Bartlett unveils ‘Jamaica First’ with 90-day action plan
Published:Monday | September 29, 2025 | 12:11 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has launched a new ‘Jamaica First’ initiative, vowing that his administration’s first 90 days in office will focus on deepening local linkages, tackling bottlenecks in the supply chain, and strengthening standards across the industry.
Speaking during a World Tourism Day webinar on Saturday, Bartlett said the programme is designed to ensure that tourism’s economic benefits extend far beyond hotel corridors and reach communities across the island.
“The real test of a strong tourism economy is not just arrivals or room nights,” Bartlett, renowned for quoting numbers, told the forum. “It is how visitor spend links into the Jamaican landscape, how it impacts our farms, our factories, our studios and our main streets.”
The minister outlined plans to create two tourism corridors with defined procurement targets, establish a national supplier registry, and launch a verified local supplier badge. He promised mobile compliance clinics to fast-track 500 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the pipeline and the publication of the first ‘Local First Scoreboard’, which will measure progress and be monitored by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.
Bartlett rejected claims that the initiative is protectionist, insisting instead that it is about resilience and inclusion.
“This is not nationalism,” he said. “It is smart inclusion, giving Jamaicans a fair shot at participating in the lucrative value chain of tourism.”
Wade Mars, executive director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), stressed that maintaining destination assurance will be critical to the initiative’s credibility. TPDCo, he said, will step up inspections and work with the police, Ministry of Health and Wellness and parish councils to ensure that every product and experience offered in the sector is “safe, seamless and secure”.
“Our competitive advantage lies in the Jamaicanness of our products and services,” Mars said. “Maintaining destination assurance builds trust, so that when suppliers are vetted, trained and monitored, buyers know they can rely on Jamaican quality.”
Mars acknowledged that smaller players are increasingly entering the sector, particularly through peer-to-peer accommodation and community tourism. He argued that enforcing standards across accommodations, attractions and craft markets while helping operators upgrade facilities is essential if Jamaica is to remain competitive globally.
By pairing Bartlett’s policy thrust with TPDCo’s standards framework, the Government is betting that ‘Jamaica First’ will succeed in redirecting more of the industry’s billions into local hands. However, the initiative will be closely watched in the months ahead to see whether the minister’s promises translate into measurable results for communities.