Gov’t Building Capacity of Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises to Earn More  

  • Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Government is focused on ensuring that small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) can command a larger share of the tourism dollar. He highlighted that the government is prioritising this by creating strategic policies, programmes and initiatives that can aid in building resilience and increasing the capacity of local SMTEs to earn more.
  • Minister Bartlett was speaking to JIS News following a panel discussion at the Arabian Travel Market tradeshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on May 3. He noted that the panel discussion, under the theme ‘Strategic Sustainability Planning – Where Does the Supply Chain Start?’ involved some major tourism players from markets that Jamaica is trying to penetrate in the Middle East and Asia.
  • Bartlett said that coming out of the pandemic the sector is being reimagined, recognising that the post-COVID-19 traveller is not the same as visitors past and that the SMTEs will have a huge role to play in that regard.
  • He noted that sustainability and resilience in the global tourism industry can only be achieved by inclusivity and full cooperation from all sector players – big and small, noting that the post-COVID-19 era must be one where players of all sizes in the tourism value chain are engaged and respected. He highlighted that the essence of tourism as we know is the small and medium enterprises as they are 80 per cent of the services and the experiences that visitors have when they come to the destination.
  • Medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) are essential to the Jamaican economy, making up over 97% of the island’s taxpaying businesses. The sector is responsible for the majority of employment in Jamaica and drives economic growth and development. As such, the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) continuously seeks to strengthen the sector through programmes that support these businesses. Moreover, the resurgence of the tourism industry has been the main driver of economic growth.

(Source: JIS)