Gaining a foothold in new markets will require a lot more strategic thinking in a global tourism sector reshaped by the novel coronavirus pandemic, says Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

“COVID has upended much of the ambition for new markets. Now we have to pause and analyse what’s happening in the global marketplace,” he told the Jamaica Observer in an exclusive interview last week.

Issues that now have to be factored into whether there is untapped potential in a geographic location include, for example, how much of its population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, an issue that did not exist two years ago.

“Certainly, the ability to have vaccination, and the extent to which coverage is provided for countries to achieve the new normal that is being suggested, will determine which are the markets that we can go,” the minister explained.

“[Another factor to consider is] what happens in terms of the airlines and their capacity to continue to fly and to do long hauls. So all of these are factors that are now going to influence where you can go and how you can move into new markets.”

The pandemic, he said, had put the brakes on flights out of Nigeria into Jamaica, scuttled plans to return to Japan as well as enter China and South America. Bartlett stressed, however, that despite the challenges, there is still a commitment to identifying new markets.

“The principle of going into new markets is one that we have embraced,” he said. “What we have to look at now is perhaps a new definition and understanding of how we can proceed, based on the COVID management, to the extent that borders are now open and people are able to move around freely from one part of the world to the other.”

Gaining new markets is at the top (47 per cent) of the list of priorities global tourism players have identified for action over the next two years, according to a survey by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. It shares the top spot with the need to boost investment, create a national tourism fund, attract donors and international brands, all areas in which Bartlett said Jamaica is doing well.

“Jamaica is ahead of the Caribbean in terms of new investments coming in for the immediate COVID and for the post-COVID period. Already, we have more than 8,000 new rooms to be brought in between now and 2025,” he pointed out. “And we tabled the new casino legislation which will go a long way to encourage another type of product and new investments in that area.”

These efforts, he added, are incentivised through appropriate fiscal and monetary policies as well as by providing the legal and regulatory frameworks needed.

“We’re looking at attractions, new types of mixed products… we’re looking at entertainment and also to build out new destinations that will attract investment in a number of areas,” he said. “St Thomas is going to be a new destination. We’ve done the study on it, completed the work, we’re ready now to invite investment.”

He also cited the work being done in Montego Bay, where the $1.2-billion Harmony Beach Park was recently opened to the public, plans to develop the Hip Strip, and the wider thrust to redefine “the entire waterfront area”. The country’s beaches will be improved, he added, and there are plans for a number of public parks across Jamaica. It is anticipated, Bartlett said, that the private sector will also play its part in investing in the country’s tourism product.