Positive Tourism News

Trinidad & Tobago. August 12, 2019.  The Caribbean Regional Coordinating Committee of the Pan African Federalist Movement (PAFM) takes this opportunity, as we approach the anniversary of the birth of the Rt. Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Africa’s first provisional president, to applaud our CARICOM and African Union Heads of State in their decision to hold a joint Summit in 2020.

As a grassroots movement committed to the establishment of the United African States as a Pan African Federation in a generation or less, the Pan African Federalist Movement recognizes and supports the diplomatic presence of Barbados and Suriname in the form of a joint embassy in Ghana.  We salute Hon. Mia Mottley, respected Prime Minister of Barbados, for also partnering with St. Lucia to establish a joint embassy in Kenya, inviting other CARICOM partners to join this Pan African Initiative and welcome reciprocal diplomatic gestures from the governments of Presidents Addo and Kenyatta by establishing Ghanaian and Kenyan Embassies in the Caribbean.

According to the Jamaica Observer newspaper (August 6, 2019) Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the recent appointment of Kenya's first high commissioner to Jamaica reflects the growing relationship between Jamaica and Kenya, and demonstrates Kenyatta's personal commitment to the Jamaica-Kenya partnership and developing closer ties with the Caribbean community. Discussions are underway to begin flights flying from the East Coast to the West Coast of Africa and directly to Jamaica, and through Jamaica to the rest of the Caribbean. President Kenyatta challenged Jamaica to take advantage of Kenya’s strategic geographic and economic position in Eastern Africa to benefit the people of the two nations. The two leaders will meet again when Holness visits Kenya for the upcoming ACP meeting.

In an era of heightened geopolitical tensions, where the scramble for Africa, with the decimation of Africans at home and abroad, is clearly on the agenda of contending non-African powers, that the present diplomatic strengthening and deepening of academic, research and trade ties at the level of CARICOM and the African Union must be encouraged and complimented by grassroots initiatives such as the Assembly of Caribbean People, the Pan African Grand Market and Festival (Belize), and the Pan African Federalist Movement.

IRIE FM RADIO (107 BAND) presents The 28^th Annual Tribute to Mwalimu Marcus Mosiah Garvey,  “One Africa - One Nation,” Sunday August 28^th  2019. The event will be held in the IRIE FM Court Yard, Coconut Grove Ocho Rios, St Ann, from 6am to 10pm.

Speakers:

Dr. David Muhammad, Trinidad and Eastern Caribbean representative of the Honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, will be the keynote.

Minister Ed Bartlett & Andrew Holness, Prime Minister Jamaica enjoy Sumfest 2019.

 KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Hon Edmund Bartlett has indicated that J$1 Billion was generated at the just concluded Reggae Sumfest music festival held at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay.

“This year was arguably the largest Reggae Sumfest in terms of attendance from both local and overseas guests. On the visitor arrival side, we saw approximately 10,000 people coming to the island for the festival which is an increase of 3000 over last year.

More importantly we estimate the revenue impact from the festival to be $J1 Billion based on average room nights stay of locals and visitors and taxes,” said Minister Bartlett.

Reggae Sumfest, which began in 1993, has been described as the largest music festival in Jamaica and the Caribbean, taking place each year in mid-July in Montego Bay. It attracts crowds of all ages from all over the world and locally, and has featured a variety of Jamaican reggae artists as well as international acts.

Plans are in high gear for the 28th staging of IRE FM’s annual Marcus Garvey Tribute in the courtyard of the radio station, on Sunday August 18, 2019.

The theme of this year’s tribute is “One Africa, One Nation”.

IRIE FM’s Director of Programmes, Ka’Bu Ma’at Kheru, says the theme is "in keeping with the thrust of the Africa Union (AU) to revitalize Africa through unity and the recent launch of the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement".

The vision for the continental free trade area, is for Africa’s 55 nation states to benefit from free trade across all borders within the continent.

Ka’Bu Ma'at Kheru underscores the importance of AfCFTA which she says "has laid the foundation" for what could be the world's largest free trade zone by the number of participating countries, covering more than 1.2 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars, as integral to the vision of Marcus Garvey.

The dream of all African states becoming a member of the free trade area, took a quantum leap towards reality when Nigeria, one of Africa’s strongest economies, signed the agreement on the eighth of July during the launch of the free trade movement.

The only country left to sign the agreement is Eritrea.

Commenting on the advancement of the African free trade agreement, IRIE FM’s Programmes director Ka’Bu Ma’at Kheru hailed it as an important step in “Reuniting the African family for development”, thus echoing the theme of the 1992 staging of Panafest in Ghana, West Africa.

This year, Ghana has taken a significant step in uniting the African family by declaring 2019 "the year of return" and removing visa requirements for a number of countries in the Diaspora including Jamaica.

Ms. Ma'at Kheru points out that the annual Marcus Garvey Tribute at IRIE FM recognizes these milestones toward Africa's rendezvous with destiny and under it's "One Africa; One Nation" theme signals the importance of the African Diaspora to African unity.

The event kicks off at 6am on Sunday August 18, with a live outside broadcast from the grounds of IRIE FM, of the Africa Forum “Running African”. The day’s activities, which will go up to 10pm, will also be streamed live on iriefm.net and carried on the 107 Band.

Speakers will include Her Excellency Dr. Arikana Chihombori Quao, African Union Ambassador to the United States of America, and Trinidad and Eastern Caribbean representative of the Honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam Dr. David Muhammed, as well as, the 2016 IRIE FM/Brian Henry Foundation For Higher  Learning Marcus Garvey Scholarship winner, University of the West Indies Graduate, Crystal Dennis.

There will also be a Marcus Garvey Tribute concert with performances by the Kingston Drummers, Ras Ivie and the Nyabinghi Drummers, Earl Chinna Smith and the Binghistra, Chezidek, Prophecy, Sativa Di Black One, Mixing Lab, JahDon and Hero among others.

Theo’s Theory on Marketing and Management Strategies is a Business-2-Business (B2B) reference manual designed for neophytes and seasoned entrepreneurs, business executives, sales departments, marketing, and social media departments, website developers, managers, and front-line employees.

The author states that Customer Satisfaction should be the core principle and focus of any business.  It is one of the pillars for success and sustainability.  

Mr. Chambers remind his readers how Social Media’s disruptive innovation has turned traditional marketing, advertising, branding, communication and entrepreneurship upside down.  It has levelled the playing field.

Mr. Chambers also explained how educational institutions are preparing students with the proper marketing, management and analytics tools for future jobs that do not exist today. In order words, they are equipping them with formulas and tools that are applicable across B2B and Business to Consumer (B2C) platforms.

[The Fortieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was held at Gros Islet, Saint Lucia 3-5, July 2019 under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Honourable Allen Chastanet.]

The Fortieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was held at Gros Islet, Saint Lucia 3-5, July 2019 under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Honourable Allen Chastanet.

Other Members of the Conference in attendance were: Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Honourable Gaston Browne; Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Honourable Dr. Hubert Minnis; Prime Minister of Barbados, Honourable Mia Mottley;  Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. the Rt. Honourable Keith Mitchell; President of Haiti, His Excellency Jovenel Moise; Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness; Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr the Honourable Timothy Harris; Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves; and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley.

Belize was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honourable Wilfred Elrington;   Dominica was represented by the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, the Honourable Francine Baron; Guyana was represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Dr Karen Cummings ; Montserrat was represented by the Minister of Trade, the Honourable Claude Hogan; and Suriname was represented by the Vice President, His Excellency Michael Adhin.

The Hanover Chamber of Commerce and Industry has re-ignited its presence in the parish of Hanover and environs with a new, competent and eager Board of Directors.

The Chamber will seek to recapture its former prominence, help to establish and support business, and to the enhance the development of its members and by extension the Parish.

The Interim Chamber Executives have been meeting for some time and have now re-convened on June 04, 2019 at an official meeting where the new Board of Directors were elected and meeting dates set.

The following persons were appointed to the Executive Board for the 2019 year:

Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (second right), interacting with Dr. Richard Manning (right) and patients of the Seaview Gardens Health Centre in Kingston during a ceremony on April 30, when the clinic was formally adopted by Massy Distribution (Jamaica) Limited.

Dr. Christopher Tufton, Jamaica’s Minister of Health & Wellness, a new moniker for the ministry, addressed the Diaspora Conference Delegates on June 18, 2019. He began his presentation with a report card on the nation’s medical status as of 2017-2018. The topic “Engaging health & wellness agenda, where we are now and where we are going?” set the context for those who would follow with presentations on the panel.

Nation’s medical report card

The Minister reported 1.2 million visits in 2018 and 40,000 surgeries, 32,000 babies delivered, which is an increase he said “although we are growing at a shrinking rate .”  

He reported 2.9 mil. (million) Public health overall visits to health centers & hospital facilities over the past two years. Compared to 2.5 mil. In 2017 to the health centers & hospitals - 1.6 mil and 1.2 mil. respectively the previous year. Admissions totaled 187,000 with a minimum stay of 5 days or less.

Mayor of the City of Miramar, Florida, Wayne Messam, has extended an invitation to Jamaica and Jamaicans in the Diaspora to partner with the city to facilitate cultural expansion.

Mr. Messam said the city has invested more than US$30 million in developing its cultural and athletic infrastructure “to provide venues, to provide the possibilities to identify and develop talent, and to enjoy the benefits of entertainment”.

With this investment, the city is now open to the exchange of cultural content that can be leveraged to the benefit of Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora.

Mr. Messam, who is of Jamaican parentage, was speaking in a session at the Eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Kingston, on June 19. The session was centred on exploiting the creative industries for economic growth and job creation.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 14, 2019: Jamaica will preside over its first Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) meeting on Monday, since being elected last month to serve as Chair, for the biennium 2019 to 2021. 

The meeting of the CAM will take place during the 110th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Executive Council Meeting, during the period June 16 – 18, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

UNWTO’s regional commissions meet once annually to allow its member states to maintain ‎contact with each other and the UNWTO Secretariat between sessions of the bi-annual General ‎Assembly. 

Minister Bartlett and his delegation will also use the opportunity to begin discussions with the UNWTO Secretary General, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, regarding the 2020 CAM meeting as well as the 2020 Global Conference on Innovation, Resilience and Crisis Management, which Jamaica will jointly host with the UNWTO.  

NEW YORK, NY (xx April 2019) – Former Grenada tourism minister Brenda Hood is among six stalwarts of Caribbean tourism to be honoured by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) allied membership at the Travel Industry Awards Dinner during Caribbean Week New York (#CWNY2019) next month.

Hood is the chairman of the Grenada Tourism Authority, and has served at various stages during her career on the CTO’s human resources technical committee, and the boards of the then Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (now the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) and the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas.

She, along with Colin James, chief executive office of the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority, will receive the Allied Award for outstandingcontributions to the region’s development.

The Allied Award was established in 2005 to recognise individuals within the CTO family – government, airline, cruise line, allied and affiliate members and CTO staff – who have done an extraordinary job of contributing, in a tangible way, to the sustainable development of the region.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; March 29, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has indicated plans to fully develop the community of Somerton in St. James, where cultural icon Jimmy Cliff was born, as a major tourism attraction. 

“The town of Somerton holds the rich cultural history of some of the most celebrated Jamaicans such as former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, former Governor General Sir Howard Cooke’s family, Lennie Little-White, renowned film maker, Ms. Violet Neilson former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Bishop Herro Blair.

Perhaps the most celebrated of all is Grammy award winning singer Jimmy Cliff who still lives in Somerton and even filmed some of his greatest work here. We are excited about this history that has helped to fashion the community and can be positioned and leveraged as a major tourism attraction and generate economic growth,” said Minister Bartlett. 

Minister Bartlett made the announcement at the official ground breaking for the Somerton to Fording road rehabilitation project yesterday [March 28, 2019]. The project will see restoration work on the roadway from fording to the Somerton square which will be named the Jimmy Cliff highway. The general scope of work will include road signage, construction of drains and asphaltic concrete repairs and overlay.

TLN shares Alex Directory wiith the audience

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 21, 2019:

Speaking at this year’s staging of the Speed Networking event in Montego Bay, the Minister said, “I am pleased to share that Speed Networking 2016 resulted in contracts valued at some $181 million; while the 2017 event saw suppliers benefitting from over $200 million in contracts; and in 2018, the value of these contracts grew to over $250 million.  That is over $630 million in contacts for local SMTEs from just three one-day linkages events.”

He also noted that among the top beneficiaries of the event, were Boss Furniture and Tortuga Rum Cakes.

Boss Furniture won a contract valued at $30 million to provide bedding and furnishings to Montego Bay’s new S Hotel while another $10 million in contracts with that property is in the pipeline.

With the development of civilization, people started sharing their contentment, sorrows, inventions, and accomplishments. Human instinct for curiosity and search led to the birth of tourism which removed differences between cultures, ethnic groups, religious groups, values and lifestyles, and languages.
Mahatma Gandhi described travel as ‘The Language of Peace.’ Gandhiji realized the importance of attaining freedom through non –violence and traveled all over India to develop a sense of personal touch among the populace and succeeded in achieving freedom through peace.

The scene of promoting cultural understanding, mutual respect and peace via travel and tourism, gives an incredible opportunity to strengthen cross-border relations.

Tourism as a peace tool intends to reduce root causes that create situations where violence has been perceived as inevitable. Most of the countries are in the process of promoting peace and establishing brotherhood with neighboring countries with the view of exchanging ideas and values.

Tourism truly acts as a vehicle for mutual understanding through cultural exchange and promotes peace dialogue at national and international levels. Effort by stakeholders is required to reduce the negative impacts of tourism and use tourism as a tool, media, passport, channel for peace to avoid another terror attack in the country in future and promote volun-tourism, wedding tourism, black tourism, and mourning tourism.

Editor's Commentary: Caribnewsroom (PositiveTourism) recommends that the Ministry of Culture, Gender Affairs and Sports hold Town Hall sessions in the Ocho Rios Community to properly educate the community and share responses from Garveyites from across the world who would support the building of such a museum to honor our First National Hero and Saint, revered across the globe. The benefits to the community should be stressed and the persons who would be relocated should be reassured that they will be honored and properly compensated.

www.Caribnewsroom.com 
www.PositiveTourism.com

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Minister of Culture , Gender Affairs and Sports,  Hon Olivia Grange says she and the Ministry are doing their best to have residents of 32 Marcus Garvey Way, in St Ann’s Bay, re-settled in an appropriate location soon.

March 5, 2019 (Negril, Jamaica).  Living Life as a Sacred Practice: Discover Yourself as a Source of Creation authored by Sharon Parris-Chambers is now available online at Balboapress.com, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.  It is the long-awaited second publication since her 2011 book, excerpts of which has been shared with audiences on Social Media over the past year.

There is a buzz surrounding the book reviewed by Queen Mother Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah, author, film maker and former senator who shares her convincing perspectives with discerning readers on the merits of Living Life As a Sacred Practice. She states 
“Thoughtful people who seek answers to the mysteries of living life fully, often turn to books of sacred wisdom and advice. Whether it be the holy books such as the Bible, Koran or books by modern gurus like Iyanla Van Zant, the desire for spiritual guidance occupies a major part of many.  For those who thought such wisdom only came from ancient sages or well-promoted American, European or Asian gurus, it is a welcome surprise to find that our friend, cultural Sister and PR practitioner Sharon Parris-Chambers has given us such an excellent tome of spiritual healing.”

From beginning to end the author seeks to establish an inner vision into spiritual development of the self as a Divine being. The book is beautifully laid out in clear typesetting, with each chapter prepared as a daily teaching complete on its own. The reader has only to turn to a chapter to find an introspective meditation, sacred practice and affirmation to be used as a daily spiritual cleansing and healing ritual. Sample topics such as: “Pacify your restless mind”, “Let the Real you Stand Up,” “I live my Dream,” “Stop Suffering,” and “Insource before you Outsource” can be found and savoured in the way one enjoys a feast. The key to the exercises is journaling, which requires mindfulness meditation. When this is done, it is more likely that something profound will be left with the seeker more than just merely reading passages within the book.

Dr Glenville Ashby, Religion & Culture editor, The Jamaica Gleaner, penned the forward wherein he takes note of the author’s maiden voyage to Africa. “The author returned to her roots in Gambia 2012 which unveiled her calling and sealed her mission as a veritable messenger of Spirit. It is in Gambia that she was grounded and initiated into the innermost mystery. It is there that she drank from the well of the First People and was handed the fabled Philosopher's Stone.”

When spoken-word artist Ras Takura started the Dis Poem Wordz & Agro Festival nine years ago, he hoped to put poetry on the front burner and ultimately fuse it with agriculture. Today, the event continues to grow beyond his initial vision, with entities like the University of Nebraska in the United States supporting the Port Antonio-based festival. Takura told The Gleaner that the festival made its overseas début in August, courtesy of the institution.

“We partnered with the university in bringing a version of the festival to the Malcolm X birth site in Omaha, Nebraska, and it was successful,” he said. “We intend to expand this partnership and definitely look forward to having the university more involved in the festival come next year,” he continued.

The university hosts an annual Malcolm X festival in which Takura will participate as a guest speaker in April.

Another big deal for the festival will be the presence of international performers who will grace the stage at its home venue at the Neville Antonio Park on April 28. The event will unfold from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Tuesday, February 19, 2019: Texaco Jamaica has pledged its full backing of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM) that was launched in January in Montego Bay.  The announcement was made today (February 19) by CEO of GB Energy Texaco Jamaica, Mr. Mauricio Pulido at the press launch for Texaco Jamaica’s centennial celebrations at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.

Congratulating Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, for his role in the development of the Centre, Mr. Pulido said Texaco is very committed to the growth of Jamaica and particularly the tourism sector because of its vast potential.  “We are very proud to be a part of the resilience centre and you have our full support,” noted the GB Energy CEO.

The GTRCM, said to be the first such facility in the world, will focus on research, advocacy, training and policy to assist global tourism destinations with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.  It has received the backing of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, and the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Minister Bartlett, a Texaco Jamaica alumnus before entering Government in 1980, noted a new wave of investments in the hotel sector would bring 15,000 new rooms in the next five years, which in turn would drive the demand for more fuel, energy, jobs and quality service to be provided by our people.