Tourism Minister Invites Local Investors to Develop Gastronomy Sector  

• With 42% of the expenditure of a visitor being on food, Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett, is inviting local investors to build the capacity of Jamaica for it to become “a real strong foodie destination”.
• The Minister made the call in an interview with JIS News at an event dubbed ‘Come Back to Craving’, held at the Devon House Mansion in Kingston on June 21, where a group of local and international journalists were treated to a unique gastronomy experience.
• He noted that Devon House was designated as the Gastronomy Centre of Jamaica and the Caribbean, and as a result, the Ministry of Tourism has been developing a Gastronomy Policy.
• Currently, gastronomy is a huge driver of the Jamaican tourism experience and the country has the potential to bring a new element of tourism demography into the destination.
• Minister Bartlett highlighted that the Jamaican story is strong and compelling, and as more people are brought to the destination, they will create consumption patterns that are new and varied, and Jamaica has the capabilities to present the food types that will respond to these different consumption patterns. This would allow the country to appeal to a new tourist demography and ultimately increase arrivals.  

(Source: JIS)