SENATOR Delano Seiveright, who was on Monday sworn in as state minister in the Ministry of Tourism, says he believes there is much more that can be derived from tourism and all it takes is for Jamaica to begin tapping into these areas.

Seiveright and Senator Audrey Marks, the new minister with responsibility for efficiency, innovation and digital transformation, were sworn in at King’s House.

“Over the last several years, tourism has expanded at a phenomenal rate. For example, for Airbnb in 2017, we had 59,000 guests. In 2024 we had over 850,000 local and international visitors generating revenues exceeding $32 billion,” Seiveright told the Jamaica Observer following the swearing-in ceremony.

“We now have over 30,000 hotel rooms and we have a tremendous number of major investment projects coming on stream. What has happened is that the growth in the sector has outstripped the capacity of the country. That is why we have gaps in agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors.”

He shared that the plan now is to begin facilitating a closer working relationship with manufacturers, and people in the agricultural and other sectors, to ensure they are able to properly supply and service the sector.

“We know for a fact that not everything can be produced and made here and not every service can be done here at a cost that makes sense, but we do know that there is a lot more to be derived if we have better collaboration and more focused partnerships between local suppliers and owners of the big resorts and so on,” he added.

Vocalising his endorsement for Seiveright, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said at the ceremony that the new minister is very well known in tourism circles, having previously served as senior advisor and strategist to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. He highlighted that Seiveright has been actively engaged in policy development and advocacy efforts that have contributed to key legislative and economic advancements. Holness said he knows Seiveright will contribute significantly towards advancing the national growth agenda.

“I am assigning him specific responsibilities for linkages between tourism and the general economy. Tourism is a critical plank of the Jamaican economy. It serves us well in employment, in foreign exchange, and it serves us well in consuming products from the economy, but I think we can all agree that there is much more to be derived from tourism. We want to ensure that the local economy, the average Jamaican, benefits from tourism, this incredible natural renewable asset which is essentially the culture, people and environment.

“We want to get most out of it, and so your task minister is to ensure there is greater linkages, greater connectivity between the tourism industry and the local economy.

Every Jamaican must feel the benefit of tourism, whether it is in agriculture through greater consumption of agricultural output, greater security through long-term supply contracts, whether it is in housing by ensuring we have housing for tourism workers, or health care,” Holness said.