MONTEGO BAY, St James — Just days after a shooting at the 2026 Carnival Big Wall Revolution after-party left three people injured, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has unveiled plans for a dedicated special task force to upgrade security protocols for large entertainment gatherings across the country.
Bartlett made the announcement Thursday on the sidelines of the Jamaica Youth Tourism Summit, an event organized by students from the University of the West Indies, Mona, Western Jamaica Campus, held in Montego Bay. He confirmed that the new security initiative will be led by the Linkages Network, a specialized body within the Ministry of Tourism that already oversees high-profile national events including Jamaica Carnival and the annual Coffee Festival, both of which draw thousands of international and local visitors each year.
“Across all our major events, we must constantly re-evaluate our approaches to reinforce safety and add long-term value. Our goal is to make the Jamaica Carnival experience one that guests remember for all the right reasons — joy, celebration, and peace of mind, not violence,” Bartlett told reporters following the summit.
The newly formed task force will conduct full reviews of existing safety frameworks across all major tourist-facing events hosted by the ministry, implementing targeted updates to prevent similar violent incidents from occurring in the future, he confirmed. “This body’s core mandate is to strengthen every layer of security planning to ensure that the unfortunate incident we saw on Sunday is never repeated,” Bartlett added.
Despite the shooting, Bartlett emphasized that the 2026 Jamaica Carnival season has delivered a powerful global statement about the nation’s resilience, vibrancy, and unshaken confidence moving forward. The 2026 staging came on the heels of Hurricane Melissa, a natural disaster that disrupted travel and event planning across parts of the island, making this year’s turnout even more notable.
This year’s carnival drew roughly 11,000 registered participants, hosted 70 individual celebratory events — the highest number of activities in the history of Jamaica Carnival — and saw record levels of local spectator support. All indicators point to 2026 being one of the strongest carnival seasons the island has ever hosted, according to the minister.
While a full formal economic analysis of the 2026 event is still ongoing, Bartlett noted that early projections point to total economic impact staying close to 2025’s benchmark figures. For context, the 2025 Carnival generated an estimated JMD 7.7 billion in direct visitor expenditure, with a total overall economic contribution of JMD 165.7 billion. Matching or nearly matching that figure in 2026 would mark a major milestone for Jamaica’s ongoing tourism recovery post-hurricane, Bartlett said.
He added that the 2026 event’s underlying success reinforces a core truth about Jamaica’s cultural economy: when the nation’s unique cultural offerings take center stage, the economic benefits spread across every sector from hospitality to transportation to small local businesses.
Looking ahead, Bartlett stressed the critical importance of maintaining the positive momentum of Jamaica’s tourism and events sector, and protecting the global reputation of “Brand Jamaica” as a safe, world-class travel destination.
“That reputation is our most valuable asset, so we have to be intentional about protecting it,” Bartlett said. “I have formally tasked the Linkages Sub-Committee with a full review of safety and emergency response protocols ahead of the 2027 Carnival season. Our goal is to ensure this iconic product continues to grow stronger, safer, and more competitive on the global stage.”