PRESIDENT of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Wayne Cummings last Friday expressed confidence in new tourism minister Edmund Bartlett, saying the association was looking forward to him representing the issues critical to the development and success of the industry.

“Additionally, we are very pleased to see the return to a stand alone ministry focussing on tourism, which is clearly indicative of the Government’s commitment to the sector’s importance,” Cummings said.

He said the JHTA recognised Bartlett’s steadfast “interest and insight of” the tourism industry over the years, particularly as spokesman on tourism while he was in Opposition.

He reiterated that the JHTA was committed to working with Bartlett, and looking forward to an early meeting with the minister and all the stakeholders.

Meanwhile, fresh from taking his oath of office at King’s House last Friday morning, Bartlett immediately went to his ministry’s New Kingston head office to meet with the staff and support team.

In the brief, relaxed meeting, the minister greeted each member of staff, but not before dismissing any hint of partisanship in the conduct of public business.

“I might look green, but trust me – I don’t behave green.or orange for that matter. No colour coding will be required here,” he quipped.

According to a release from the ministry, Bartlett is said to have reminded the team that his principal competency was marketing, having served as marketing sales manager at Texaco Caribbean for nine years before entering representational politics.

“I would like to think of myself as the chief salesman here, but for tourism to perform and grow simply beyond visitor arrivals, we will all have to be salespersons and market.market market,, the minister was quoted as saying.

As for his expectations, Bartlett reiterated the importance of tourism to the Jamaican economy and said, “efficiency, professionalism, and Performance” is how “we will all get along like a house on fire.

“My eyes are firmly set on the upcoming winter season, where we have to buckle down and ensure that we enjoy growth well beyond an increase in arrival figures,” he added.

Giving specific examples of the potential multiplier effect of tourism, the new minister also reinforced the fact that many other critical sectors such as Agriculture were relying upon sustained growth in what he termed the ‘main economic driver’ of the economy.

The minister was then accompanied on a tour of the Jamaica Tourism Centre by Permanent Secretary Jennifer Griffith and director general Carrole Guntley. This included stops at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), to meet with the executive directors and their respective teams.