Bolder, Bigger, Better

Jamaica is set to overhaul its tourism sector with the creation of a new Tourism Authority, a move Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett described as essential for governing a modern tourism economy. Bartlett announced the plan during the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, emphasizing that the authority will serve as the institutional backbone for the industry's modernization.

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The Tourism Authority is not about creating another layer of bureaucracy. It is about creating the institutional backbone required to govern a modern tourism economy.

The proposed authority is a cornerstone of the 'Tourism 3.0' concept, which aims to unify various aspects of the sector under a single umbrella. This includes marketing, regulation, licensing, inspection, compliance, product development, and destination assurance. Bartlett explained that Jamaica's tourism sector has outgrown its previous administrative structures, which were established under legislation like the Tourist Board Act of 1955 and the River Rafting Authority Act of 1970.

Bartlett stated that the new framework will require new legislation, including a Tourism Authority Act, to repeal and replace existing laws. The goal is to bring greater clarity, consistency, speed, fairness, and accountability to sector regulation. He noted that the existing arrangements, while serving a purpose in an earlier period, are no longer adequate for a sector that is now larger, more complex, more diversified, and more exposed to global risks.

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Those arrangements served a purpose in an earlier period but the sector we are building now is larger, more complex, more diversified, more exposed to global risk, and more central to national development.

Engagements with critical stakeholders across the tourism ecosystem and the wider public sector have already begun. The reform will impact licensing, registration, compliance, inspection, standards, enforcement, product quality, destination assurance, investor confidence, operator support, and visitor protection. The concept is expected to be presented to Cabinet for approval soon, with policy development and drafting instructions targeted for completion by the end of the current financial year. Bartlett assured that the Jamaica Tourist Board will be able to focus more clearly on its core destination marketing mission under the new structure.

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The Tourism Authority will therefore be the institution that helps protect the promise Jamaica sells to the world.