Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has announced the establishment of a high-level local first task force.

Its a new strategic body that will spearhead efforts to build local capacity, strengthen linkages, and ensure that the benefits of tourism are more inclusively shared across the Jamaican economy.

The announcement came Wednesday, during a one-day strategic pre-retreat meeting of the ministry’s heads of divisions and public bodies.

Mr. Bartlett said Jamaica is at a critical inflection point in tourism.

With stopover arrivals nearly matching Jamaica’s population size, he said Jamaica must reconfigure to ensure that local stakeholders have the capacity and opportunity to thrive.

The Tourism Minister added that the local first task force is designed to strengthen Jamaicans and empower communities, ensuring that the wealth of tourism is retained within Jamaica’s economy.

Mr. Bartlett further outlined that the task force will be chaired by newly appointed State Minister Tova Hamilton, who will also lead the ministry’s cruise tourism portfolio and oversee legislative and regulatory review.

Mr. Bartlett expressed that Hamilton brings strong political acuity and deep legal expertise, that will be invaluable in shaping a frame work of order, structure and innovation for Jamaica’s tourism sector.

He added that he looks forward to her leadership in ensuring that local stakeholders are placed at the heart of the growth agenda.

The local first task force will be supported by a pool of senior tourism officials.

Mr. Bartlett explained that the focus will be on creating new frame works for financing, regulation, and capacity building to strengthen Jamaica’s tourism value chain.

This includes, expanding the role of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) to prepare the work force, developing innovative financing mechanisms for small and medium sized tourism enterprises and reinforcing Jamaica’s reputation as a safe, secure and seamless destination.

He said the sector has shown resilience, bouncing back to achieve nearly 4.5 million visitors and 4.6 billion USD in earnings just three years after the COVID pandemic.