Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett (at podium) addresses stakeholders and enterprise pursuits on the Tech Beach Retreat, held on the Iberostar Resort in Lilliput St James on December 8. (Photo: JIS)

ST JAMES, Jamaica— Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has underscored the significance of know-how in rising the tourism sector.

Speaking on the Tech Beach Retreat held just lately on the Iberostar Resort in Lilliput, St James, Bartlett mentioned the ministry and its public our bodies have been prioritising know-how, as a key a part of its advertising technique.

“[We] have made innovation an essential element of our agenda to enhance the sector’s competitiveness. We have introduced applications that have made it easier for local producers to market and distribute their products and increase their customer base, while at the same time, making it easier for stakeholders to access market…share information and build trading partnerships,” Bartlett mentioned.

The minister mentioned on the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry, and its public our bodies, discovered inventive methods to regulate to the decline in vacationer arrivals.

“When most international borders closed, the Jamaica Tourism Board (JTB) quickly sprang into action by developing several campaigns and digital content series,” Bartlett mentioned.

“We introduced virtual tours of Jamaica…that provided visual inspiration to travellers to add Jamaica to their itineraries, by showing short tours of destination hotspots such as Dunn’s River Falls in St Ann, Blue Lagoon in Portland, Seven Mile Beach in Negril, Exploring Montego Bay, and the Rustic Luxury of the South Coast,” he added

Bartlett additional disclosed that the Jamaica Tourist Board added a brand new function to its visitjamaica.com platform, with the launch of the ‘My Heartbeats JA’ microsite, which permits guests to e-book their marriage ceremony, honeymoon, or romantic getaways.

The tourism minister mentioned Jamaica solid forward and hosted different signature occasions in 2020 such because the Christmas in July Trade Show, Style Jamaica Shopping Showcase, the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, Jamaica Health and Wellness Tourism Conference, Spa Standards Sensitization Workshops, the Jamaica Rum Festival, and the Speed Networking occasion – utilizing digital codecs.

“Overall, the trend towards a digital marketplace in the tourism sector is also poised to intensify post-COVID-19,” Bartlett acknowledged.

He famous that almost all journey and tourism-related enterprise, together with vacation spot analysis, reserving, and paying for experiences throughout a trip, might be completed nearly.

“The trend thus instructs all tourism enterprises, micro, small, medium-sized, and large, to find ways to embrace digital technologies and develop their digital architectures or face the risk of being left behind,” the minister added.