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MoBay gears up for World Free Zones Conference

Published:Thursday | May 19, 2022 | 12:07 AM
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett (centre) is flanked (from left) by Dr Samir Hamrouni, CEO of the World Free Zones Organisation (World FZO); Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, executive chairman of the World FZO; Director of Tourism Donovan White; and Abdulla Qassem,
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Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett (centre) is flanked (from left) by Dr Samir Hamrouni, CEO of the World Free Zones Organisation (World FZO); Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, executive chairman of the World FZO; Director of Tourism Donovan White; and Abdulla Qassem, deputy chief executive officer, at the Jamaica booth in Dubai.

India, the Philippines, Argentina, Morocco, and Australia are now key partners of the World Free Zones Conference (World FZO) set for Montego Bay from June 13 to 17.

The international event, to be staged for the first time in the Caribbean, is part of Jamaica’s recovery efforts, said Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, who met with World (FZO) Executive Chairman Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni in Dubai last Friday.

To be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, the event is the first major global meeting since the island reopened its borders because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We discussed a range of activities to be undertaken during the conference as well as legacy projects and resilience and sustainability, institutional capacity building support for Jamaica and the Caribbean,” Bartlett told The Gleaner from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Approximately 1,000 participants, including prime ministers, investors, and chief executive officers from all over the world, will converge on the island. The event has been endorsed by the Dubai Free Zone Council, Emirates Airlines, and Dubai Aviation Authority.

“Some heavy hitters are likely to come with plans to stay extra days to visit potential investment sites, which are being prepared by the JSEZA team and JAMPRO,” said the minister.

The meetings follow an announcement last week by Emirates Airlines, the largest carrier in the Gulf Coast Countries, that it was now selling Jamaica, with the island’s two main international airports now available for booking.