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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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MINISTERS OF HEALTH & TOURISM VIDEO CONFERENCE TOURISM INDUSTRY, FRANK DISCUSSIONS HAD

March 16, 2020 – Kingston, Jamaica – Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton and other senior Government officials hosted a video conference call with over 30 Hotel Executives inclusive of the leadership of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) last night (Sunday March 15) to get frank and detailed sector specific situation analyses in light of COVID-19.

Bartlett appoints Coordinator of Pandemics for Global Resilience Centre

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has appointed Dr. Elaine Williams as Coordinator of Pandemics at the Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM). Dr. Williams, who is a well-known pathologist, will be working with key stakeholders in health to build clinical resilience in the industry.

Protocols Established for Management of COVID-19 in Jamaican Tourism Entities

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry has established measures that should be adopted by all tourism entities, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Tourism Ministry to Postpone All Public Activities in March

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2020: The Ministry of Tourism wishes to advise the public that all previously advertised activities for March have been postponed, until further notice.

Bartlett announces March 27 date for Registration of the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 2, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that registration for the historical and highly anticipated Tourism Workers Pension Scheme will begin on March 27, 2020.

Bartlett hails $20B Housing Project for hotel workers

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, Monday, February 24, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has hailed the partnership with his Ministry and the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) which is set to yield a $20 billion housing project for tourism workers in St James.

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