Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett joins Global Travel Hall of Fame
KINGSTON, Jamaica -Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett joined an esteemed group of high achievers in the international travel and hospitality industry on Thursday when he was inducted into the prestigious Global Travel Hall of Fame.
The elaborate induction ceremony was held at The Chesterfield Hotel in London. The British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame was acquired by Jacobs Media Group in 2014. However, the event was forced to take a break during the novel coronavirus pandemic and was subsequently renamed.
The Global Travel Hall of Fame recognises the highest achievers in the travel, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors. Inductees are also hailed as having not only achieved phenomenal business success, but have also inspired and shaped those around them.
Bartlett, the first Caribbean tourism leader to receive the honour, said that he was humbled by the recognition, which follows a stream of other worldwide industry awards bestowed upon him.
“It is really a humbling experience to be recognised in this manner and to be included as a member of such as revered group, more so because it recognises not just my own contribution to the sector, but the fact that Jamaica stands out as a prime example of what can be achieved in tourism,” he said.
He gave credit to the team that he leads in the Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies, describing members as “very dedicated and hardworking public sector workers who appreciate the significance of what they do to the success of tourism and its important contribution to the Jamaican economy.”
Bartlett also lauded tourism stakeholders across the island for their contribution and support, as partners in developing the sector over the years.
Bartlett’s awards, over the years, include being named the Caribbean’s Leading Personality for Outstanding Services to Tourism at the 23rd World Travel Awards in 2016 and the Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year at the Caribbean Travel Awards in 2017.
In 2018 the Pacific Area Travel Writers’ Association (PATWA) named him Minister of the Year for Sustainable Tourism. In 2019 he was presented with the TRAVVY Awards inaugural Chairman’s Award for Global Tourism Innovation for the development of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC). He also received the prestigious Gusi Peace prize from the Gusi Foundation in 2020.
Earlier this month Minister Bartlett was also named among 50 global icons of travel and tourism “who have innovated and created new benchmarks in the travel, aviation, tourism, hospitality and allied sectors.”
-Balford Henry