KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 26, 2017: Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday (September 25, 2017) to participate in the official celebration of World Tourism Day being hosted in Doha, Qatar, on September 27, 2017.

The invitation was extended by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Qatar Tourism Authority, which also asked the Minister to participate in a high-level think tank focusing on: Tourism as a Means for Enhancing Cultural Preservation and Mutual Understanding.

“It is quite an honour for Jamaica to have been invited to participate in the official celebration for World Tourism Day (WTD) 2017. I am excited to use this prestigious platform to highlight all the wonderful things we are doing to leverage our tourism product to benefit the people of Jamaica. Naturally, I will also promote our upcoming UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’, which is scheduled for November of this year,” explained the Minister.

The Minister will share the stage with over 20 other influential speakers from across the globe during the event, which will be held at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.

The impressive line-up includes Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai; State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism in Croatia, Frano Matušić; Director of the UNESCO Office in Doha, Anna Paolini; and Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Liberia, Eugene Lenn Nagbe. He think tank will be moderated by CNN International’s anchor Max Foster.

During his visit, which was fully paid for by the UNWTO and the Qatar Tourism Authority, the Minister will also have a special meeting with the country’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

He will then travel to London to attend the second staging of Jamaica Travel Market (JTM), which is being hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) on September 29 and 30. While there, he will meet with tour operators in the UK to share the many new tourism offerings and developments happening locally.

Jamaica Travel Market is a business-to-business tradeshow which is a platform for British, Irish and Nordic tour operators to meet with authentic Jamaican suppliers directly. It includes a day and a half of business appointments, destination updates and ends with a grand Gala Awards Dinner.

Minister Bartlett is scheduled to return to the island on October 1, 2017.