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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Bartlett Hails Tourism Workers Pension Scheme as a Historic First

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Wednesday, January 12, 2022: Jamaica’s tourism industry recorded a historic worldwide first today with the launch of the long-awaited Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS), which will benefit hundreds of thousands of persons, directly and indirectly, employed in the industry.

Minister Bartlett to Participate in Major Global Tourism Fair, FITUR

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 17, 2021: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will attend the highly anticipated annual international travel and tourism tradeshow, FITUR, in Madrid, Spain, from January 19 to 23, 2022.

Jamaica’s Largest Hotel To Benefit From US$200 Million Investment

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 17, 2022: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, today in Madrid, Spain spoke at the official launch of a strategic alliance between international tourism giant Grupo Piñero which owns Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group private sector arm, IDB Invest, and Banco Popular Dominicano to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth through tourism in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. The agreement will result in an investment of US$200 million in Grupo Pinero’s Bahia resorts in both countries.

Bartlett Lauds Bahia Principe on the Appointment of its First Jamaican Country Manager

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 11, 2022: Jamaica's largest hotel, Bahia Principe, has announced the appointment of Brian Sang as its first Jamaican Country Manager. The news was welcomed by Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett who noted that the announcement is in keeping with his Ministry's goal of having more Jamaicans in leadership roles within the sector.

Bartlett Promotes Jamaica's Tourism Industry During Sky News Interview

KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 07, 2022: Jamaica's Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett was today interviewed on the UK's Sky News , one of the largest news organizations in the world , to discuss the island's COVID-19 recovery efforts and impressive Winter Tourist Season figures.

Minister Bartlett Lauds New Sandals Investment

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; December 24, 2021: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has hailed a multi-million US dollar investment by Sandals Resorts International as the kind of positive development that needs to be highlighted amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.