There will be no sitting of the House of Representatives today as Parliamentarians take a break from what has been one of the liveliest budget debates in decades.

However, legislators will return to work next Tuesday, April 5, when Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett is scheduled to open the sectoral debate.

It is not surprising that Bartlett, who is also Leader of the House, will lead off the debate during which Government ministers are expected to focus on “growth” in updating the country on the performance of their portfolios. This is in light of the tourism sector’s robust response to the challenges of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has been the muster roll for the country’s economic recovery programme.

“This month has been huge. We are seeing about 250,000 visitors this month and that will be topped up with a number of cruise ship stopovers which will definitely increase that figure to 300,000,” the minister told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.

He noted that the most important economic feature of activities related to the tourism sector is that the contribution to three high-priority goals of any developing country — the generation of income, employment, and foreign-exchange earnings.

The Ministry of Tourism is also partnering with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in the launch of the Jamaica 60 celebrations, engaging members of the Jamaican Diaspora and encouraging them to come home with relatives, friends, and colleagues to participate in the festivities, while stimulating growth in the sector.

— Balford Henry