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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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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Rocky Point Beach to Kick-Start St. Thomas Tourism Transformation

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 11, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett yesterday (April 10) met with key officials to advance discussions on the much-anticipated development of St. Thomas as the next tourism frontier. The move is in keeping with Government’s commitment to transforming the eastern parish into one of the premier sustainable destinations in the world.

JCTI BULLISH ON CERTIFICATION

Kingston, Jamaica; April 08, 2022: This year, the Jamaica Centre of Tourist Innovation is raising public awareness of its certification programmes, with a particular focus on the Hotel and Tourism Management Programme for high schools, in order to prepare the incoming workforce to better satisfy the emerging expectations of the tourism and hospitality industry.

TEF PAVES THE WAY TO RECOVERY WITH BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING AND TRAINING

Kingston, Jamaica: Friday April 08, 2022: A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) project is being developed by the Ministry of Tourism and its public body, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), to provide a systematic method for planning, executing, managing, and developing a business continuity management system in compliance with ISO 22301:2019, the Business Continuity Management System standard.

Post-COVID-19 Tourism Investment & Arrivals Boom

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 6, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has painted a picture of Jamaica’s tourism industry as a sector booming with investment and arrivals as it emerges stronger and more resilient from the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

American Airlines to Introduce Flights to Ian Fleming International Airport

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 31, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has welcomed a major decision by American Airlines to introduce twice weekly non-stop flights out of USA Miami gateways to the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, commencing November this year.

Small Enterprises Gross $700M From Tourism Linkages’ Speed Networking Event

MONTEGO BAY, St James; Friday April 1, 2022: Since 2016, the Ministry of Tourism’s Speed Networking Event, organized by the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN), has generated over $700 million in business between local small and medium enterprises.