Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says news that the United Kingdom Government has lifted its travel advisory against all non-essential travel to Jamaica is a major boost for Jamaica’s economic recovery.
Speaking to JIS News by phone on Friday, (October 8), Mr. Bartlett also noted that “this great news” comes on the heels of a successful trip to the United States and Canada over the past two weeks where Jamaica secured commitments from cruise and airline partners regarding visitor arrivals.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office issued an update earlier today (Friday, October 8), removing COVID-19-related restrictions based on the current assessment of risks associated with the pandemic.
“Today’s announcement is a major development for Jamaica’s tourism industry. For us in Jamaica, the UK market is crucial, and so we eagerly anticipate once again welcoming visitors from the UK to our destination. The announcement will help to fuel arrivals from that market and help drive the recovery of our tourism sector and the Jamaican economy,” Mr. Bartlett added.
“It will provide a much-needed boost to the tourism sector and will undoubtedly benefit the economy. TUI flights and tour services will also resume, which is a much-welcomed announcement for our stakeholders who depend heavily on this major global group, which is the largest carrier of UK tourists to Jamaica,” he further added.
Mr. Bartlett said he wants to reassure visitors from the UK, that Jamaica is a very safe destination where “our tourism resilient corridors” have been very effective and have seen a very low infection rate.
“Our top priority was and still is, instilling traveller confidence. We want our travellers to feel safe and confident in visiting us and to also have a memorable experience,” he added.
With the advisory lifted, TUI, the world’s largest tourism company, is expected to restart flights to the island this month, after suspending them in August due to the UK Government’s advice to residents against non-essential travel to the island due to the COVID-19 threat.
TUI is the world’s leading tourism group. The broad portfolio gathered under the Group’s umbrella consists of strong tour operators, some 1,600 travel agencies, and leading online portals.
It also has five airlines with around 150 aircraft, approximately 400 hotels, about 15 cruise liners, and many incoming agencies in all major holiday destinations across the globe.
“It covers the entire tourism value chain under one roof,” the Tourism Minister added.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the island’s Resilient Corridors Committee, John Byles, said that it is clear Jamaica has been “doing many things right” in its COVID-19 response, to be getting the attention of its tourism and trading partners.
“We see the ships coming back…we see flights being resumed…its clear our resilient corridors have been working,” Mr. Byles noted.
“We, however,…and this is a word of caution…cannot sit on our laurels and allow ourselves to become complacent. We have come too far and have sacrificed too much to allow ourselves to become complacent. We need to continue to follow health and safety guidelines and to listen to the directives provided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.”