KINGSTON, Jamaica—More than 25,000 Jamaican tourism workers have been certified under internationally benchmarked programmes through the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation.

The numbers were shared by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 23. He said annual certification output has grown from 40 graduates in 2017 to more than 3,000 in 2025/26.

“In 2025/26 alone, 3,273 certificates were issued from 3,589 registrations, producing an overall pass rate of 91 per cent. These certifications covered guest service, food safety, hospitality supervision, hospitality management, hotel operations, leadership, revenue management, culinary development and other disciplines essential to service excellence and upward mobility,” said Bartlett.

He added that, “This commitment to workers is also reflected in the continued performance of the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme”.

Bartlett said the scheme now records a total fund value of J$5.34 billion, with 10,858 registrants.

“These numbers represent more than financial growth; they represent greater security, dignity and confidence for the people whose labour sustains Jamaica’s tourism industry,” the minister said.

With the tourism industry having bounced back from the ravages of Hurricane Melissa, he told the Parliament that what defines this year is that tourism once again proved itself not merely as an industry, but as a national platform for jobs, enterprise, foreign exchange, community confidence, cultural pride and shared prosperity.