KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett leaves the island today to attend a meeting of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners in the Bahamas.

Bartlett will engage colleagues in discussions on issues including: public/private partnership for marketing the Caribbean in 2017, creation of an executive council of the CTO Council of Ministers and Commissioners, and the Caribbean Leaders Tourism Summit.

“We remain committed to supporting the vision of the CTO to position the Caribbean as the most desirable, year-round, warm weather destination. So I am very pleased that we will be able to engage in crucial discussions with other Tourism Ministers and Commissioners from across the region to plot the way forward as we seek to effectively develop and market the region to achieve this goal,” said Bartlett. 

Bartlett added, “I will also use the opportunity to update regional Tourism Ministers and private sector partners on plans by Jamaica to host a major global conference to commemorate the 2017 United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is with a view for us to collaborate on this important public-private sector initiative.”

During his recent trip to Spain Bartlett signed an agreement for Jamaica to host a conference to commemorate the year. 

The event, which is a collaborative effort between the Government of Jamaica, international development firm Chemonics International and the UNWTO, will be staged from November 27 to 29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St James.

“We will also continue our discussions with tourism ministers from across the region on building regional tourism through initiatives, such as a multi-destination tourism framework,” Bartlett said.

While in the Bahamas, the minister will also attend the Caribbean Travel Marketplace (CTM), which is the largest tourism marketing event in the Caribbean. There, he will use the event as a platform to engage with tourism partners and suppliers from around the world.

The CTM showcases thousands of hotels, tourist boards, destination management companies, tour operators, airlines among other entities related to the travel industry from across the region. It is expected to attract more than a thousand delegates from over 25 countries, as well as numerous buyers.

The minister, who will be accompanied by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith and the director of tourism, Paul Pennicook, is slated to return to the island on February 5.