KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was among a number of people honoured recently by renowned international travel trade website, Travel Pulse, as the most influential people in travel for 2016.

Also named on the list were: US President Barack Obama; US President Elect Donald Trump; the world’s largest cruise company, Carnival Corporation CEO, Arnold Donald; United Airlines CEO, Oscar Munoz; and British billionaire business tycoon, Sir Richard Branson.

The list is published each year by Travel Pulse’s award-winning editorial staff. Travel Pulse publishes the most in-depth and unique content for travel agents and consumers. It is also the world’s leading travel trade website, with a dedicated newsletter sent to over 93,000 travel agents every morning.

“Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s tourism minister, returned to office as part of a new government, resuming the post he held from 2007 to 2011. Bartlett immediately launched an effort to catalyze Jamaica’s already solid visitor growth in recent years, targeting an ultimate goal of double-digit annual visitor arrivals growth,” the magazine stated.

According to Bartlett’s Senior Advisor, Delano Seiveright, “the acknowledgement is yet another clear endorsement of the Minister’s growth and development policies and strategies for Jamaica’s Tourism sector.

“It is also comes on top of a series of accolades for Minister Bartlett, including being awarded the World’s Leading Personality for Outstanding Services to Travel at the 23rd Annual World Travel Awards (WTA), earlier this month in Southern Asia,” he added.

The magazine said that President Obama definitely had an influence on travel in 2016, in relation lifting the ban on trade with Cuba, especially “the ban on one of the most iconic forbidden souvenirs for Americans: Cuban cigars”.

Balford Henry