Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett gets another national honour

CALL HIM ‘Mr Tourism’, call him ‘Mr Popularity’, call him ‘Mr Innovator’. But he was born Edmund Bartlett, who evolved into “a transformative leader who is recognised globally for his wide-ranging expertise and accomplishments in both tourism and politics”.

The former head boy of St Elizabeth Technical High School and alumnus of The University of the West Indies has distinguished himself in both spheres of Jamaican life, and that is why he was awarded an Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander in 2012.

It has been 44 long years of public service to the nation, starting in 1980, and serving as minister of state for information, broadcasting and culture in the Office of the Prime Minister, and minister of youth, sports and community development up to 1989. He also served as senator and Opposition spokesman on various portfolios, including tourism, from 1989 to 2007, when he was first appointed minister of tourism in 2007, serving until December 2011.

While serving in the shadow Cabinet following his first stint as tourism minister, Bartlett travelled the world forging alliances with strategic partners for global initiatives. He returned to the helm of the Ministry of Tourism in 2016.

“Under Minister Bartlett’s leadership, tourism has been positioned as a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth, through job creation, public private partnerships, wealth creation and community transformation. He fervently believes that all Jamaicans should benefit from the success of this major economic earner,” the Ministry of Tourism says, “Mr Bartlett is an internationally regarded spokesperson and tireless advocate for global tourism resilience. He represents leadership in action. He sees the gaps and fills them.”

Headlines Delivered to Your Inbox

Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.

Having seen the need for a central body dedicated to conducting policy-relevant research and analysis on destination preparedness, management and recovery due to disruptions and crises that impact tourism, Bartlett co-founded the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in 1918. As co-chair, he has guided the GTRCMC’s expansion beyond its headquarters in Jamaica at The University of the West Indies (Mona). With satellite centres now in Africa, North America and the Middle East, the centre provides its members with a global network of tourism-resilience experts, crisis communication firms and sustainable tourism development professionals.

Bartlett’s achievements include, but are not limited to, the development of a social equity ecosystem that will give industry workers a greater sense of accomplishment, achievement and security; human capital capacity-building through the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation; the game-changing Tourism Workers Pension Scheme; the Grange Pen housing development, which provides tourism workers with adequate and affordable housing; and the Tourism Innovation Incubator, which was established to nurture new and start-up enterprises within the tourism sector.

As one of the world’s leading tourism ministers, Bartlett has represented Jamaica regionally and internationally, served as chairman of the Board of Affiliate Members of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); vice chairman of the UNWTO Executive Council; vice chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and chair of the UNWTO Regional Commission of the Americas. He is the chair of the Organization of American States Inter-American Committee on Tourism and the second vice chair of the UNWTO Executive Council.

Bartlett’s influence on the international stage stood out when the United Nations ratified Jamaica’s efforts to bolster resilience in world tourism by officially designating February 17 as Global Tourism Resilience Day annually. The day symobilises the importance of building tourism resilience across the world to fuel sustainable growth and development.

For the significant impact of his work on tourism and resilience building, Bartlett has received numerous awards, including honorary doctorate in hospitality and tourism management (Honoris Causa) from the University College of the Caribbean (July 2024); the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) Global Tourism Icon Award for outstanding contributions to the tourist industry (March 2024); the 2023 Caribbean National Weekly Man of the Year award; and the PATWA International Travel Awards Lifetime Achievement Award For Promotion of Sustainable Travel & Tourism (2023), and the African Diaspora World Tourism Awards’ Caribbean Tourism Minister of Distinction Award (2016).

Add to the list, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association President’s Award for Caribbean Excellence in Tourism (2023); Global Travel Hall of Fame Induction (2022); the Travel Pulse Award for Global Tourism Innovation (2022), the 2019 Travvy Awards Chairman’s Award for Global Tourism Innovation; the RJRGleaner Hospitality Jamaica 2019 Pioneer Award; the 2017 Caribbean Travel Awards Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year; the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association’s Tourism Minister of the Year for Sustainable Tourism for 2018; the Gusi Peace Prize Award (2020); and the Jacob’s Media Group’s British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame Induction (2020), among others.

Bartlett, the leader of Government business in the lower house of Parliament and the member of Parliament for East Central St James, also co-edited the book, Tourism Resilience and Recovery for Global Sustainability and Development: Navigating COVID-19 and the Future, with GTRCMC executive director, Professor Lloyd Waller.

And, his crowning glory will manifest on October 16, when he receives the Order of Jamaica, the nation’s fourth-highest national honour, for outstanding contribution to public service and politics.