During the ceremony, Jamaica also received the PATWA International Travel Award 2017 for Best Destination for Adventure Tourism.
BERLIN, GERMANY – Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett was awarded Worldwide Tourism Minister of the Year by the prestigious Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) in Berlin, Germany.
“It is truly humbling to be recognized in this manner at such a major international event. I accept this award, not for myself but for the people of Jamaica – it is clear that we have made our mark on the globe. The world now knows that Jamaica can host the biggest conferences and that we have some of the best attractions and hotels. No matter the passion point of our visitor, we can deliver,” said the Minister.
During the ceremony, Jamaica also received the PATWA International Travel Award 2017 for Best Destination for Adventure Tourism.
PATWA is a professional organisation of travel writers, which was founded in 1998 and works with both the public and private sectors to support sustainable growth and improve the quality of travel and tourism. It adheres to the fundamental principles of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations (UN), and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). PATWA is an affiliate member of UNWTO.
The awards were given at the ITB global tourism tradeshow, the largest of its kind globally, attracting around 109,000 visitors and 10,000 exhibitors. The tradeshow also has an audience of international travel and tourism leaders from around the world.
Bartlett was joined by Jamaica Charge D'affaires for Germany, Keisha Kal Witter; Director of Tourism, Donovan White; Senior Advisor/ Strategist, Delano Seiveright and European based Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) officials.
Mr. Bartlett was recently awarded Caribbean Tourism Minister of the Year at the Caribbean Travel Awards 2017. He was also the recipient of the 2016 Caribbean Tourism Minister of Distinction award at the recent African Diaspora World Tourism Awards and Wolds’s Leading Personality for Outstanding Services to Tourism at the 23rd World Travel Awards.
After ITB Berlin, Minister Bartlett travels to London to meet with stakeholders – such as tour operators, hotel representatives, market executives and travel-trade media representatives as part of JTB’s marketing plan to increase visitor arrivals from the country’s leading markets across the globe. He is expected to return to the island on March 14, 2018.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
