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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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: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett receives the Global Destination of the Year award from Yatan Ahluwalia, Secretary General, PATWA. Sharing in the moment are (l-r) Delano Seiveright, Senior Strategist and Advisor, Ministry of Tourism and Chevannes Barragan De Luz, Business Development Manager, Continental Europe.

Jamaica Awarded Global Destination of the Year

BERLIN; Germany; Thursday March 7, 2024: Jamaica has been named Global Destination of the Year at the renowned travel trade show, ITB in Berlin. The award was presented yesterday by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA). The PATWA is a nonprofit international media organization of travel writers founded in 1999 and the awards seek to recognize organizations, destinations/brands and individuals achieving the highest standards in their field.

Minister Bartlett to Attend ITB Travel Convention in Berlin

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, March 5, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has departed the island to participate in the 2024 staging of ITB Berlin, the world's largest travel tradeshow. With over 50 years of global recognition, ITB Berlin stands as a pivotal platform for the international tourism industry, fostering networking and facilitating knowledge exchange.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett gesticulates as he renews his call for a special tip to fund tourism resilience initiatives, as he addressed the 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference, which was held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from February 16-17, 2024.

Bartlett Renews Call for Special Tip to Finance Global Tourism Resilience Fund

Montego Bay, Jamaica; Wednesday, February 21, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has renewed his call for visitors across the world to be asked to support the financing of tourism resilience initiatives via a special tip. While urging the international community to urgently unite to establish a Global Tourism Resilience Fund, Minister Bartlett outlined that “the money collected in each destination from this tip would contribute to the fund and aid in boosting tourism resilience.”

UN Tourism Secretary-General, His Excellency Zurab Zurab Pololikashvili addresses the 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference, emphasising the need for increased focus to be placed on boosting job creation and sustainable investments aimed at building tourism resilience, especially for small countries.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Outlines Plans to Boost Job Creation in the Caribbean

Montego Bay, Jamaica; Tuesday, February 20, 2024: UN Tourism Secretary-General H.E. Zurab Pololikashvili has outlined plans to boost job creation and investment in the Caribbean’s tourism industry. Mr. Pololikashvili was a keynote speaker during the just concluded 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

UN Tourism Partners with Newly Rebranded Global Tourism Resilience Centre

Montego Bay, Jamaica; Monday, February 19, 2024: Jamaica’s position as a leader in tourism resilience building has been further bolstered following the announcement that UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) has forged a major partnership with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), which is being rebranded as the Global Tourism Resilience Centre (GTRC). It was also outlined that UN Tourism will continue to partner with Destination Jamaica in hosting the Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference moving forward.

Minister Bartlett to Launch New Book on Global Tourism Resilience Day 2024

Montego Bay, Jamaica; Thursday, February 15, 2024: As preparations intensify ahead of the start of the 2nd Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from February 16-17, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced the launch of a new book on Day 2 of the event entitled, "Decoding the Future of Tourism Resilience.” The conference, which is being hosted in collaboration with UN Tourism (formerly the United Nations World Tourism Organization, UNWTO) and the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), also aligns with the first anniversary of the United Nations’ official declaration of February 17 as Global Tourism Resilience Day annually.

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