KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett left Jamaica on Monday to participate in the much-anticipated Tourism EXPO Japan 2022 tradeshow, where he will hold crucial discussions as part of efforts to tap into the Asian market.

The all-inclusive travel trade event, known as: “One of the world’s largest Travel Trade Exhibitions,” takes place September 22 to 25, gathering key players from the world’s tourism industry and travel-related business fields.

It is also expected to offer several opportunities, including business meetings, and direct business-to-business and business-to-customer promotions.

Bartlett said he is looking forward to the opportunity to leverage the positive relationship that exists between Jamaica and Japan, to foster tourism cooperation as well as to promote Jamaica at the travel trade show.

“Tourism EXPO Japan 2022 will provide a very crucial platform for Jamaica to forge key partnerships, as we seek to tap into the lucrative Asian market,” Bartlett said.

“We have been laying the foundation for growth in arrivals out of the Asian market over the last few years. So, our participation in this important event is quite timely, as we seek out new and emerging markets in the post-COVID-19 era, as part of our drive to boost arrivals and earnings in order to surpass our pre-COVID record levels,” he added.

During his trip, the tourism minister is slated to meet with several senior Japanese government officials and business interests, including State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shunsuke Takei; Hiroyuki Takahashi, Chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Chairman of Japan’s tourism bureau, JTB Corporation; and Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Sachiko Imoto.

The Tourism Minister also indicated that he is looking forward to the discussions, and sharing of insights that will come out of the expo. He will also represent Jamaica at the State Funeral for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the late PM and longest-serving leader in modern Japan, who was fatally shot on July 8.

While in Japan, he will also participate in the 9th Edition of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s (GTRCMC) Virtual Edmund Bartlett Lecture Series.

The event will be among the major activities for Tourism Awareness Week 2022, which runs locally from September 25 to October 1. The theme for the week will be consistent with the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s theme for World Tourism Day, which is being observed on September 27 under the theme: “Rethinking Tourism”.

Other activities include a Thanksgiving Church Service on Sunday, September 25; Style Jamaica Runway Show on Monday, September 26; a Tourism Opportunities Visionary Symposium on Tuesday, September 27; a youth forum on Wednesday, September 28; a special virtual Knowledge Forum on Thursday, September 29; the official launch of the Innovation-Based Tourism Incubator on Friday, September 30; school speaking engagements from Monday, September 26 to Friday, September 30; and a youth poster competition.

The minister is scheduled to return home on Wednesday, September 28.