MONTEGO BAY, St James — Saying he has been playing his part in the country’s effort to recover from the ravages of COVID-19, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett yesterday said more needs to be done to increase the number of Jamaicans who are vaccinated.

“While I do not have much authority on this, I can say strong actions are necessary to improve vaccination uptake. Ten per cent won’t cut it,” Bartlett said. “I am ashamed that only 10 per cent of the population is vaccinated and we had to dump so many doses.”

His reference, during a tablet donation ceremony at Holiday Day Inn Resorts in Montego Bay, was to the Government having to discard thousands of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that had expired on September 30.

“I am out there doing the work… you have to do your part by taking the vaccine,” he urged. “Visitors are not coming to us to expose themselves to the virus, nor do they want to expose you. The only way to protect yourself and to protect them is to make sure that you are vaccinated.”

Bartlett and his team have spent the last week on a whirlwind tour of the county’s two major tourism markets — the USA and Canada — drumming up business from airlines, cruise ships, and travel agents. A plethora of press releases have followed in their wake as they moved from meeting to meeting, trumpeting their success in shoring up support for Brand Jamaica. Their next blitz will be in Europe.

Yesterday, Bartlett used the donation ceremony to drive home the latest bits of good news for the country’s tourism industry.

“I am very excited that the UK has lifted its travel restriction… This is great news for Jamaica,” he said.

“The announcement is a major development for Jamaica’s tourism industry. For us in Jamaica, the UK market is crucial, and so we eagerly anticipate once again welcoming visitors from the UK to our destination. The announcement will help to fuel arrivals from that market and help drive the recovery of our tourism sector and the Jamaican economy,” Bartlett stressed.

It will pave the way for British charter airline TUI to resume flights to Jamaica. The carrier came back to Jamaica in July but flights were later halted after travel restrictions imposed by the UK.

The tourism minister told reporters that TUI’s resumption of service will likely translate into thousands of room occupancies, a fillip to the winter season.

“TUI flights and tour services will also resume, which is a much-welcomed announcement for our stakeholders, who depend heavily on this major global group, which is the largest carrier of UK tourists to Jamaica,” said Bartlett.

TUI is the world’s leading tourism group. The broad portfolio gathered under the group’s umbrella consists of strong tour operators, some 1,600 travel agencies and leading online portals, five airlines with around 150 aircraft, over 400 hotels, 15 cruise liners, and many incoming agencies in all major holiday destinations around the globe. It covers the entire tourism value chain under one roof.

But, even with these positive signs, recovery depends on how well the country manages the pandemic, a point the tourism minister has repeatedly made. Yesterday he repeated a warning to employees in the sector.

“I want it to be noted by all hotel workers, drivers, tours and attraction operators and craft vendors that we will not approve your business if you or your employees are unvaccinated… I will not be putting our visitors at risk. Vaccination is not a matter of choice, it is imperative,” he said.