Both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are interested in bolstering their respective tourism industries and have begun preliminary talks to explore the possibility of working together on tourism-related matters. They hope to capitalize on the deep historical ties and potential for mutually beneficial synergies that exist between the two countries. The fields of multi-destination tourism, airlift, strengthening border procedures, rationalizing airspace, and resilience building are some of the areas where potential areas of collaboration are being investigated.
The information was revealed by the Honorable Edmund Bartlett during a meeting with members of a special delegation from the Cayman Islands today (August 10, 2022). The meeting was led by the Honorable Christopher Saunders, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance & Economic Development and Minister of Border Control & Labour, and the Honorable Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism & Transport.
It was stated by Minister Bartlett that a particular emphasis would be made on multi-destination tourism, and he also said that he will be meeting with important stakeholders in the business in Cayman the following month.
He stated that he believes “the meeting in Cayman with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in September could be the steppingstone for coalescing our position on elements of multi-destination tourism,” and he also mentioned that he would be “more so looking at airlift and airline collaboration.”
In the same breath, Minister Bartlett made the statement that he is “ready to work with Cayman to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cayman Islands in relation to multi-destination tourism.” He also mentioned that “Jamaica has already signed four similar agreements with Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama.”
He said that the Ministry of Tourism’s goal in the process of building the framework is to “include the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, and Belize, from this side of the Caribbean.”
In the meantime, Mr. Bartlett has issued a call to players in the private sector, encouraging them to develop a special tourism package, complete with an alluring price, that can be presented to the market in order to promote multi-destination tourism and enhance the product that the region offers in terms of tourism. According to him, the topic will get more attention during the next convention of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), which will take place in October of this year.
The Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the CHTA’s premier trade event, will celebrate its 40th anniversary from October 3 to 5 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event is organized by the CHTA.
Mr. Bartlett outlined the notion of a prospective package by saying, “If you purchase a vacation to Jamaica for $50, that $50 gets you into Cayman and into Trinidad.” This was said in reference to the fact that the price of the trip included entry into all three countries. On the other hand, he said that “that in itself would be a fascinating and demanding assignment because we would then have to look at pricing differential in connection to what the product offering is.” Nevertheless, he emphasized that “that in itself would be an intriguing and challenging task.” He believes that these kind of packages will assist to drive the growth of multi-destination tourism throughout the area, and he said that accomplishing this goal is “not beyond us.”
Today, August 10, 2022, at the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett (center), Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Economic Development and Minister of Border Control and Labour for the Cayman Islands, Hon. Christopher Saunders (left), and the Hon. Edmund Bartlett (right), Minister of Tourism and Transport for the Cayman Islands, pose for a photograph with the Jamaica Tourist Board’s official photographer.
Kenneth Bryan, after discussions on how Jamaica and the British territory may work together to promote tourism after those discussions. During the meeting, which was held between Minister Bartlett and members of a special delegation from the Cayman Islands, the talks took place.