MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, April 7, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS) is set to accumulate $10 billion in savings by the end of 2027, adding that $2 billion will be used as seed money to create a special Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) to help safeguard the health of workers in the tourism industry.
Making the announcement at the reopening of the 57 luxury rooms and suites at the Eclipse boutique property at the Half Moon Resort, Minister Bartlett sought to assure tourism workers “that a new era is dawning for you.” He said the health scheme will be for every worker in the tourism industry.
“In addition, we are going to look at the laws and how to amend them to allow for a portion of your contribution to go directly to that fund, so that fund continues to accrete as it is managed, and you will be able to have social security on the part of retirement on the one hand, and social security on the part of health care on a constant basis on the other hand,” he explained.
Minister Bartlett also outlined that some 800 hotel workers are back on the job with the reopening of the Bahia Principe Hotel in Runaway Bay, St. Ann, which was forced to close in the wake of damage inflicted by Hurricane Melissa last year. He also disclosed that “despite the impact of Melissa, Jamaica ended 2025 with total visitor arrivals of 3.7 million, comprising 2.6 million stop over visitors and 1.1 million cruise passengers, generating an estimated US$4.09 billion in earnings for Jamaica.”
In keeping with a bold new vision articulated by the Ministry of Tourism to reimagine the sector with stronger infrastructure, expanded all-inclusive offerings, a renewed focus on destination assurance and a pivot to luxury, Minister Bartlett said the reopening of the Eclipse signaled the start of the pivot to luxury accommodation.
With some 200 rooms at Half Moon, and another 664 rooms at Bahia Principe brought back to the inventory on Wednesday, Minister Bartlett said: “The real importance of this recovery is one key word, jobs” which provides income and ultimately “means that the economy of Jamaica will come back to life and our well-being and prosperity will be secured again.”
Citing that Jamaica must remain a leader in recovery and resilience, Minister Bartlett said: “We must not be merely building back, we must be building forward with energy and with strength. We must build with a new, radical purpose.”
He posited that: “We stand today at the defining crossroads for Jamaican tourism. We are no longer simply recovering from the storms of the past, whether economic or natural. Instead, we are reimagining by the very DNA of our industry.”
Minister Bartlett also announced that plans are being concretized with the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to break ground for 2,250 houses for tourism workers in Grange Pen, St. James, adding to the 1,500 for which ground has already been broken with the National Housing Trust (NHT) and WIHCON as contractors. “So, just within your space, you will have pretty close to 4,000 houses for the workers of the tourism industry,” he said while addressing Eclipse workers.
