KINGSTON, Jamaica —Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, says the budget for the 2025/2026 financial year has increased slightly with over $16 billion allocated for initiatives to enhance efficiency and growth in the sector.

The minister, who was addressing the meeting of the Standing Finance Committee at Gordon House on Thursday, said the focus for the upcoming fiscal year will be on marketing and using technology to enable more cost-effective implementation of the strategies.

“The intention, of course, is to focus heavily on the North American market – Canada and the United States, or legacy markets, and of course, the United Kingdom (UK)”, he said.

He noted that there will also be a big push in the South American market.

“South America provides a new frontier for us. We now have a good level of airlift,” he said, informing that he is in talks with LATAM and COPA Airlines, and others based in Brazil and Colombia.

Bartlett said the ministry is looking into increasing and improving Jamaica’s visa facilitation within the region, while highlighting the recent removal of visa requirements for residents in the Dominican Republic.

Turning to allocations to agencies under the ministry, he informed that the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s budget is almost the same as 2024/2025 and will focus on specific projects in relation to beach development and other areas of the built environment.

The budget for the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) has increased slightly to $3.2 billion and the Spruce Up Programme has been allocated $5 million, approximately $1 million higher than the prior year.

“The Montego Bay Convention Centre, Devon House, the Milk River Bath, and the Bath Fountain are three key areas that will see added allocations, but with potential for growth. We are seeing a level of management applied to these three [facilities] that is very satisfying,” Bartlett said.

He commended the team at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, noting that the facility turned a profit this financial year for the first time.

“The Convention Centre, when we took it over five years ago, was having a loss of $2 million and I’m proud to advise that this year, we’re looking at an operational profit, which is the first time that that will be seen ever. Knowing that convention centres worldwide do not make operational profit – they break even at best – I want to use this opportunity to commend the team there for the excellent job that they have done, especially in marketing the product,” Bartlett said.

He added that $50 million from TPDCo’s budget has been allocated to continue refurbishing works at the Milk River Hotel & Spa in Clarendon.

Bartlett said the 2025/2026 budget aims to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development, generate employment and contribute to reducing poverty while accelerating the expansion of the tourism sector.

-JIS