KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill will be heading a delegation from Jamaica to Sierra Leone.

“I’m going to take businesspeople to Freetown (the capital city) so that the connections can be made,” he noted.

He was speaking at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference 2023, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters in the Corporate Area earlier this week.

He said that while in Freetown, the delegation will visit the “wonderful new airport that is about to be finished. We want to say, look, make Jamaica your airport in the West”.

He noted that the development of the Vernamfield Aerodrome in Clarendon offers prospects to improve connectivity between Jamaica and Sierra Leone.

“Right down the road, another seven miles away from that airstrip, is one of our deepest ports in Jamaica that needs to be developed,” he pointed out.

“So, we’re looking at a place where we can have long-haul flights that bring cargo. We’re talking about trade and exchange of goods to Jamaica and from Jamaica, but to bring people as well,” Hill added.

The three-day Global Tourism Resilience Conference, which ended on Friday, included panel discussions, networking opportunities and presentations from more than 40 speakers on various topics.

It is organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), Caribbean Tourism Organization, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), International Tourism Investment Conference, Jacobs Media and the World Travel Awards.