(HM CHTA AWARD): Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (C) accepts the President’s Award for Caribbean Excellence in Tourism from President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Mrs. Nicola Madden-Greig (L). Sharing in the moment is Vanessa Ledesma-Berrios, Acting CEO & Director General CHTA.
Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has been recognized for his stellar contribution to the regional tourism industry. The Minister received the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s prestigious President’s Award for Caribbean Excellence in Tourism during the Travel Forum and Awards luncheon held at Sandals Royal Barbados.
“The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association is acutely aware that resilience strengthens Caribbean tourism, and it is a message that has reached all corners of the region and the world largely because of the efforts of one man, the Honourable Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s dynamic Minister of Tourism. This is one of the many reasons why we honour him today,” said President of the CHTA, Mrs. Nicola Madden-Greig.
One of Minister Bartlett’s notable international successes was the establishment of The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), which assembles distinguished international experts to examine resilience from multiple viewpoints, a timely and much needed forum for the examination of the key elements needed to strengthen the region’s major economic driver, tourism.
“It is always good to be recognized for your hard work and dedication, but this award is extra special as it is coming from my regional partners who I have worked shoulder to shoulder with for many years to improve our tourism experience and ultimately arrivals and earnings,” said Minister Bartlett.
Mr Bartlett was also cited as an advocate for harmonizing cooperation and collaboration among Caribbean countries and has called for a single use visa to encourage visitors to travel to multiple destinations in the region.
He has also encouraged the larger international airlines to dedicate more flights to the Caribbean. Stressing it was possible to compete as well as cooperate with each other, he coined the word “co-petition.”
“There is much more work to be done and I believe that the Caribbean is poised for even greater achievements in tourism,” added Minister Bartlett.
“Tourism in the Caribbean and Jamaica are that much better off for having an innovative thought leader like Minister Bartlett and we all wholeheartedly congratulate him,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism.
