Pictured: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett in discussion with Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group at a meeting at FITUR in Spain on Thursday January 22,2025 to discuss collaborations as Jamaica continues its recovery post Hurricane Melissa.
Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has initiated talks with TUI Group, one of the world’s leading tourism companies, to enhance the destination’s presence in Latin America and Eastern Europe. By leveraging TUI’s extensive marketing network, Jamaica’s strategic initiative to diversify its tourism source markets and expand its presence would receive significant momentum.
TUI Group was voted as World’s Leading Integrated Tourism Group 2025 by the World Travel Awards
The collaboration will be in direct alignment with Jamaica’s efforts to reduce dependency on traditional North American and Western European markets by establishing stronger connections with high-potential regions in these new and emerging markets.
Jamaica is currently experiencing a significant surge in visitor arrivals, expanded airlift, and stronger trade partnerships from Latin America. The island has also seen strategic growth in European arrivals last year, which was driven by new flights from Portugal (World2Fly) and Switzerland (Edelweiss). Projections, based on increased demand, indicate that that these markets will grow even more this year.
“This partnership with TUI is expected to be a transformative opportunity for Jamaica’s tourism sector,” said Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism. “As we work to broaden our visitor base and build resilience in our tourism economy, TUI’s extensive network and operational expertise in these emerging markets will be invaluable.”
BTN caught up with Minister Bartlett at FITUR 2026 for an exclusive interview with Justin Cooke.
The discussion, held within the margins of FITUR, looked at leveraging TUI’s established presence across Latin America and Eastern Europe, where travellers are demonstrating and increased appetite for Caribbean destinations. The proposed partnership would look at enhanced flight connectivity, targeted marketing campaigns, and tailored vacation packages designed to appeal to travellers in these regions.
Pictured: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, (c) pauses for a moment with Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group (1st l) before a meeting to discuss ways Jamaica and TUI Group can collaborate. Sharing in the moment is l-r, Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Thomas Ellerbeck, TUI Group Director of External and Corporate Affairs and Gregory Shervington, Regional Director, Continental Europe.
“Jamaica offers an unparalleled combination of natural beauty, rich culture, and world-class hospitality,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism. “We’re excited to introduce more travellers from Latin America and Eastern Europe to this exceptional destination and to support Jamaica’s vision for sustainable tourism growth.”
The initiative aligns with Jamaica’s tourism strategy which emphasizes market diversification as a key strategy for long-term industry stability. Jamaica was voted as World’s Leading Family Travel Destination 2025 by the World Travel awards
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“We are future-proofing Jamaica’s tourism sector through strategic partnerships that add value to our executions. Jamaica is such a powerful brand that has received an outpouring of love and support globally and we are grateful,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett.
The Minister is leading a small delegation at FITUR, the global meeting point for tourism professionals and leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America. This year’s exhibition has 156 countries represented with over 100,000 visitors.
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