Edmund Bartlett elaborates main areas of agreements signed between Kenya, Jamaica

Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta was recently in Jamaica where he had signed multiple Memorandum of Units (MoUs) with the Caribbean island nation’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness. The agreements will facilitate collaboration in sports, culture, tourism, among other areas.

Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism has recently said that the MoU signed between his country and Kenya in the field of tourism would endow with greater interactions between both countries. The 68-year-old Minister extolled the agreements with Kenya at a recent press briefing at the Ministry’s New Kingston office.

While revealing more information on the agreements between Kenya and Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett said the document calls for the exchange of information and data related to tourism and experience sharing in the use of information technology platforms within the tourism sector. He also stated that the agreement or MoU endows with the exchange of information on the tourism sector regulations and enforcement mechanisms; the exchange of knowledge and expertise in public-private partnerships; the exchange of knowledge and experience in beach management programmes; and the exchange of information on cruise ship management programmes.

On the other hand, Jamaica Observer also stated more about his elaboration on the MoU revealing that it will help establishing exchange programmes for cooperation in human resource development; participation in travel fairs and exhibitions in both countries; encourages investment in the tourism and hospitality sector; and to promote safe, ethical and sustainable tourism. It (the MoU) will also promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise in cultural and heritage tourism development programmes; and the exchange of cooperation between tourism stakeholders, including hotels, tour operators and media, in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management.

Edmund Bartlett also discussed with the media regarding the establishment of a satellite center of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre in Kenya. “These represent the critical pillars on which the memorandum is predicated, but of course much of what is not here will be the daily practices and the essence of what tourism is about, which is change. As new markets/demographics emerge…new practices have to be brought into play,” he added.

The agreements between Kenya and Jamaica also include the strengthening of logistics industry. Uhuru Kenyatta said that Kenya serves as a hub for logistics and transport, financial services, ICT innovations and he also encouraged Jamaican entrepreneurs to invest in his country. The two leaders also discussed ways of enhancing cooperation in the blue economy that they said holds significant potential for wealth and job creation.

Kenya and Jamaica also signed a deal in the area of sports and both nations will jointly work in sports development mainly in athletics. The Jamaican Minister Bartlett said that his country would provide full support to Kenya for hosting World Tourism Organization General Assembly in 2021.

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