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

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.

All News Releases

New Short Route Available For Rafting On The Rio Grande

Kingston, Jamaica: September 08, 2017….The Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo), the agency with responsibility for managing the Rio Grande Attraction in Portland, has implemented a new ninety-minute rafting trip on the world-famous Rio Grande River, in addition to the legacy trip of two or three hours.

Minister Bartlett Mourns Passing of Hotelier Pablo Piñero

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 3, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed deep sadness at the passing of Pablo Piñero, the president and founder of the Grupo Piñero company – which includes mega-hotel Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts.

Tourism Earns US$2 Billion in Gross Foreign Exchange for First Eight Months of 2017

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 30, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has disclosed that the country earned a record US$2 Billion during the first eight months of this calendar year from 2.8 million visitors.

Airbnb First Platinum Sponsor for Tourism Global Conference

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 24, 2017: Online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb has committed approximately J$8.3 million to the Government of Jamaica, towards the staging of the UNWTO, GOJ, World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism.

World Travel and Tourism Council to Collaborate With Jamaica for Global Conference

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 22, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is to collaborate with the Government of Jamaica in the staging United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, being held in November at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

Jamaica To Be Number One Destination For British Tourists In Caribbean

London, United Kingdom – August 9, 2017: Headlining a packed dinner with United Kingdom (UK) Travel Industry executives in London, Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett charged them to increase to 250,000 the number of UK stopover tourist arrivals to Jamaica, thereby exceeding Barbados as the leading Caribbean destination for British visitors.

Contact Information

64 Knutsford Boulevard,
Kingston 5, Jamaica

(876) 920-4926-30

info@mot.gov.jm