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.

Speaking at today’s official launch at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said it was a first for Jamaica as “there is no other country in the world that has a comprehensive tourism workers pension plan.” While most other pension plans relate to different companies or entities, Jamaica’s Tourism Workers Pension Scheme embraces all workers, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders.

The TWPS, which had been in the making for 14 years, was rolled out with Guardian Life as Fund Administrators and Sagicor Group Jamaica as Fund Managers. More than half of the $1 billion seed money provided by the Government of Jamaica has already been disbursed to the scheme.

Emotionally recounting the genesis of the pension scheme, Minister Bartlett recalled that nearly 15 years ago at an annual breakfast with workers at the Norman Manley International Airport, at the start of a winter tourist season, “we saw a Red Cap porter who was 78 years old, still pushing the trolley with loads on it. I said, how long have you been doing this? He said 45 years. So I said, why are you still doing this after 45 years? And he said, if I don’t do this at this age, I will not be able to buy my medication; worse, I might not be able to buy my food.”

Minister Bartlett said he felt that “something is wrong with this picture, as nobody is supposed to be working in any industry, albeit the industry that I am leading, and is compelled at 78 to continue to push heavy loads because there is no recourse.”

Supported by the Tourism Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms. Jennifer Griffith, a resolution was made then that “we have to do something about it; we have to create a pension plan.”

Participants in the plan are protected by state legislation, with the Financial Services Commission managing the surveillance and regulatory framework to safeguard against breaches and unscrupulous behaviour. Also, a tourism worker is to be included on the TWPS Board of Trustees.

Minister Bartlett said the pension fund could become $1 trillion in ten years. He noted that, “this is not just a game-changer but a huge bit of economic initiative.”

He further explained that “a pension fund the size of what this is likely to be will create a body of capital that is going to change the ability of more people, more institutions to be able to create wealth.”

Also welcoming and lauding the fund as a game-changer was President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Mr. Clifton Reader; President of Guardian Life, Mr. Eric Hosin; EVP & Chief Investment Officer at Sagicor Group, Mr. Sean Newman; and Chairman of the TWPS Board of Trustees, Mr. Ryan Parkes.

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 is delighted to be returning to one of our industry's most eagerly anticipated annual gatherings. There are several investment opportunities in the works for Jamaica that I believe will have a significant impact on how we continue to recover from the effects of this pandemic," Bartlett said.

During his visit to Madrid, the Minister will meet with potential investors and key industry stakeholders. These include Robert Cabrera, owner of the Princess Resort, regarding a 2000-room development currently underway in Hanover; Diego Fuentes, Chairman and CEO of the Tourism Optimizer Platform; representatives of RIU Hotels & Resorts regarding a 700-room hotel in Trelawny as well as other investors to discuss major projects in the pipeline.

On Monday, January 17, he will attend a press conference hosted by Grupo Piñero to announce a strategic alliance between the Spanish tourism company, Bid Invest and Banco Popular Dominicano for the development and growth of tourism in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The Grupo Piñero-owned Bahia Principe, Jamaica’s largest resort, is considering a major expansion project.

Minister Bartlett will also meet with Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Massimo Garavaglia, Italian Minister of Tourism.

The Madrid tourism fair is the largest gathering of tourism professionals globally, as well as the leading fair for Latin America's receptive and issuing markets. It is also Spain's largest tourism event, with over 250,000 attendees from all over the world, in terms of innovation and promotion of new tourism segments, technological leadership in tourism management, and knowledge transfer tools.

This annual event, according to its organizers, has a 330 million euro economic impact, directly affecting the recovery of tourism and the revitalization of tourism-related sectors in Madrid.

While in Madrid, the Minister will also make several media appearances and meet with Spanish tour operators. He left the island on Saturday, January 15 and will return on Saturday, January 23.

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.

The agreement was possible as the three institutions share the belief that tourism can help local economies grow while simultaneously encouraging inclusive and sustainable tourism.

"Tourism is the world's fastest and most immediate convertible economic activity. Therefore, this particular action today is so critical to the development of the Caribbean and the world. A statement is being made here about how we create the debt rearrangement and the financial infusion to enable faster recovery. That fast recovery must not be irresponsible, and that’s why the elements that deal with sustainability and resilience are so important,” said Bartlett.

The funding will assist Grupo Piñero in moving forward with the reopening and start-up of our hotels, as well as provide a boost in this stage of recovery and post-pandemic growth. Similarly, a revitalization of tourism activity in a sustainable manner that, in turn, allows for the attainment of a balance in the economic, social, and environmental fields.

Bartlett commended the partners, noting that the alliance being formed will have positive returns for the people of Jamaica. He shared that public-private collaborations of this nature are very important to boost the sector's competitiveness and put tourism at the service of recovery in the most efficient way possible.

"I congratulate all the teams who are involved in this programme today. The recovery of tourism is going to be predicated on strong business responses — private-public partnerships that will enable sustainability, " said the Minister.

Among those in attendance were President of the Dominican Republic, Hon. Luis Abinader, the Dominican Republic's Minister of Tourism, Hon. David Collado; Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Piñero, owners of the Bahia Principe Hotels, Encarna Piñero and Senior Advisor and Strategist in Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright.

Grupo Piñero is a Spanish tourism group founded by Pablo Piñero in 1977. They have 27 hotels worldwide, including Bahia Principe Grand, which is the largest hotel in Jamaica.

Bartlett is leading a small team in Spain to participate in the highly anticipated annual international travel and tourism tradeshow, FITUR, in from January 19 to 23, 2022.

During his visit to Madrid, the Minister will meet with potential investors and key industry stakeholders. These include Robert Cabrera, owner of the Princess Resort, regarding a 2000-room development currently underway in Hanover; Diego Fuentes, Chairman and CEO of the Tourism Optimizer Platform; representatives of RIU Hotels & Resorts regarding a 700-room hotel in Trelawny as well as other investors to discuss major projects in the pipeline.

He will also make several media appearances and meet with Spanish tour operators. He left the island on Saturday, January 15 and will return on Saturday, January 23.

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.

"I was very pleased to learn that Bahia has appointed a Jamaican as their new country manager. This forms a critical part of the continued human resource thrust that we have been promoting at the Ministry of Tourism, to ensure that as many Jamaicans as possible will be in leadership positions within the sector, "said Bartlett.

"I wholeheartedly welcome Mr. Sang and wish him a successful tenure, which begins in the company's 15th year in Jamaica," he added.

The Minister made these remarks earlier today, during a meeting at his New Kingston offices. During the discussions with the executives from the hotel, he also highlighted the critical work being done by the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) to train hospitality workers to better meet the sector's needs, while also qualifying them to fill more leadership roles.

"As part of our commitment to building Jamaica's human capital, we developed a training arm called the JCTI, which has done an excellent job of enabling the training and certification of the hospitality industry's labour force. This is crucial for our tourism industry's continued growth and competitiveness," said Bartlett.

JCTI is a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), a public body of the Ministry of Tourism. Since the initiative began four years ago, over 8,000 Jamaican tourism workers have received professional certification. This has been made possible through strategic partnerships with the Human Employment and Resource Training/National Service Training Agency Trust (HEART/NSTA Trust), Universal Service Fund (USF), National Restaurants Association (NRA), and the AHLEI. Currently, 45 candidates are preparing for their culinary arts certification offered by the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

The meeting was attended by senior tourism officials, as well as a team from the Bahia Principe Resort, including the Chief Operating Officer, Antonio Teijeiro; Executive Director of Hotel Development and Innovation, Marcus Christiansen; outgoing Country Manager, Adolfo Fernández; Director of International Organization and Corporate Social Responsibility, Fabian Brown; and newly appointed Country Manager, Brian Sang.

Sang joins Bahia following a string of successful tenures and noteworthy eras in the hotel, tourism, and hospitality management industries. His most recent leadership role was as the Cluster General Manager for Blue Diamond Resort in St. Lucia.

The outgoing director, Adolfo Fernandez, assumed a new role in Spain within the group on January 6th, 2022.

Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts is a resort division of Grupo Piñero that began operations in 1995 with its first hotel in Rio San Juan on the Dominican Republic's northern coast. Grupo Piñero's Bahia Principe hotel chain also has properties in the Riviera Maya in Mexico and Spain in the Canaries and Balearic Islands.

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.

In the interview, which took place during the Ian King Live show, Bartlett highlighted that tourism is the driving force behind the island's economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have had three executive quarters of growth, starting with 13 per cent in the first quarter, 7.8 in the second and now we are at 5.8 in the third. Tourism has been the driver. We have had just a little over 1.6 million visitors for the year so far, and we earned a little over US$2 billion," said Bartlett.

He added that "more than 80,000 workers have returned to the industry since the recovery began, and the inter-linkages between tourism and the various sectors have grown and responded well.

During the interview, Bartlett also noted that, based on current trends, the industry is set to see pre-pandemic arrival figures by the end of next year.

"We are now at about 60% of our 2019 arrival figures. We expect that by the end of 2023, going into 2024, we should go back to our 2019 figures and then grow beyond that. This will allow us to reach the targets we have set for ourselves of 5 million visitors and earning US$5 million for the people of Jamaica," said the Minister.

Despite the prevalence of COVID-19 on the island, the Minister stated that the health and safety measures in place have effectively limited the virus's spread, particularly in high-traffic tourist areas.

The island has been able to do this by developing Tourism Resilience Corridors, which have a 0.1 per cent infection rate. The corridors span most of the island's tourism districts. This allows visitors to experience more of the country's distinctive offerings since the health authorities have authorised visits to several COVID-19-compliant attractions located along the corridors.

"The corridor is a bubble that enables visitors to enjoy the full extent of the experiences that they seek while preventing them from becoming involved in the wider community activities that may assist in spreading the virus. We have also established the Jamaica Cares programme, which is a significant initiative that provides an end-to-end security arrangement for the visitors and the protection of our locals, " he said. 

Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via a radio news service and online media. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast.

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. 

Sandals is currently carrying out over US$350 million in investments in Jamaica, with more to follow as it expands and upgrades several properties. 

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for High Grove Village, which was officially opened at Sandals Royal Caribbean, Montego Bay, yesterday (December 23), Minister Bartlett hailed Sandals founder, the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart saying he had left a legacy that was world-renowned and was playing a major role in making Jamaica stand out as the premier resort destination in the Caribbean.

“I think the legacy that “Butch” has left the world by way of this iconic and most aspirational addition to the tourism landscape, Sandals, is indeed in great hands, and I want to commend Adam and the team for carrying this legacy so well,” said Bartlett. He also highlighted Sandals moving forward with its development of high-end luxury products as “something that not only inspires us in the industry but gives us a great moment of delight and pride.”  

Minister Bartlett said arising from his promotional tours over the past six months, “We have detected an appetite for the Jamaican experience, and we’re also seeing a desire to engage Jamaican brands.”

Speaking on the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Bartlett said while there was a concern for emerging variants, there was so much more good news, including that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) at the University of the West Indies had received special recognition as the World’s Leading Tourism Initiative at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2021 held in Dubai last week. 

“This is a signature statement of how the tourism product in Jamaica has developed and how the intellectual and academic elements have come together to give us a quantum leap in terms of understanding how to manage disruptions and how to prepare ourselves for waves of disruptions such as pandemics,” said Minister Bartlett. He added that it was, therefore, necessary “to take note of what’s happening and to glory in what we’re doing rather than to be negative.”

Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart disclosed that “We are looking at over US$350 investment in Jamaica and that doesn’t include Dunn’s River Phase 2.” Current projects include expansion of Sandals Royal Caribbean with 84 rooms, including a 48-suite High Grove Village, officially opened yesterday. Additional investment is slated for next year on Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Negril and US$250 million on Beaches Runaway Bay.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 23, 2021: Jamaica has been downgraded from a Level 3 to a Level 2 designation by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in recognition of the country's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 effectively. This new classification places the destination in a risk category lower than that of more than 70 per cent of countries worldwide.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has expressed his delight at this new classification, noting that it will undoubtedly positively affect the number of visitors travelling to the island from the United States during the Winter Tourist Season.

"We are extremely proud that the CDC has once again lowered its COVID-19 Travel Recommendations ranking to a Level 2 ranking, indicating that COVID-19 contraction level is moderate. In recent months Jamaica has been classified at Level 3 (COVID-19 high), and Level 4 (COVID-19 very high) as many Caribbean islands and other countries are unfortunately still ranked today," said Bartlett.

"It is undoubtedly a show of confidence in the destination and the strict health and safety policies we have in place, particularly within the Tourism Resilience Corridors. I commend our health authorities and the Jamaican people for their efforts to reduce COVID-19 infection and hospitalisation rates, which bodes well for our risk assessment rankings," he added.

Under the CDC update, which was made yesterday, US citizens should be fully vaccinated before travelling to destinations which have the Level 2 designation. The CDC suggests that unvaccinated travellers who are at an increased risk of developing severe illnesses from COVID-19 should avoid unnecessary travel to these locations.

A Level 3 country, on the other hand, has a high COVID-19 prevalence, and travellers must ensure that they are fully vaccinated prior to travel. Unvaccinated travellers should abstain from unnecessary travel to these locations.

“We encourage visitors to continue to keep Jamaica in mind when making their vacation plans and to take comfort in the fact that their visit will be safe. With relatively high vaccination rates and extremely low infection rates, the island continues to be a very safe place for visitors and workers alike,” said Bartlett.

Jamaica is on track to receive over 1.5 million visitors by the end of 2021. With a strong start to the Winter Tourist Season, tourism officials also anticipate that the country will reach pre-pandemic levels of arrivals by the third quarter of 2023.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Wednesday, December 22, 2021: Against the background of tourism being the backbone of the recovering Jamaican economy, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has made an impassioned plea for the protection of the industry.

As the tourism industry strengthens its resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Bartlett said Jamaica had been recognized as one of the fastest recovering countries in the world and the fastest-growing tourism destination in the Caribbean.

Speaking today at a breakfast appreciation function for workers at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (SIA), Minister Bartlett noted that there were ominous signs of COVID-19 variants and made an impassioned appeal for everyone to safeguard the industry and the national economy by helping to manage the pandemic by getting vaccinated and following the safety protocols.

“I have travelled to more than ten of the largest and most important destinations for tourism as well as for trade and international financing in the last six months and in every instance the message is the same, vaccinate,” he said.

At the same time, the tourism industry was resisting “spouting gloom and doom about the industry with every strain of the virus that comes along because we have been through a few already and in each instance, the industry has bounced back and we have seen even stronger growth.”

Minister Bartlett underscored that tourism was the catalyst driving economic activities across all sectors. “Because tourism is such a huge driver of consumption, it energizes all the productive sectors across the country,” he noted while citing as an example the construction boom in real estate that is being driven the Airbnb tourism subsector.

With tourism doing its part in bringing in the visitors and creating the demand, Minister Bartlett urged the productive sector to do their part in meeting the supply side.

“It is not our job to make sure we are supplying those needs that the visitor has; manufacturers must manufacture what the industry wants, agriculture must provide the agricultural needs; it is not the industry’s responsibility to do that, our job is to bring the visitors here and we do that,” he affirmed.

The Tourism Minister said, “Our records show that the last five days after the start of the winter season have been absolutely phenomenal for us.” He agreed with Chief Executive Officer of MBJ Airports Ltd., Shane Munroe that Jamaica was now seeing pre-COVID-19 arrivals.

Mr. Munroe noted that for the 13^th consecutive year Sangster International Airport, with over 8,000 workers and more than 80 percent of businesses there owned by Jamaicans, had been voted the number one airport in the Caribbean by the World Travel Awards – the leading authority that recognizes and rewards excellence in travel and tourism.

Mr. Munroe said by direct input, “this airport has pumped over US$200 million into the local Jamaican economy.”

As MBJ continues to make significant investments, the MBJ Airports CEO said a new project was coming on stream shortly to expand the departure retail area “with 50 percent more retail space, better seating, natural lighting and an overall improvement in the passenger experience.”

Joining Minister Bartlett and Mr. Munroe in celebrating the airport workers for their tremendous support were Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Mrs. Jennifer Griffith; Director of Tourism, Mr. Donovan White; and Jamaica Tourist Board Regional Director, Mrs. Odette Dyer.

Chief Operations Officer of MBJ Airports Ltd., Peter Hall headed the list of workers receiving special awards for their contribution to the success and smooth operation of visitors passing through the Montego Bay airport.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 17, 2021:  Jamaica secured several major accolades yesterday (December 16) during a special World Travel Awards Winners Day presentation in Dubai. Jamaica was named the 'World's Leading Cruise Destination,' 'World's Leading Family Destination,' and 'World's Leading Wedding Destination' for 2021 by the World Travel Awards, the global authority that recognizes and honours excellence in travel and tourism.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett was on hand to accept the coveted awards. “It is an honour for Jamaica to receive these accolades, which represents the strength and resilience of our tourism sector. It has indeed been a challenging two years, but we have risen above the adversities, using creative means to ensure that destination Jamaica remains top of mind in the travel market. All our hardworking stakeholders have toiled together and it is wonderful that Jamaica and our industry leaders are being recognised in this way by such an esteemed organization,” said the Minister. 

Several Jamaican based tourism entities also secured major awards as Sandals Resorts International was named ‘World's Leading All-Inclusive Company,’ while its Beaches Resorts secured the title of ‘World's Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort Brand.’ Island Routes Caribbean Adventures was also named ‘World's Leading Caribbean Attraction Company.’

Fleming Villa at GoldenEye has been named the ‘World's Leading Luxury Hotel Villa.’ Round Hill Hotel & Villas has been dubbed the ‘World's Leading Villa Resort.’ The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), based at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica, secured the award for the ‘World's Leading Tourism Initiative.’

In the buildup to the Winners Day Jamaica was recently named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Destination,’ ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination,’ the ‘Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination,’ and the ‘Caribbean's Leading Nature Destination’ for 2021, while the Jamaica Tourist Board was named the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board.’

Several Jamaican tourism entities also secured major awards including Club Mobay at Sangster International Airport, which has been named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Airport Lounge’ for 2021 while Sangster International Airport has been named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Airport.’

The Historic Naval Dock in Port Royal has been named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Tourism Development Project’; Port of Montego Bay selected ‘Caribbean's Leading Home Port’; and Port of Falmouth voted ‘Caribbean's Leading Cruise Port.’ Dunn’s River Falls was named the ‘Caribbean's Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction.’

The World Travel Awards was founded in 1993 to recognize, reward, and celebrate achievement in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognized worldwide as the pinnacle of industry achievement. This year, the World Travel Awards marks its 28th anniversary, and its annual conference is widely regarded as the most prominent and thorough in the field. Each year, the World Travel Awards Grand Tour travels worldwide, recognizing excellence in each continent through a series of regional gala ceremonies that culminate in a Grand Final at the end of the year.

1.6 Million Visitors and US$ 2 billion in earnings Projected by Yearend

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 14, 2021:  Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says data indicates that the island is set to have a strong Winter Tourist Season, with a steady inflow of tourists, which should enable the destination to end 2021 with an excellent showing of 1.6 million visitors and over US$2 billion in earnings.

“I am delighted to announce that our research shows that Jamaica will have a strong and lucrative Winter Tourist Season. I am extremely grateful that despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our tourism industry is showing rapid signs of recovery. Hotels and attractions have reopened, most of our tourism workers are back on the job, and visitor arrivals continue to surge,” said Minister Bartlett. 

The season, which begins on December 15, should see similar occupancy levels to 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the island), with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) projecting an average of 65 per cent occupancy in hotels across the island. Based on recent data, the demand for Jamaica is also 38 per cent of 2019, against the world demand of 24 per cent.

According to data secured via GDS – the platform travel agents use to book travel – Jamaica is currently at 61 per cent of 2019 levels compared to 28 per cent globally, for international air passengers.

“This turnaround would not be possible without the united approach taken by our committed tourism stakeholders, both within the public and private sectors, who have worked tirelessly to get tourism back on track. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to our dedicated frontline workers, hoteliers, ground transportation providers, craft vendors, attractions and airport workers, and the many others who have contributed to tourism’s recovery,” said the Minister. 

Bartlett also disclosed that his Ministry is focused on harnessing tourism’s full potential to advance Jamaica’s economic recovery by reimagining the industry using the Tourism Blue Ocean Strategy as a guide.

“Our approach to shift our focus away from head-on competition and instead redraw industry boundaries and operate within that new space will help us to meet our growth targets of five million visitors, five billion dollars in earnings and five thousand new rooms by 2025,” he said. 

“We are redefining the industry around products and interactive experiences. In addition to making music a more prominent and inclusive part of the visitor experience, we are creating programs to get more visitors out of hotels to enjoy community-based experiences. We are strengthening the links between tourism and other productive sectors and extending the benefits of tourism to communities across the island. This will allow more Jamaicans to benefit from tourism,” he added. 

Several major investments in the tourism product will further fuel the sector’s recovery. “New and existing investors are set to spend close to US$2 billion over the next two years, which will result in the addition of 7,500 new rooms and more than 20,000 full-time and part-time jobs,” the Minister outlined.