Edmund Bartlett named Caribbean Hospitality Personality of the Year

WESTERN BUREAU: JAMAICA’S MINISTER of Tourism Edmund Bartlett was the recipient of one of two special awards given at the 23rd World Travel Awards at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort on Saturday night. Bartlett was presented with the title of Caribbean’s Leading Personality for Outstanding Services to Tourism, and Sandals Foundation was honoured with a trophy for Outstanding Contribution to Corporate Social Responsibility Projects.

Bartlett, who has given over 35 years of service to Jamaica, was first appointed minister of tourism in 2007, a position he held until December 2011. This is his second tenure in the tourism industry, having earned a solid track record of service as an outstanding legislator in central government in both chambers of Parliament.

Accepting the award at an impressive Caribbean and North America Gala Ceremony, Bartlett dedicated the honour to the people of Jamaica.

“It is the people of this country who have made this country so outstanding. The little contribution I give, I consider it God’s will,” he stated.

He said the country’s greatest assets, its people, were the ones attracting tourists to the shorelines.

Bartlett, who has travelled the world forging alliances with strategic partners for global initiatives, currently chairs the Board of Affiliate Members of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

He became the first person to serve on the executive of both the public and privatesector arms of this prestigious organisation. During his first tenure as tourism minister, he served as vice-chairman of the executive council of the UNWTO, representing the Americas. He also served as vice-president for the 19th General Assembly of the UNWTO held in South Korea in 2011.

ADVOCATE FOR EDUCATION

A graduate of the University of the West Indies, where he majored in accounting, beyond the duties of his assigned portfolio, Bartlett has continually championed the advancement of education, skills training and job creation as ways of improving the lives of his constituents in East Central St James.

He is passionate about education and so his efforts have been about creating scholarships for both students and teachers, thus raising the bar for educational achievements.

“The World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire. Bartlett has set the standards we continue to celebrate,” said Graham Cooke, president of the World Travel Awards.

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.