ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) – Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica’s presence at international trade shows is critical in promoting the destination, while simultaneously encouraging direct foreign investments.

“We had a very successful winter tourist season where earnings exceeded $125 billion… a record by any calculation. This did not happen by mere coincidence. This came as a result of the work we have been doing in creating linkages both at home and abroad and, certainly most critical, by having a sustainable presence in the international marketplace,” Bartlett said.The minister left the island on Saturday for a one-week visit to Spain to meet with several hotel investors and senior tourism executives and to participate in a number of promotional activities to boost publicity worldwide for the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) global conference, which is being hosted by Jamaica.The highly anticipated event will be held from November 27 to 29, 2017, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.The winter tourist season, which commenced on December 15, 2016 and ended on April 30, has been hailed as one of the most successful in recent times. Bartlett reiterated that the ministry is not about to “sit on its laurels and allow complacency to set in.”“We have been doubling down on our efforts in maintaining the linkages, promoting the destination and finding the investors.“In March, we attended one of the largest tourism trade shows in the world – ITB Berlin, Germany. While there, it gave us an excellent opportunity to network with some of the industry’s leading travel and tourism influencers across the globe. We also took the opportunity to continue to market brand Jamaica and also to promote the UNWTO conference,” he said.The minister also cited his visit to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also in March, where he attended the Sea Trade Cruise Global Conference, the cruise industry’s premier global event.“It created the ideal environment for cruise-line executives, buyers and suppliers to network with industry leaders who are sourcing new products and services,” Bartlett noted.He pointed to his two-week trip to Asia and Africa in April, where he had a number of important speaking engagements and meetings with key stakeholders within the travel and tourism sectors. “At the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 17th Global Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 27, where we had speakers such as former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, we also had the opportunity to look at the latest trends and also discussed the opportunities and challenges facing the global travel industry,” the minister said.“We met with hotel moguls, tourist boards, tour operators and airlines related to the travel industry. Also in the mix were scores of international journalists from some of the world’s leading trade, business and travel magazines,” he noted.The minister said the visit to Spain is yet another platform to promote the ministry’s Shovel-Ready initiative, which allows investors to easily get the support they need to build properties in the accommodation and attraction subsectors.