Government of Jamaica

News Releases

News Releases

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (right) receives a welcome hug, one of the many he received on his tour of Royalton Negril on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Management and staff were out in their numbers to greet the Minister at the restart of operations following a multi-million-dollar restoration in the wake of last year’s hurricane.

Featured News Releases

NEGRIL, Jamaica; Thursday, August 27, 2026: Pulsating music, dance and colourful dresses marked the reopening of the Royalton Negril hotel and the return of nearly 1,000 workers to their jobs. The hotel reopened at 50 percent occupancy, which is expected to rise to 80 percent over the US Thanksgiving period, and is already sold out for Jamaica’s Heroes Weekend and Christmas. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, was excited as he moved among staff members and was greeted with gleeful smiles as he toured the property to see firsthand its multi-million-dollar recovery from the impact of hurricane Melissa. “When I walked in, I saw that 960 workers were back on the job, and that by Thanksgiving, I'm told, the other 320 will be back, and we will have a full complement of 1,200 workers employed. That means families are now going to be more secure. It's coming back at the right time with back to school,” Minister Bartlett said.

All News Releases

Bartlett to Invite Miss World Finalists to Visit Jamaica

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; December 16, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that Jamaica will be extending invitations to Miss World finalists Miss Nigeria, Nyekachi Douglas and Miss India, Suman Rao, following Jamaica’s Toni-Ann Singh’s historic win on Saturday.

Bartlett to Conclude Discussions for the Establishment of the First Satellite Centre in Kenya

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 09, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett is currently in Kenya to conclude discussions for the establishment of the first Satellite Centre for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), at the Kenyatta University.

MSC Meraviglia to Bring 50,000 Cruise Passengers to Ocho Rios

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann; December 3, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says Ocho Rios is gearing up to welcome 50,000 cruise ship passengers courtesy of the cruise line MSC Meraviglia.

Jamaica and Peru Discuss Ways to Strengthen Bilateral Relations

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 2, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica is in discussions with the Government of Peru to collaborate in areas such as destination marketing, gastronomy, sport and tourism resilience. This is being done to further strengthen bilateral relations between Jamaica and Peru.

Tourism Working Group Report to Help Shape New Architecture for Subsectors

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 28, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that findings from the just concluded Tourism Working Group (TWG) report are ready and will be used to help shape a new architecture for the tourism subsectors.

Jamaica Earns to date US$3.1 Billion with 3.4 Million in arrivals

KINGSTON, Jamaica; November 27, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that preliminary figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board indicate that the island has earned US$3.1 billion to date. The data also indicates that from January to October 2019, Jamaica welcomed 3.4 million visitors to the island.