Effective December 15, 2010, the Government of Jamaica has made effective, in-bound, duty free shopping in Jamaica. The announcement was made at the start of the winter tourist season on Wednesday by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

Duty-free shops are retail outlets that do not apply local or national taxes and duties to items purchased. Traditionally, duty free shopping was reserved for international areas such as airports and on board airlines and passenger ships. The bill which brings the policy into being was passed by Parliament earlier this year and compliments the existing position which allowed for out-bound duty free shopping at In-Bond Stores across the island, including those at the air and sea ports.

According to Bartlett, “all incoming visitors will now be able to purchase duty free items at licensed In-Bond Shops. This new move will open up the island to a new dimension in shopping. It will open up a new area for increased revenue and will put Jamaica in a position to do a number of other things. As Minister of Tourism, I have expanded the list of items which can be sold in these In-Bond shops, including loose gem stones (polished and unpolished), designer clothing and accessories and several other items.”

Minister Bartlett added that “this new move opens the doors to luxury shopping and is designed to establish Jamaica as the shopping Mecca of the Caribbean.”

He said there have been a number of expressions of interests from companies to establish business outlets in the island, pointing out that Cartier has already opened its first shop in the resort city of Montego Bay.

Bartlett is also anticipating that the staging of trunk shows, in which very high-end products can be imported duty free into the island for fashion shows and sales blitzes, will result from the policy change. He said, in the event of goods being left un-sold at these shows, they can be returned to the suppliers duty-free.

“The staging of these trunk shows can place Jamaica among the top destinations worldwide with a presence in the major luxury publications across the world and in so doing, attract high spenders to the country, mainly for duty free shopping,” Bartlett reasoned.