Durrant Pate/Contributor

News has come that two more large hotel developments are coming to Western Jamaica and will be aligned to the Ministry of Tourism’s new ‘Local First’ tourism policy.

Sources say the two developments are now at the approval stage, and nothing more will be said until this stage is completed; then a formal announcement will be made on groundbreaking and other intimate details. In the meantime, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is signalling that a new project for Paradise in Westmoreland is being positioned to be among Jamaica’s most luxurious properties. 

Brand partners and full details will be disclosed after final administrative steps are completed, and talks the ministry says have largely concluded. The project forms part of the current premium pipeline, now moving through the approval stage, with the ministry reporting more than US$3.5 billion in groundbreakings across the last three months.

Montego Bay showing renewed impetus

This includes the completion of phase one and the start of phase two for the Vista Montego Bay Resort on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard, which totals about US$100 million and will include a 468-room complex across three towers plus supporting buildings with dining and retail. The development called Vista Ambassador sits on the former Miranda Hill hotel site, and is being advanced by C&H Property with Money Masters Real Estate Investment Fund. 

Tourism blog Travel and Tour World (TTW) reports that city leadership say the plan is aligned with broader urban renewal work in the municipality. Montego Bay continues to attract large private capital due to airlift, established hospitality brands and public investment in visitor infrastructure. 

The Vista Montego Bay expansion adds to that trend, while the ‘Local First’ policy, which aims to lift participation by small suppliers and nearby neighbourhoods, so that the city’s tourism growth broadens local income streams. With ‘Local First’ in place, the ministry expects new resorts to source more from Jamaican firms and to support skills programmes that raise earnings for locals who join the sector. 

‘Local First’ set to drive future growth

‘Local First’ is being reinforced through procurement and reporting rules that track how resorts engage local suppliers and workers thereby benefitting local communities throughout the island. ‘Local First’ will also guide how the ministry engages with visitors and more directly with investors.

Under this policy, investors will be expected to form structured links with communities, creating steady demand for local goods and services and better quality jobs for Jamaicans. This approach builds on the ministry’s community tourism framework that aims to spread earnings, improve infrastructure, and deepen linkages with small firms.

By asking investors to partner with nearby communities, ‘Local First’ is designed to push more tourism spending into local agriculture, manufacturing, transport, and cultural services. The policy sits alongside long-running government work to grow community tourism, which the ministry has said should deliver jobs and local business growth while keeping the visitor experience authentic. 

Pairing ‘Local First’ to broader sustainability goals 

The government has tied ‘Local First’ to broader sustainability goals. Resort designs are now expected to integrate eco-smart architecture, renewable energy solutions and climate resilience features, thereby reducing long-term environmental risks, offering global visitors a modern hospitality product. 

This supports Jamaica’s wider commitment under Vision 2030 to balance growth with sustainability. Training programs are being developed in partnership with local institutions so that workers can move into higher-skill and better-paid roles in management, technology, and green operations.