NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2024 4 Network. He was conferred with the Commander by Number of the Order of the Civil Merit of Spain by the order of the king of Spain, His Majesty Juan Carlos I, in 2010; received an honorary doctorate from the University College of the Commonwealth, 2024; and the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander (CD) in 2012; among a number of other honours. But he ranks the establishment of the game-changing Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, which was launched in January 2022, among his greatest achievements. The scheme is designed to cover all workers in the tourism sector, regardless of their employment status or age, and this includes hotel workers, craft vendors, tour operators, red-cap porters, contract carriage operators and workers at attractions. All workers in the tourism industry can benefit from the scheme, regardless of their specific roles or responsibilities. The Government provided $1 billion to allow for immediate benefits to accrue to qualified pensioners. Meanwhile, under his leadership, the GTRCMC has grown into an international network of experts dedicated to developing resilient tourism practices. It has satellite centres across the globe, from North America to Africa. The tourism minister’s influence on the international stage was evident 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. During Bartlett’s tenure at the helm, the economy has experienced exponential growth in the tourism sector. In fact, Jamaica’s tourism sector continued to chalk up record performances during the just-concluded fiscal year, 2023-24, with gross earnings projected to reach US$4.38 billion, an increase of 9.6 per cent when compared with the previous year. But Bartlett does not rest on his laurels and continues to travel extensively to promote the destination in other markets. Another feature of the St James East Central member of parliament’s political life is his sterling support of education, offering all categories of scholarships through his student scholarship programme. This initiative started during his earlier political life in St Andrew Eastern. “My mission is to create a framework for human capital development and to improve the product experiences in Jamaica. But human capital development is critical. It is at the heart of it. The pensions, the community development, things with these different housing projects and settlement development,” Bartlett said. “We transformed Grange Pen, we transformed Barrett Town, and we transformed Lilliput. The infrastructure work through tourism that was also done from Flanker and Norwood; Whitehall in Negril and Belaire in St Ann, and so on – these are important human development; human capital, both social as well as infrastructure,” he added. Bartlett is married to Carmen for over 50 years and is a grandfather of two. The former captain of the STETHS Headley Cup cricket team, Bartlett got called up for the Jamaica All Youths cricket team and represented the University of the West Indies in Senior Cup cricket for four years. He has varied interests, from cricket and dominoes to dancing. Bartlett has held various important roles, including minister of state for information, broadcasting and culture, and minister of youth, sports and community development. EDMUND BARTLETT FEATURE Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (right) presents two of his books to another recipient of the Order of Jamaica, Clifton Stone, during a luncheon for National Heroes Day celebrants at the Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (left) being presented with an Antillean Charm ceramic art piece by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. My mission is to create a framework for human capital development and to improve the product experiences in Jamaica. But human capital development is critical. It is at the heart of it. Senior Advisor and Strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright (left) is all smiles and he celebrates with Minister Edmund Bartlett. CONTRIBUTED
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