Jamaica Community Tourism: Bartlett Unveils Tourism 3.0 Strategy
Jamaica is placing community tourism at the heart of its Tourism 3.0 strategy, with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett urging local producers and communities to move from being “a nation of samples” to “a nation of ample.” The initiative aims to strengthen local supply chains, resilience, and sustainable economic growth.
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Jamaica is placing community tourism at the center of its new Tourism 3.0 growth strategy, with Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett calling for a transformation of the country’s tourism supply chain from “a nation of samples” to “a nation of ample.”
Addressing the inaugural National Community-Based Tourism Resilience Symposium at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on July 16, Bartlett said Jamaica’s communities must become the primary drivers and beneficiaries of the country’s tourism industry.
“Tourism is nothing but community; it’s everything we do in the community that creates the experiences that give people the desire to return,” Bartlett said.
He argued that the greatest economic opportunities in tourism lie in strengthening the industry’s supply side.
“We the people of Jamaica must own and, in fact, direct the supply side of tourism,” the minister said. “It is about us building out our communities. We have to strengthen our farming districts, our fishing villages, our heritage towns, Maroon communities, and cultural corridors across the country.”
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The symposium marked a significant step in strengthening the preparedness, adaptability, and long-term sustainability of Jamaica’s community-based tourism sector. Organized in response to lessons learned from recent disruptions—including the COVID-19 pandemic, tropical storms, and hurricanes—the event focused on building resilience among community tourism enterprises.
Bartlett emphasized that resilience must extend beyond recovery from crises.
“We must build not only the ability of community tourism enterprises to grow but also their capacity to withstand disruptions and recover stronger,” he said.
He also stressed that authentic community tourism goes beyond simply hosting tourism activities in rural areas.
“Community tourism is not simply tourism-related activities in a community. It is tourism developed with the community, where residents have a voice, participate in the enterprises, and share meaningfully in the benefits,” Bartlett said.
Looking ahead, the minister pointed to Jamaica’s ambitious tourism expansion plans, including the construction of 20,000 new hotel rooms over the next decade, which he said will create unprecedented demand for locally produced goods and services.
He urged farmers, agro-processors, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical producers, artisans, and other local suppliers to prepare for the opportunity.
“Don’t worry about the things you can’t do. Focus on the things you can do and do them well. Let us move from our position as a nation of samples into now a nation of ample,” Bartlett said.
The minister also challenged local producers to prepare for Jamaica’s long-term goal of welcoming 10 million visitors, noting that meeting the resulting demand would depend largely on Jamaican businesses.
“It is on your shoulders that the responsibility to build out the supply side to satisfy the demand of those numbers is going to rest,” he said.
Bartlett revealed that discussions are also underway regarding a new cruise tourism program that will require expanded cultural experiences and authentic community-based attractions.
“These opportunities will place greater demands on quality, reliability, sustainability, and, most importantly, resilience in responding to the shocks that nature can provide,” he said.
Senior Director of Tourism Policy and Monitoring at the Ministry of Tourism, Osbourne Chin, said the symposium supports the Ministry’s Disaster Risk Management Framework for the Tourism Sector while advancing priorities outlined in Jamaica’s revised National Community Tourism Policy and Strategy.
Chin also confirmed that the Ministry is finalizing the updated policy with consultants from Arbor West, who participated in the symposium and engaged directly with community tourism stakeholders.
As part of the government’s continued support for the sector, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) recently provided financial assistance through its Resilience/Climate-smart Initiative to 50 community-based tourism enterprises that were affected by last year’s hurricane season.
Minister Bartlett Addresses Symposium: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, delivers the keynote address, “Empowering Communities and Reimagining Jamaica through Tourism 3.0,” during the National Community-Based Tourism Resilience Symposium at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on July 16
