KINGSTON, March 7, 2019 - The Government is projecting gross earnings of US$3.6 billion from the tourism industry for the 2019/20 fiscal year.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica is an excellent tourism investment destination, with a plethora of opportunities available across the sector. “And it’s not just in the accommodation subsector. There are so many opportunities… in gastronomy, entertainment, culture and heritage, and health and wellness,” he pointed out. “The Government continues to champion investment for the revitalisation of existing tourism assets and the creation of new tourism infrastructure across the island,” he added. The Minister, who was speaking at the ceremony to break ground for the new Ocean Coral Spring Hotel in Falmouth on February 6, said that the Government continues to do its part in facilitating tourism investment “through policy, strategy, product development, human capital development as well as promotion and marketing”. “Besides, Jamaica is a spectacular place to visit and offers a host of historical, cultural and natural attractions, too numerous to mention, which entice some 4.3 million visitors to our island each year. I can assure you, there will be no shortage of visitors to fill the rooms at Ocean Coral Spring,” he said. The Spanish Hotel chain, H10, is investing US$250 million in the construction of the 1,000-room property. Work is under way and the first 500 rooms are expected to be completed by the end of the year. H10 has 50 hotels in 18 destinations. Mr. Bartlett lauded the Spanish investors for their continued belief in the island, pumping in investments amounting to some US$1.6 billion, with another US$300 million in the pipeline. “I can also safely say that about 30 per cent of the rooms built in Jamaica are the product of this Spanish investment,” he said. “Based on my many meetings with Spanish hotel interests, I know we share the importance of tourism and development. We look forward to the contribution that H10’s properties will make to the sustainable growth of Falmouth’s tourism, your integration into the town and the linkages you will foster with our business community,” he added.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Jan. 30, 2019 - Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, is encouraging Caribbean leaders to collaborate on ways to collectively strengthen tourism across the region.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, January 29, 2019 - Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, says product diversification by industry stakeholders is pivotal to further boosting Jamaica’s global competitiveness, and successfully tapping into new markets.

KINGSTON,  January 11, 2019 - Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, is reporting that Jamaica welcomed a record 4.31 million visitors in 2018; the second year in a row that Jamaica has had more than 4.3 million visitors in a single year.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, December 17, 2018 - From next year, the marketing of Barbados’ tourism product will be driven more by public/private sector partnerships, as Government moves away from being the major sponsor of tourism marketing.

ST.KITTS-NEVIS - With airlift arrivals having grown for the past 18 months, there is a rising demand for St. Kitts as a leisure travel destination and North American airlines have taken note of the increased impetus for the island by providing additional flight options for travelers to reach the island in peak season and beyond.

The first Waldorf-Astoria in the Caribbean is to be located in Antigua, and is one of 15 new hotels that have been approved for construction in Antigua and Barbuda, that country’s Tourism Minister, Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez, told reporters during a product update briefing at the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in The Bahamas recently.