NEW YORK — Jamaica is embarking on ‘Tourism 3.0’, aimed at repositioning the destination for sustained growth, enhanced competitiveness and greater benefits for Jamaican workers and communities.

At the opening of CTO Caribbean Week in New York yesterday, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, underscored the resilience of Jamaica’s tourism sector, in the wake of the pandemic and, more recently, the October 2025 hit from Hurricane Melissa.

“In every instance, the real resilience that is the essence of tourism manifested itself in Jamaica,” said Minister Bartlett. “These disruptions have bent us a little bit, but they have not broken the spirit of the Jamaican people.”

Within one year of reopening post-pandemic, the island welcomed more than one million visitors and generated U$1.5 billion in tourism earnings. Meanwhile Jamaica’s ‘5 x 5 x 5’ growth strategy, which targeted five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings within five years, is in view. Before global disruptions impacted travel markets, Jamaica had already reached 4.5 million visitors and $4.3 billion in earnings in four years.

“Now it is time for reimagining,” said Minister Bartlett. “This reimagination has begun under the Tourism 3.0 framework.”

The heart of Tourism 3.0 is a renewed focus on human capital development. Through the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), more than 25,000 tourism workers have been trained and certified over the past seven years. Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism has also established two specialized academies focused on gastronomy and entertainment, and Minister Bartlett announced the graduation of the first cohort of Executive Sous Chefs.

“We are ensuring that Jamaican professionals take their rightful place in the leadership of the sector,” he said.

The Minister also pointed to ongoing efforts to improve the welfare and long-term security of tourism workers, including the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, providing an important financial safety net for thousands of industry employees. The ministry also continues to pursue initiatives aimed at expanding housing opportunities for tourism workers.

“Tourism 3.0 is about building a stronger, smarter and more inclusive tourism sector, which places our people at the centre of development and ensures that the benefits of tourism are shared more broadly than ever before,” said Minister Bartlett.

Lead image caption: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, addresses delegates at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Caribbean Week at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York