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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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Bartlett Remembers Robert Hendricks As A Tourism Pioneer

Montego Bay, Jamaica, Friday, December 29, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has paid tribute to the late Robert Hendricks, describing him as one of the pillars of Jamaica’s post-independence tourism industry. Mr. Hendricks was the owner of Caribbean World Enterprises, a destination management company in St. James.

Biggest Winter Tourist Season in Jamaica’s History Expected

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, December 15, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has welcomed today’s start of the 2023/24 winter tourist season with the expectation that for the first time in the industry’s history, there will be over one million stopover travellers for the season.

Bartlett Congratulates Sandals on Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards

Kingston, Jamaica; Friday, December 15, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has extended heartfelt congratulations to Sandals Resorts International for their outstanding wins at the 21st annual Travel Weekly Readers' Choice Awards. The black-tie gala, held on December 13 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, saw Sandals Resorts clinching two prestigious awards in the highly competitive Best in Hotel Chains category, securing top honours for Best in the Caribbean and Best All-Inclusive.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (left) and President of Blue Diamond Resorts, Jordi Pelfort (centre) join Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness in cutting the ribbon to officially declare open the 352-room, Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters, in Trelawny, on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

Prime Minister Calls for Further Boost in Arrivals and Strengthening of Linkages

FALMOUTH, Trelawny; Thursday, December 14, 2023: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has challenged the Ministry of Tourism to work closely with tourism partners to significantly boost tourist arrivals and strengthen linkages with other sectors, in particular agriculture.

Jamaica Set to Record 4.1 million Visitors and US$4.3 Billion in Earnings for 2023

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, December 12, 2023: With a record winter tourist season on the horizon, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced that the island is set to eclipse its growth projections for visitor arrivals and tourism earnings for 2023, based on the robust growth trajectory of Jamaica's vibrant tourism industry.

Jamaica Wins Tourism Awards in Dubai, as Bartlett Presents Resilience Awards

Kingston, Jamaica; Monday, December 4, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, on the weekend received two major awards for Jamaica from the prestigious World Travel Awards, which is in its 30th year, at the landmark Burj Al Arab in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Minister Bartlett also as Founder and Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), a thinktank based in Jamaica, handed out five Global Tourism Resilience Awards to two major Middle East corporations and three countries.

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