The largest block of Spanish hoteliers and investors, Inverotel, has indicated their commitment to training, housing and pension for Jamaican tourism workers.

This follows a meeting with Inverotel on Friday, January 26, led by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. The meeting was among Bartlett’s top priorities while he was in Spain for FITUR, the largest international tourism fair.

The group re-established their support for training and development, housing and pension for hotel workers and highlighted how critical these benefits are to their overall operations and success.

“Our workers remain the most important resource in Jamaica’s tourism industry. They are the ones who have been able to give us an enviable repeat visitor rate of 42 per cent. Jamaica’s tourism workers have hospitality in their DNA and are the reason our visitors have unforgettable and authentic experiences,” said Bartlett.

Inverotel is fully on board with training through the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), the training arm of the Ministry of Tourism, and hospitality programmes provided through the HEART/NSTA Trust.

The JCTI has successfully provided professional certification for over 15,000 individuals, bolstering Jamaica’s commitment to human capital development in the tourism sector.

The group is also committed to supporting other social initiatives like housing solutions and the current Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme. Discussions also looked at increasing the local supply of goods and services for the group’s operations.

“Inverotel represents the largest block of investment with approximately one third of our room count. We have a strong relationship that has helped to change the look and feel of our tourism offerings, and so it is critical that the social initiatives for our workers be improved consistently for our mutually beneficial goals,” said Bartlett.

This strategic meeting happens annually and is used to discuss new Spanish tourism developments and any gaps that need to be addressed.

The minister was joined by John Lynch, chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board; Delano Seiveright, senior advisor and strategist; and Fiona Fennell, public relations and communications manager, Jamaica Tourist Board.

Bartlett led a small delegation of tourism officials at FITUR 2024, in Madrid, Spain, a major tourism fair with 8,000 exhibitors, 130 countries represented and over 300,000 attendees. It represents one of the largest gatherings of tourism professionals globally and is the leading fair for Latin America’s receptive and issuing markets.