamaica today that provides support and assistance for every single layer of employable persons within the country," he said.
While Jamaica has made great strides in establishing itself as a world tourism destination, Bartlett said it must now strategically promote accelerated growth to capture a greater market share and to build more prominent positioning in the global marketplace.
"The successful strengthening of our infrastructure and our tourism product indicates that we're truly ready to attract new markets and to expand existing ones," he said.
In exploring opportunities for continued growth, Bartlett said they will be strategically targeting new and emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia India and China.
"While the threat of recession looms large, and could certainly be a deterrent to many travel plans, research and previous financial downswings indicate that Americans will continue to travel, especially those in the luxury sector," he said of North America, which remains the largest market to date.
Bartlett said it is time to recognise tourism as a national priority and be aligned alongside industries like manufacturing and agriculture. As with these industries he said, it is imperative that the tourism sector have a system of satellite accounting that will ensure all the benefits generated by tourism are credited to national accounts.
While tourists from North America account for 70 per cent of Jamaica's total arrivals, he said those travellers represent substantially less than one per cent of the continent's outbound travel.
"So clearly there is a vast market to tap still," he added.
As tourist arrival figures continue to mount, Bartlett said progressively more staff will be needed in ancillary service roles as tour guides and to man new attractions.
"To meet this demand, we aim to attract an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 new recruits over the next five to 10 years, and to guide them in shaping successful careers in our hospitality industry," he said.
The dramatic increase in hotel room count, he said, will create an enormous number of new jobs in the hospitality industry, averaging approximately two service staff per guestroom.
He pointed further to the development by the RIU group which he said will create approximately 10,000 new hotel rooms.
Meanwhile innovative development, he added, is illustrated by the work at Palmyra Rose Hall, Harmony Cove and Royal DeCameron.
In addition, well-designed expansion, he said, will enhance Goldeneye while a current restoration project will make Devon House a major cultural attraction. Also new spas at hotels like Half Moon and Palmyra, will grow the island's share of the booming health and wellness travel market.
Other areas of development in health tourism, he said, will be the development of Milk River Spa in Clarendon and Bath in St Thomas.
Friday, February 22, 2008
TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett is vowing to increase tourist arrival to the island by 70 per cent or five million visitors by the year 2012, thus boosting the sector earnings to $75 billion annually.
The tourism minister made the promise as he addressed major players from the tourism sector gathered at the Kingston Hilton Hotel yesterday for the first Tourism Outlook Seminar to discuss varying issues surrounding the sector and to chart the way forward.
The initiative which according to Bartlett is dubbed 'Drive For Five', is also geared towards increasing visitor spending from US$85 to US$150 per person.
Bartlett said this initiative will also address the ongoing social challenges the country currently faces.
"It will make new revenue available to address issues like poverty, domestic crime and drugs," he said.
Tourism, he explained is the largest provider of the country's foreign exchange accounting for 47 per cent while employing 80,000 persons directly and 180,000 indirectly.
"It is the only industry in Jamaica today that provides support and assistance for every single layer of employable persons within the country," he said.
While Jamaica has made great strides in establishing itself as a world tourism destination, Bartlett said it must now strategically promote accelerated growth to capture a greater market share and to build more prominent positioning in the global marketplace.
"The successful strengthening of our infrastructure and our tourism product indicates that we're truly ready to attract new markets and to expand existing ones," he said.
In exploring opportunities for continued growth, Bartlett said they will be strategically targeting new and emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia India and China.
"While the threat of recession looms large, and could certainly be a deterrent to many travel plans, research and previous financial downswings indicate that Americans will continue to travel, especially those in the luxury sector," he said of North America, which remains the largest market to date.
Bartlett said it is time to recognise tourism as a national priority and be aligned alongside industries like manufacturing and agriculture. As with these industries he said, it is imperative that the tourism sector have a system of satellite accounting that will ensure all the benefits generated by tourism are credited to national accounts.
While tourists from North America account for 70 per cent of Jamaica's total arrivals, he said those travellers represent substantially less than one per cent of the continent's outbound travel.
"So clearly there is a vast market to tap still," he added.
As tourist arrival figures continue to mount, Bartlett said progressively more staff will be needed in ancillary service roles as tour guides and to man new attractions.
"To meet this demand, we aim to attract an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 new recruits over the next five to 10 years, and to guide them in shaping successful careers in our hospitality industry," he said.
The dramatic increase in hotel room count, he said, will create an enormous number of new jobs in the hospitality industry, averaging approximately two service staff per guestroom.
He pointed further to the development by the RIU group which he said will create approximately 10,000 new hotel rooms.
Meanwhile innovative development, he added, is illustrated by the work at Palmyra Rose Hall, Harmony Cove and Royal DeCameron.
In addition, well-designed expansion, he said, will enhance Goldeneye while a current restoration project will make Devon House a major cultural attraction. Also new spas at hotels like Half Moon and Palmyra, will grow the island's share of the booming health and wellness travel market.
Other areas of development in health tourism, he said, will be the development of Milk River Spa in Clarendon and Bath in St Thomas.
Comment