Joe Issa, founder the Cool Group of over 50 companies and has a lot to protect from cyber-attack, he has commended Jamaica’s ranking on the Global Cyber Security Index, stating data information, networks and computers are more secure than they ever have before.
Joe Issa, Founder Cool Group of Companies
Issa says this is commendable and that we are where we are today because of efforts of secure computers, networks data programs from crime as we are among the best in the world in such standards and practices.
Issa stated that it is through the extreme efforts of organizations that undertake to get us in the right place in regards to cyber security which also includes the public sector that has to pass the needed laws to assist in the buildup of know-how to identify and catch cyber criminals and ensure the growth of cyber security walls surround the island.
Mr Issa has spent over $100 million on state of the art technology to manage and maintain the integrity of his Cool Card subsidiary.
According to a Gleaner article, the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology reported that Jamaica’s Cyber security had been given international recognition after the country was ranked number one in the Caribbean region by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The report said Jamaica was among 134 member countries which last year participated in an online survey that sought to find out how they stack up a base on the core areas of the ITU Global Cyber security Agenda (GCA).
It assessed their commitment to improving cyber security through legislation, projects and programs, capacity building and cooperation – the four elements of the national cybersecurity strategy.
The efforts of the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT), MOCA, & Communications Forensics and Cyber-crimes Unit (CFCU) have been commended, especially the CIRT through which the government continues to strengthen its cyber-security responsiveness and boost its public education programme.
“There is room for capacity building and cooperation between the public and private sector at all levels, but we remain committed to meeting all international standards and best practices,” Tech Minister Andrew Wheatley was quoted as saying.
Jamaican businessman and philanthropist Joe Issa has hailed the top 20 philanthropists in the world for the whopping US$106 billion given to charities, stating the world is a better place to live because of their generosity.
Executive Chairman of Cool Group of Companies Joe Issa
“I read the article and was impressed by the enormous amount of money given by the top 20 philanthropists in the world for charitable causes. Of course, I was disappointed in not making the list,” Issa said jokingly, in an interview.
He said while he was impressed by all the contributions, “I was particularly impressed by the mammoth contributions of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates,” who are among the world’s richest men.
Issa, himself, is no ‘spring chicken’ when it comes to philanthropy, having founded several charities to give back to society. He was still attending university – London School of Economics (LSE) in the United Kingdom – when he famously founded his first charity, Educate the Children Fund, to buy books for Jamaican and Caribbean under-privileged schools.
Issa is said to have given scholarships to bright, under-privileged children to study at his alma mater university in the United States – College of the Holy Cross. The scholarships were said to be costing him some J$500,000 a month, in addition to other contributions by his Cool Charities subsidiary.
According to research by Wealth-X, the top twenty philanthropists who have given out a total of US$106.8 billion to charity is led by Bill Gates, who has so far donated US$27 billion of his wealth.
Gates, who is a co-founder of the world’s largest software company Microsoft, is said to spend most of his time now managing philanthropic projects under the umbrella of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has donated many computers to the Jamaica Library Service to help spread internet access across the country.
In second place was Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He has so far donated US$21.5 billion to charities. In 2006, he pledged to donate 85% of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and to other foundations set up by family members.
Hungarian George Soros nicknamed the man who broke the Bank of England by selling short 10 billion pounds and making a billion pound in profit was third. This is said to have happened during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis. He has donated $8 billion to health, education, community development and social services.
Behind Azim Premji was Charles Francis Feeney at number five. Feeney often called the “James Bond” of philanthropy, is said to be determined to give away his entire fortune made as co-founder of the Duty-Free Shoppers Group. He has already donated US$6.3 billion to health, education, science, and civil rights across several countries, including the US, Vietnam, and Bermuda, said Wealth-X.
Carlos Slim one of the three richest self-made billionaires in the world has so far given US$4 billion. He was No. 8, while George Kaiser with US$3.3 billion donated so far for education, health, and community development was No. 10.
At No. 11 was Michael Bloomberg co-founder of Microsoft with Bill Gates. He has given US$3 billion to charity for health.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the world was at No. 13. He has donated $1.6 billion to philanthropic causes. Last year he disbursed US$25 million to help fight Ebola, a fight on which Issa commented, in relation to Jamaica’s readiness at the time.
Jon Huntsman Sr. founder of Huntsman Chemical Corporation, the largest polystyrene manufacturer in the United States, used widely including as burger containers, has given away US$1.2 billion for cancer research. He was placed at No. 15.
The last spot in the top 20 was occupied by Dietmar Hopp, a German IT entrepreneur who co-founded SAP, the famous software company. He has donated US$1 billion to support local education, sports and health causes in his hometown. He is said to worth US$6.3 billion.
Few know more than Joe Issa the immense attraction Jamaica is to visitors from around the world, so it was no surprise to him when the country went on a roll recently, copping award after award from the international community, with the latest being TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice award for Best Destination in the Caribbean and the 14th in the world.
Joseph “Joey” Issa
In explaining the latest accolades, Issa said in an interview, that the world had had a love affair with Jamaica and the country has been responding with improvements to all pillars of the tourism product.
“For quite some time people from around the world have had a love affair with Jamaica, especially since the rich and famous discovered its unique attractions, properties and people and began romanticising the island in the movies. This has served to publicize Jamaica’s music and entertainment, culture and heritage, and sporting prowess, thereby catapulting its popularity.
“So whereas before the Internet people would visit Jamaica but could not share their treasured experience widely, they are doing so now on all social media platforms and, of course, TripAdvisor, which uses the comments by visitors to compare the popularity of tourism products around the world,” Issa explained.
The well-respected planning and booking website recently highlighted the Caribbean’s best islands based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Based on the data, which was gathered over a 12-month period, Jamaica was also named the 14th Best Destination in the World.
“Jamaica is truly honoured to be once again named the Best Destination in the Caribbean and to be listed in the top 20 destinations in the world. This honour is particularly special because it is an honour bestowed on us by visitors who have ranked the services we provide them as exemplary,” Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett was quoted saying, recently.
The minister reportedly went on to say that this accomplishment is a special one for Jamaica, and is one that should be especially cherished by all stakeholders and employees of the industry who have made it their duty to make the visitors’ experiences unforgettable.
“The Ministry of Tourism will do our part to ensure that Jamaica’s tourism product is continuously strengthened and given the support it needs to better meet all the needs of our visitors. Most importantly we will ensure that our destination remains safe, seamless and secure,” Bartlett reportedly said.
TripAdvisor® has also named Seven Mile Beach in Negril the 8th Best Beach in the World for 2018. With one impressed user reportedly sharing that the famous Negril beach is “one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen’ and describing it as “breathtaking, absolutely stunning, a must-see.”
Other world-ranking accolades from TripAdvisor® are said to include Iberostar Grand Hotel, Rose Hall, which was named the 13th Best All-Inclusive Hotel in the World and Beaches Negril and Spa the 22nd Best Hotel in the World for Family.
“Jamaica is undoubtedly a special destination and also a favourite getaway spot for the rich and famous. Most recently we have had the pleasure of welcoming music power couple Beyoncé, and Jay-Z to our island, whom I am told are here to record new music and film a music video in Trench Town.
“We also had comedian Mike Epps; Prince Harry and his fiancée, Meghan Markle; singer Shawn Mendes; Khloe Kardashian from the E! reality hit show, ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’, who visited with her National Basketball Association boyfriend, Tristan Thompson; and singers Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez,” Bartlett reportedly commented,” Bartlett reportedly said.
According to the report, he went on to share that “the positive publicity our ‘A-list’ guests have given our island is invaluable. This proves that Jamaica remains a lucrative market for high-end resorts. I am certain that their visits will boost the island’s appeal to the world and positively impact our arrivals; thus, helping us to continue to climb in the rankings of the TripAdvisor® users in years to come.”
Jamaica’s Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency chairman Joe Issa has lauded the country’s Customs and Immigration processes and facilities for servicing over four million visitors last year for the first time.
Joseph “Joey” Issa Founder Cool Group of Companies
“In addition to our own immigration officers we must applaud Customs officers for processing a landmark four million visitors last year.
“We must also praise the policies and infrastructure which facilitated achieving this milestone for the first time in our history of welcoming visitors to our shores by air and sea.
“In both cases, Customs officers make up our first line of defence against undesirable visitors entering our country, but in doing their due deligence they are also cognisant of the need to give tourists the best experience possible and encourage them to return.
“Our officers are also the first hurlde for overstay visitors trying to leave Jamaica unnoticed, and last year they had much success.
“We should commend too, the authorities’ focus on providing the best possible facilities for arrivals and departures, particularly at Sangster International Airport and our major cruiseship ports, which are the island’s main gateways,” said Issa.
Issa was speaking against the background of the significant milestone achieved by Jamaica in welcoming 4.3 million visitors in 2017, made up of some 2.3 million stopover visitors and 1.9 million cruiseship passengers, with a total spend of some US$3 billion.
Citing in particular, projected increases in total room count and improvements now underway at Sangster airport that will ehance the visitor experience, Issa said even with the reported 21 per cent increase in arrivals last year over 2016, he expects higher numbers this year and beyond.
“We will enable significant enhancement of visitor comfort in landing and disembarking, as well as embarking and taking off.
“Inside the building, the improved facilities will provide for a more comfortable environment to process them and enable huge reduction of the time they spend waiting in line to be processed. This should be so at arrival and departure facilities at both Immigration and Customs,” Issa said.
It was reported recently, and on which Issa commented, that MBJ Airports Limited had signed a loan agreement with Scotiabank to undertake a US$40 million ($5 billion) expansion of the Sangster International Airport.
The expansion project which is already underway includes resurfacing taxiways and aprons and where aircrafts are parked, unloaded or loaded, refuelled, or boarded.
MBJ will also extend the airport runway and terminals, renovate the ticketing area to include a new air conditioning system and renovate restrooms in the ticketing and departure areas, according to an Observer article.
The article also cited Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett saying that Jamaica’s hotel room capacity was set to increase by more than 1,000 during the 2017 calendar year and over 2,000 in the next three years.
Among the hotels that will provide new rooms are, the Azul Beach Resort in Negril with 150 rooms, Hideaway at Royalton and Royalton Negril Resort and Spa with 600 rooms and Sandals Royal Caribbean “Over the Water Villas” in Montego Bay with 12 rooms, it said.
Admired Ocho Rios businessman and philanthropist Joe Issa who chairs the Board of Directors of The St. Ann Development Company (SADCO), which invests heavily in tourism, is backing the proposed new tourism linkages network policy to deliver higher growth of Jamaica’s tourism and encourage increased stakeholder ownership of the sector.
Joseph “Joey” Issa
“As the islands leading productive sector, tourism can grow much further by allowing other sectors in to earn a piece of the pie; and as more sectors come in and take responsibility for their part in selling quality goods and services to the tourism sector on a consistent and timely basis, the pie will get bigger and so will the size of their share; it’s a win-win business model for all stakeholders,” says Issa, whose own Cool Group business model is said to be similar to that of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.
Issa’s comments came in an interview on the heels of a move by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to establish a legal framework through Parliament, to enable the newly-launched Tourism Linkages Network to function as a mechanism to spur the growth of the tourism and other supporting sectors of the economy.
“The importance of tourism to Jamaica cannot be overstated, but it can’t stand alone as, while here, visitors need to be fed, transported around, educated, cared for, their needs provided and entertained in a variety of ways.
“However, for the diversified tourism offerings to transform Jamaica into an ideal tourist destination, which would increase arrivals and spending and enable the country to retain a greater portion of the tourist dollar, everyone in the product and supply chain must be on the same page,” Issa says.
Issa adds: “One weak or broken link in the chain can make the country less than ideal to visit; that’s why it’s critical to establish a policy framework for the Tourism Linkages Network to function effectively as a watchdog for tourism linkages networks,” says Issa in the interview.
Minister Bartlett recently announced that five new tourism linkages networks – sports and entertainment, shopping, knowledge, health and wellness, and gastronomy – would form part of the country’s Tourism Linkages Network, “to further diversify the country’s tourism offerings, create business opportunities and increase the use of local goods and services within the tourism sector.”
“We have already done the concept paper, which Cabinet has approved. We will now do the White Paper and then have the policy ready for Parliament’s approval when I make my (budget) presentation (in April 2017),” he said.
“Formerly the Tourism Linkages Hub, the primary goal of the Tourism Linkages Network is to ensure that Jamaica’s tourism sector becomes better integrated with other sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing.
“The Tourism Linkages Network is supported by a Tourism Linkages Council, made up of public and private sector partners, who oversee the coordination and implementation of effective and sustainable strategies that strengthen and facilitate linkages,” according to the tourism ministry’s website.
The SADCO chairman, who oversees the management of some of the assets of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) in St. Ann, which is believed to have the most tourism plants on the island, is himself a tourism guru, having run the chain of SuperClubs hotels and bagged several local and international awards, including Young Hotelier of the World 1994 and Travel Agents Magazine’s 100 Rising Stars for four consecutive years – 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000.
In addition to the 600 ft hike Dunn’s River Falls, the list of SADCO assets in the parish includes the popular Green Grotto Caves, the Ocho Rios Bay Beach also known as Turtle Beach near the Cruise Ship Pier, Turtle River Park at the entrance of the town, Pearly Beach, Laughing Waters, Roaring River, Malvern Park Property, the Ocho Rios Craft Market, and some undeveloped lands, says UDC’s website.
It said, “With a combined asset base of some $41 billion dollars, the UDC is one of the leading urban and rural development agencies in the Caribbean. Since 1968, it has sought to transform Jamaica’s most viable urban centres and strategic rural towns, whilst preserving the natural environment and spurring economic development.”
The Jamaican economy is well known to depend heavily on services, which last year contributed 71.6% to GDP, with Tourism and Remittances each contributing about 30% while Agriculture 7% and Industry 21.4% make up the remainder.
Research also shows that the economy has remained largely stagnant over the past 30 years, posting an average GDP growth rate of under 1% in the past 20 years, a situation Issa contends the current administration is trying to improve upon as it goes for 5% growth over the next four years, which the new Tourism Linkages Network policy will help to achieve.
Issa’s view is supported by a Nikolaos Karagiannis 2003 study: “Tourism, linkages, and economic development in Jamaica”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 15 Iss: 3, pp.184 – 187.
According to the study, “a production‐oriented development framework for Jamaica, based on growth‐promoting linkages between tourism, commodity production sectors, and complementary and related service industries, can boost the Jamaican endogenous competency and industrial competitiveness while improving the country’s macroeconomic performance.”
Most Jamaicans love Ocho Rios. They talk about going to the North Coast for the weekend as if they were travelling abroad, and when they say the North Coast, they mean Ocho Rios, that quaint little town in the parish of St. Ann which harbours so much of Jamaica’s history and heritage such as Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley. Moreover, upon returning home, they would talk about the experience for days and with such nostalgia that their friends would remark, “lucky you!”
Executive Chairman of Cool Group of Companies Joe Issa
When they come to Ocho Rios, affectionately called Ochi, they would visit one of the several attractions, picnicking, swimming with the dolphins, thrill-seeking and bathing in crystal-clear waters. However, no matter where they go, they would invariably end up in Ochi town, strolling along the streets side by side with tourists, as they shop around for souvenirs to take back home.
For many Jamaicans, especially those living in the countryside, coming up front and close to the cruise ships on the Ocho Rios Pier is no less overwhelming than the sight of tourists-flooded streets. However, in the summer months, both experiences are now a thing of the past, with the mega-liners now moved to Falmouth Pier leaving just three ship calls per month for Ochi and many empty streets and closed shops.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO BRING BACK MANY OF THE CRUISE SHIPS AND TOURISTS TO OCHO RIOS TOWN IN THE SUMMERS?
Where to go in Jamaica - Joseph Issa 