The onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic brought life as we know it to a halt. As the world grappled to get a handle on the virus, Jamaica focused on resilience models as a tool for recovery. Under the leadership of the Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and his appointed Tourism Recovery Task Force, Jamaica’s tourism pivoted to develop its own framework to successfully allow for the safe resumption of visitor travel to the island. The island’s comprehensive response, known as Jamaica CARES, was rolled out expeditiously as that tool to resume tourism activities.
Jamaica CARES covers all the necessary touch points to ensure the health and safety of visitors and Jamaicans, starting with our World Travel & Tourism Council-recognised COVID-19 protocols. These protocols have allowed tourism workers to operate safely and visitors to feel confident in their travels to the destination within this new COVID-19 era.
At the heart of the Jamaica CARES programme are the innovative tourism resilient corridors. These corridors are defined areas that are home to the most popular attractions and partners who have been certified for their adherence to the destination’s COVID-19 safety protocols. Only businesses within the corridor that have been trained and assessed for adherence to COVID-19 protocols are allowed to open to tourists. Additionally, visitors can only traverse the corridors in Jamaica Tourist Board licensed transportation. These measures within the resilient corridors have allowed Jamaica to safely welcome over one million visitors since reopening the borders to non-residents in June 2020.
Jamaica CARES was shaped out of the need to balance the health and safety of Jamaicans and visitors and enable the restart of a critical sector of the economy. It was also driven by the growing number of Gen C travellers whose new list of priorities is shaping travel decisions. These travellers are now looking beyond accommodation options, attractions, and cost, selecting those destinations that will help them navigate new travel requirements while emphasising their health and safety throughout their trip.
At the heart of Jamaica CARES is the hope that everyone will adhere to our robust health and safety protocols to reduce the spread of the virus and ensure everyone’s safety.
~ Donovan White
Director of Tourism
