Government of Jamaica

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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 (centre) shares a light moment with Country Manager of Flow Jamaica, Stephen Price and Chief Executive Officer of Flow’s parent company, Liberty Latin America (LLA), Balan Nair who welcomed him on arrival at the Rose Hall Great House for LLA’s recent Board meeting wrap up dinner, at which the minister was guest speaker.

Bartlett Welcomes Flow’s Plan to Invest US$550 Million to Boost Connectivity

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, October 9, 2023: An announced plan by Flow to invest half a billion US dollars in Jamaica over the next three years, has been welcomed by Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett as a boost to connectivity and tourism development locally.
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Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (centre) gesticulates as he experiences the EON RX Platform virtual reality visual of setting up a kitchen, at the launch of a partnership arrangement between SCU and EON Reality for the virtual training of Sandals Resorts Caribbean employees, at Sandals Royal Plantation Resort in Ocho Rios. He is flanked by Executive Chairman, Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart (left) and Co-Founder and President of EON Reality, Mats Johannson.

Innovative AI Training Platform Gives Tourism Sector Competitive Edge

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica; Friday, October 6, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has hailed as transformational the move by local grown resort chain, Sandals Resorts International, to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to train its employees, through the use of virtual and augmented reality.
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S Hotel and Jamaica Inn Cop Condé Nast Traveller Top 10 Rankings

Kingston, Jamaica; Wednesday, October 4, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has extended heartfelt congratulations to two of Jamaica's renowned hotels, S Hotel Jamaica and Jamaica Inn, for their exceptional achievements in the prestigious Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards for 2023.
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Tourism Sector Records 10th Consecutive Quarter of Growth

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, October 3, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the tourism sector has recorded another remarkable quarter of growth. Citing preliminary figures from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) Mr. Bartlett said, “the economic performance figures for the third quarter of the year show that Jamaica continues to shine as a premier destination, with significantly increasing stopover arrivals and earnings.”
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Icelandic Investors Eyeing Health and Wellness Tourism Opportunities

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, October 3, 2023: The performance of the island’s vibrant tourism sector continues to attract the attention of global investors as a team from Iceland will be visiting Jamaica in January 2024, to examine luxury tourism opportunities as well as the potential of the island’s health and wellness tourism offerings, through its spas.
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Over 300 students from some 22 Tourism Action Club (TAC) schools islandwide were all smiles as they enjoyed a live performance during the Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) Youth Forum held on World Tourism Day (WTD) - September 27, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The week is being observed from September 24 – 30 under the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) theme for WTD – “Tourism and Green Investments,” which highlights the need to focus on investing in people, planet and prosperity.

TAW 2023 Youth Forum Hailed as a Major Success

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, September 29, 2023: The highly anticipated Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2023 Youth Forum has been hailed as a “major success,” as the event saw strong support from hundreds of students and teachers from across the island. Over 300 Tourism Action Club (TAC) members attended the event, which was held on World Tourism Day (WTD) - September 27, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
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