Durrant Pate/Contributor

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has been appointed Chair of a new Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) committee tasked with designing a regional strategy to strengthen the supply side of tourism and ensure that a larger share of the sector’s earnings remains within Caribbean economies. 

The committee’s mandate centres on deepening connections between tourism and industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and the creative sectors, with the objective of increasing the value retained in local communities. Representatives from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Turks and Caicos Islands will contribute to this regional effort.

The appointment follows a decision reached at the CTO Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism meeting on September 30. CTO Chairman and Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport  Ian Gooding-Edghill says, “the appointment of Minister Bartlett to chair this Committee concretises the decision taken by the CTO member countries at the September 30 Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism meeting to expand the region’s focus on building stronger linkages in the tourism sector.”

As part of the broader initiative, the CTO Secretariat has been tasked with examining the carrying capacities of member states. This work will provide essential data to guide committee recommendations and inform sustainable, resilience-focused tourism development across the Caribbean. To support the committee’s work, Minister Bartlett has offered the expertise of Professor Lloyd Waller, Executive Director of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), who will develop the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the group. 

Down to business

Minister Bartlett emphasises the initiative’s purpose, saying: “This committee is about moving from leakage to linkage…Our goal is to ensure that more of every tourism dollar stays in the Caribbean, builds our businesses, creates quality jobs for our people and strengthens the resilience of our economies. By working together as a region, we can secure a bigger share of the value that tourism generates in our own space. As Jamaica has been a leading proponent of the supply side of tourism and the retention of revenues from the sector, the Council of Ministers and Commissioners unanimously agreed that Minister Bartlett should lead this regional initiative.”

CHTA is pleased that Minister Bartlett has accepted yet another challenge to further advance the development of the region’s tourism sector, as the CTO’s Council reaffirms its commitment to pursuing this strategy. The Jamaican Tourism Minister also updated regional leaders on Jamaica’s post-Hurricane Melissa recovery. He pointed out that approximately 70 per cent of the country’s hotel inventory is expected to be back in operation by January, supported by ongoing renovation and repair work. 

Airlift is also rebounding with capacity across Jamaica’s three international airports now above 85% of pre-Melissa levels, ensuring stability for the upcoming winter tourism season. Minister Bartlett expressed gratitude for the regional support Jamaica has received. Countries, including the Turks and Caicos Islands, the US Virgin Islands and The Bahamas, offered assistance, which he described as critical for accelerating recovery efforts and safeguarding tourism employment.