International expert to audit tourism sector

TOURISM MINISTER Edmund Bartlett has announced that highly regarded international expert, Dr Peter Tarlow, will join the team carrying out the intensive security audit of the tourism sector.

“Following my recent commissioning of a full security audit of all hotels and attractions, we have requested the support of international expert Dr Peter Tarlow to join the operational team from the Tourism Product Development Company, which is driving the process.

“We want to make it clear that the ministry is moving aggressively through its destination assurance strategy to continue the process of maintaining Jamaica as a safe, secure and seamless destination, and enlisting Dr Tarlow is part of that strategy,” said Bartlett.

Tarlow is a scholar in the area of tourism safety, a consultant for the tourism industry, and the founder of Tourism & More Inc. He is the author of Event Risk Management and Safety and teaches ‘tourism safety’ to police chiefs around the world. Tarlow has also worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization, among other recognised institutions.

SECURITY AUDIT

The security audit, which is to be completed by the first half of 2019, will identify gaps and ensure that the destination remains safe, secure and seamless for visitors and locals alike. Security arrangements are part of the licensing requirements for many sector operators, and significant weakness or breaches will result in tough sanctions. So far, over eight properties have been audited.

The Tourism Working Group, which was recently established by Bartlett to conduct a comprehensive review of issues in the sector, and is headed by PricewaterhouseCoopers Senior Partner Wilfred Baghaloo, will also be a part of the process.

Bartlett added that: “We are really concerned about making sure that at all points every visitor and Jamaicans alike who enjoy the pristine and alluring experiences of the island are

safe.”

CONTRIBUTED Superintendent Merrick Watson of the National Police College of Jamaica receives a donation of $2.56 million dollars from Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica Tian Qi, for the construction of classrooms at the college, last Sunday. A Chinese language class at the college has been achieving creditable results each year, where more than 100 police personnel are taught Mandarin and then dispatched all over Jamaica. They are now engaged with law-enforcement services involving Chinese in Jamaica.

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett