Foreign Investments
• The industry continued to attract significant investor interest from leading global hotel brands, with the out-turn for Foreign Direct Investments for the year poised to climb to a record US$470 million, up from US$100 million.
More Rooms, Enhanced Attractions
Hotel Rooms
• Some 1,004 new or refurbished rooms were added to Jamaica’s stock:
• R Hotel in Kingston – 58
• AC Marriott in Kingston – 220
• S Hotel in Montego Bay – 124
• Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay – 57
• Ocean Coral Spring by H10 Hotels in Trelawny – 500
• Riu Ocho Rios – 45 Artisan Village
Beach Development
• Ground was broken for the development of the $1.3 billion state-of-the-art Closed Harbour Beach Park in Montego Bay.
• The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has contributed $700 million towards funding this major 16-acre development, being undertaken in partnership with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC).
‘Carnival in Jamaica’
• Last year’s carnival saw a record 8.4 per cent increase in the number of visitors participating, as some 50,000 revellers took to the streets of Kingston.
Housing
• Ground was broken to construct more than 754 affordable housing units in the Rhyne Park area of St. James for tourism workers. The project is a joint venture between the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) and the China-based firm, Henan Fifth Construction Group.
Global Impact UNWTO Commission
• Jamaica was elected Chair of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas for the 2019-2021 biennium.
International Awards
• Minister Bartlett copped the inaugural Chairman’s Award for Global Tourism Innovation.
• The Jamaica Tourist Board won the Best Tourist Board in the Caribbean award.
• Jamaica won the Best Wedding Destination, Best Honeymoon Destination and Best Culinary Destination Awards.
• Minister Bartlett was awarded the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) Tourism Minister of the Year for Sustainable Tourism.
• Jamaica copped the PATWA International Travel Award for Destination of the Year.
TripAdvisor
• Jamaica was listed in renowned travel website – TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Best Destinations in the World for 2019. The island was ranked 14th on the TripAdvisor® Travellers’ Choice™ Awards’ ‘World’s Best Destinations’, and the Best Destination in the Caribbean lists.
• Negril’s Seven-Mile Beach was named the 10th Best Beach in the World and the Fifth Best Beach in TripAdvisor® Travellers’ Choice™ Awards’ for Beaches.
RJRGleaner Award
• The Tourism Minister was also awarded the RJR Gleaner Hospitality Jamaica 2019 Pioneer Award.