Saudi tourism talks

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has announced that a Saudi team is expected in Jamaica next February for further discussions on potential investment and financing opportunities for the country’s small tourism businesses. Bartlett made the announcement while speaking virtually at the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) 2026 media breakfast on Tuesday, saying the planned visit will include representatives of the Saudi Fund for Development and Saudi Eksab, with discussions already focused on ways to help local small hotels upgrade and access financial support. The February visit follows preliminary discussions already held between Bartlett and Saudi Eksab, a Saudi investment entity, about possible support for Jamaica’s small and micro tourism enterprises. A statement issued by Saudi Eksab following Bartlett’s September nine meeting with Chief Executive Officer Yazeed Saleh AlYahya said the discussions examined potential financing instruments, technical assistance and co-investment structures for Jamaica’s small and micro tourism enterprises. The potential beneficiaries could include small hotels, tour operators, craft vendors and community tourism enterprises, according to the statement. Bartlett, on Tuesday, noted that his discussions with the Saudi side have already turned to the needs of Jamaica’s smaller accommodation providers. “I had full and long discussions about our local small hotels and how we can get to upscale these hotels and to provide funding support for them. I'll have much more to say about that when I return and also when those technical teams come as well as the political leadership around tourism,” he said. While Bartlett described the planned engagement as a significant opportunity, he did not announce a confirmed investment package, the amount of financing that could become available or which businesses would ultimately benefit. Instead, the February visit is expected to advance the discussions and allow the Saudi technical teams and Jamaican stakeholders to examine the opportunities in greater detail. The potential support comes against the backdrop of the Government's push to make tourism more inclusive and increase the participation of Jamaicans in the sector's value chain. Bartlett said this is part of a broader effort to reshape the industry under what is dubbed as “Tourism 3.0”, with greater emphasis on infrastructure, human capital, resilience and inclusivity. “We have been looking at how to make our industry far more inclusive and how to secure a deeper involvement of our local people in the value chain of tourism and so new policies are going to emerge around enabling greater retention of the tourism love in our space, but more so to build the capacity of our workers to add greater value and to enable a greater sense of commitment to the industry, improve productivity as well as to enhance the quality of service that is provided to our visitors.”