KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett says more Jamaicans need to own the inputs of tourism so that the country can benefit from a raise in the level of retention of earnings from the industry.

 Speaking at the third staging of the Tourism Linkages Network’s ‘Christmas in July’ event at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Bartlett shared that his ministry is pushing the linkages initiative to tackle the industry’s leakages by encouraging greater production of local products and facilitating direct networking opportunities for local producers.

“The strong linkages established today between producers and buyers are important to our economic development. As it is the world over, micro, small and medium tourism enterprises are vital because 80 per cent of global tourism is driven by them,” Bartlett said.

He added that if we are to seriously talk about retaining the revenue from tourism then we have to build out the capacity of this 80 per cent to drive more creative output and be able to deliver on the demand that tourism brings.

The minister also applauded the event organisers for successfully bringing together some 120 local producers of authentic gift and souvenir items – 80 of which were new to the exhibition – to showcase their products to corporate executives and industry players.

The Christmas in July exhibition is a collaborative effort of the ministry’s Tourism Linkages Network and its partners, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA), and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).