Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett left the island yesterday for Spain, where he is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding to concretise a multi-destination marketing arrangement between Jamaica and Mexico.

The move forms part of a greater plan to jointly market Jamaica to the international community this year, with other countries such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic, with whom similar arrangements have already been signed.

According to Bartlett, the arrangement will lead to sustainable growth and will be beneficial to all parties, who will gain access to a significantly larger market.

"I am very happy that Jamaica will once again make history with this very important signing of an agreement with Mexico. I know that this will positively impact our economy. It is my hope that it will lead to other important milestones, such as the creation of new pre-clearance arrangements and perhaps relaxed visa restrictions," said Bartlett.

While in Spain, Bartlett is also expected to participate in separate business meetings with the newly elected United Nations World Tourism Organisation's (UNWTO) Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili, and tourism investors who own properties in Jamaica.

"I will be representing the country at the first meeting of the Executive Council of the UNWTO for 2018. I will also get an opportunity to share how well our region is performing, and naturally give a report on the success of our recently concluded UNWTO conference in Montego Bay to our new secretary general," said Bartlett.

At the 22nd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in September last year, Jamaica was successful in its bid to share one of the five seats on the Executive Council that is allocated to the Regional Commission of the Americas for the period 2018-2021.

Bartlett returns to the island on Wednesday.