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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.

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Workers Joyful as Royalton Negril Reopens Amid Wider Tourism Recovery

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.

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TEF Invests $10 million in 2018 International Coastal Cleanup Day Activities

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 17, 2018: The Tourism Enhancement (TEF) has invested approximately $10 million in this year’s International Coastal Cleanup Day initiative, which is spearheaded locally by Jamaica Environment Trust (JET).

Bartlett Lauds Travel Agents as Valued Tourism Partners

OCHO RIOS, St Ann, Jamaica, September 17, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has lauded travel agents as “true partners for Jamaica” as the destination consistently attains record visitor arrivals, especially over the past two years.

“Tourism is a Culture not an Industry” – Bartlett

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 14, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett urged more Jamaicans to embrace tourism as a cultural asset, in order to improve the growth of the tourism industry as well as the country’s earnings.

Prime Minister Holness Calls for Synergies to Build Tourism Resilience

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 13, 2018: Speaking to the nearly 200 delegates attending the Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness challenged them to commit to finding common solutions to tourism resilience through synergies to reduce the risks and diminish the threats to the tourism industry.

Bartlett: “Best Summer ever!”

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 05, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the island experienced record-breaking stopover arrivals from May to August this year, with provisional estimates showing stopover arrivals up by 6 percent, over the same period last year.

Tourism Ministry Invests $53 Million in 2018 Summer Internship Programmes

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 03, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry provided temporary employment for approximately 2000 youths this year, at a cost of $53 million, through summer internship programmes at the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo). This was the largest number of interns to ever participate in the programmes.

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