Durrant Pate/Contributor

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is announcing that Jamaica’s tourism product is now in the best shape it has ever been, scoring major successes last year in 25 tourism initiatives.

Making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives Tuesday afternoon, Bartlett declared, “These 25 major successes demonstrate that we are transforming, innovating, and delivering. Jamaica stands as a global exemplar of what tourism can achieve when guided by vision, strategy, and inclusive purpose.”

Among the major successes is improvement in the enhanced tourism retention rate, which moved from 30% to 40.8% through expanded local linkages. This is significantly above the regional average of 10-30%.

Historic tourism investments

Minister Bartlett also spoke about the historic resort investment surge, whereby over US$3 billion has been either invested or committed, including H10 Ocean Coral Spring (1,000+ rooms), RIU Aquarelle (753 rooms) and the Princess Grand & Senses (1,005 rooms). This also includes upcoming developments from Unico, Hard Rock, Moon Palace, and others targeting 20,000 new rooms over 10 years.

Turning to the matter of the cruise sector rebound, the minister pointed to the over 1.1 million cruise passengers in 2024, marking full recovery with inaugural visits from Disney Treasure and Celebrity Ascent. He cited successes with Carnival in Jamaica, where the capital city is being established as the global Carnival capital, generating over J$5 billion in 2025 and attracting thousands of international revellers.

Airbnb and Short-Term Rental Integration have been hugely successful with the signing of the 2016 MOU, leading to formal sector inclusion with hosts earning J$32 billion in 2024 via 840,000 guest stays. Also in the successful column is the EXIM Bank–TEF SMTE Loan Programme, where J$2.48 billion was disbursed to 509 small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs), supporting resilience and business expansion.

The Tourism Innovation Incubator was also successful in the allocation of a J$100 million programme supporting entrepreneurs, with applications growing 550% in 2024, demonstrating exceptional youth engagement.

Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme

Minister Bartlett boasted about the Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme, in which Jamaica is the first country in the world to have a dedicated workers’ pension scheme, which was launched in 2022, covering workers aged 18-59. At present, the scheme has over 10,000 members and J$4 billion in contributions.

Bartlett spoke about the over a dozen public beaches that have been developed or are being upgraded, featuring standout facilities like Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay. The Montego Bay Convention Centre Revitalisation came in for recognition having consistently been ranked the island’s top Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) facility, hosting UN Tourism events, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), and major global meetings.

Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) and Urban Renewal Projects were also recognised for their successes. In terms of ALEX, the Tourism Minister reported that the digital platform linking over 2,000 small farmers directly with hotels has achieved over J$1.2 billion in sales to date.

In terms of Urban Renewal Projects, the Artisan Village at Falmouth, Eastern Kingston Promenade, St Thomas Destination Development Plan, and upgrades in Falmouth and Ocho Rios were cited.