KINGSTON, Jamaica —Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is urging Jamaica’s tourism businesses to rethink their approach to corporate social responsibility, arguing that companies should move beyond charitable donations and play a more direct role in strengthening the communities in which they operate.
Bartlett made the call on Tuesday during the launch of the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge Jamaica 2026 at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston, where he said tourism’s success should be measured not only by economic gains but also by its impact on people and communities.
“Tourism, firstly, is not just an economic activity. It’s a people activity; at the heart of it it’s about people connecting with people,” Bartlett said.
The minister said traditional approaches to corporate social responsibility, or CSR, often focus on companies “giving back” through periodic donations or charitable projects. He argued that the industry now needs a model in which tourism businesses are more closely integrated into the social and economic development of their surrounding communities.
“There is a call for a transformation that goes beyond the mere thought of just giving back. There is a call for a building of tourism resilience,” he said.
Bartlett said tourism companies should not operate separately from the communities around them, but should instead become part of their development.
“The new CSR must see the company and, in all instances, tourism as being not beside the communities… But tourism being a part of the community. Inserted in the community. Embedded in the community,” he said.
He linked the approach to the Government’s Tourism 3.0 growth agenda, which is aimed at spreading the benefits of the industry more widely.
“That is what Tourism 3.0 is all about. It’s about taking development beyond the borders of traditional understanding. Where development becomes all of us and not some of us,” Bartlett said.
His comments came as the Sandals Foundation announced plans to bring its Island Challenge endurance fundraiser to Jamaica for the first time.
The four-day event, scheduled for October 2 to 5, is expected to bring approximately 30 athletes from the United Kingdom together with local and international participants for a series of running, kayaking, trekking and hiking challenges across Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary and St. Andrew.
Organisers are seeking to raise £100,000 to support neonatal and paediatric healthcare services in Jamaica, including services at Falmouth Public General Hospital.
Approximately 15 spaces will also be made available to local participants for a 21-kilometre half-marathon through Falmouth on October 4.
Sandals Foundation Executive Director Heidi Clarke said the organisation’s emphasis on health and wellness reflects the importance of healthcare to building stronger communities.
“We recognize that if you do not have your health, you have nothing else,” Clarke said.
According to the foundation, its health programmes have benefited more than 400,000 people across the Caribbean. Previous Island Challenge events in Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia have raised more than £300,000 and benefited approximately 1,800 babies.
Consultant Paediatrician at Falmouth Public General Hospital Dr. Kerry-Ann McKenzie said support from the Jamaica event would help strengthen the hospital’s capacity to care for critically ill children and newborns as it continues rebuilding following Hurricane Melissa.
“You’re not just raising funds. You’re giving our children a lifeline, a fighting chance,” McKenzie said.
Bartlett described the Island Challenge as an example of how tourism can connect visitors, businesses and communities around a common purpose while also showcasing Jamaica’s natural attractions.
“At the end, you will say, I’m not here for me. I’m here because of others. And so, what the Foundation is doing is demonstrating practically that we are here for others,” he said.
The minister used the occasion to broaden his appeal beyond the tourism industry, calling on corporate Jamaica to view social responsibility as part of its role in long-term community development rather than simply an avenue for philanthropy.
“I want to close by making a call. A call for us to redefine and reimagine what CSR means and to see the establishment of foundations as not a means of being charitable or kind. But as a critical part of our responsibility to build communities. To build people. To connect. Because tourism is about connecting.”
Island Challenge Jamaica 2026 is being supported by the Sandals Foundation, Sandals Resorts, Jamaica Tourist Board, Island Routes Adventure Tours, British Airways and other local and international partners.
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