KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to participate in the World Travel Market (WTM) in London.

“The world travel market is one of the biggest programmes that the industry has on its calendar. I am very proud to share that I will be joined by a very sizeable delegation from Jamaica next week to participate in the event, which enables contracts to be entered into between hoteliers and suppliers and airlines and destinations, and so on,” the minister said.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB). It will also feature some 16 Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals. Through its industry networks, the WTM also creates personal and business opportunities while also providing customers with quality contacts, content and communities.

“While at the WTM, we will also engage in tourism diplomacy, which enables the real connectivity between countries that are involved in tourism and partners that are involved in this industry,” Bartlett said.

‘Jamaica is today at the cutting edge of this diplomatic initiative across the world. We are very proud that we are thought leaders in tourism today – that there is not a single important tourism activity-taking place anywhere in the world where Jamaica is not inserted. Our marketing is constantly being augmented by this reference to Jamaica as the place to go for celebrations of all kinds,” he added.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation is also listed as a major player at the WTM. This year UNWTO and WTM will feature a Ministers’ Summit on November 6, based on the theme “Investment in Tourism Technology”.

There will also be a Ministerial discussion on “Investing in the Future of Tourism” where Ministers and other public-sector stakeholders will join the private sector panellists to engage in a discussion on the way forward for tourism.

Balford Henry