Jamaica, through the ministry of tourism, will be working more with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to secure collaboration in a number of areas, within the sector.

Plans are afoot to facilitate tourism cooperation, which was reached during a recent meeting with Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett and Undersecretary of Foreign Trade and Industry in the Ministry of Economy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abdulla Al Saleh.

The two, who met at the UAE’s Ministry of Economy, which has oversight for tourism in the UAE, discussed areas for cooperation in tourism that will redound to the benefit of both countries and their citizens.

UAE TO HELP IN MICE MARKETING

Minister Bartlett, who was on business in the UAE reported that, “Dubai will support us in terms of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) market development, logistics and technology and Jamaica will reciprocate in terms of resilience and sustainability, the building out of human capital programs, product development and marketing.”

In expressing his enthusiasm at the possibilities for collaboration in cruise tourism, Minister Bartlett noted that “Dubai Ports, one of the largest in the world with enormous capacity, is looking for partnerships across the world and Jamaica is a good place to start.”

A key matter that was also explored during the meeting was the possibility of establishing an outpost of the Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in the UAE.

This would mark the centre’s latest satellite location, adding to its offices in countries including Kenya, Jordan and Canada.

Minister Bartlett indicated that further discussions will be held to formalise these arrangements through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) when both countries convene alongside other nations at COP 28 this November.

“The Jamaica Ministry of Tourism and its agencies are on a mission to enhance and transform Jamaica’s tourism product, while ensuring that the benefits which flow from the tourism sector are increased for all Jamaicans,” Bartlett said.

He added: “To this end it has implemented policies and strategies that will provide further momentum for tourism as the engine of growth for the Jamaican economy. The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that the tourism sector makes the fullest contribution possible to Jamaica’s economic development given its tremendous earning potential.”