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

Minister Bartlett Signs Montego Bay Declaration in Geneva

KINGSTON Jamaica; December 19, 2017: Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett and the outgoing Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Dr. Taleb Rifai today (December 19, 2017) signed the Montego Bay Declaration which will chart the course forward for a sustainable tourism world agenda.

Spirit Airlines to Launch More Flights to Montego Bay in 2018

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 19, 2017: American low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has announced the addition of flights to Montego Bay, Jamaica from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Maryland, USA. The carrier is scheduled to start service the service on March 22, 2018.

Bartlett to Present the Montego Bay Declaration at UNWTO Conference in Switzerland

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 17, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett travels to Geneva, Switzerland today (December 17, 2017) , to present the recently unveiled Montego Bay Declaration, to delegates attending the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Closing Ceremony for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.

2017 ‘Dream Year for Jamaica’, says Bartlett

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica, Monday, December 11, 2017: On the eve of the country welcoming four million visitors for the first time in its history, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has declared 2017 to be “a dream year for Jamaica.”

Ryerson University Wins Inaugural Jamaica Community Tourism Innovation Challenge Award

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; November 30, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett yesterday (November 29, 2017) announced Canadian university, Ryerson, as the first-ever winner of the Jamaica Community Tourism Innovation Challenge Award.

PM Holness Commits to Local Tourism Development

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Wednesday, November 29, 2017: Prime Minister Andrew Holness has given an unqualified commitment to the development of tourism in Jamaica.