Jamaica Expected to Earn US$5 Billion from Hotel Rooms to be Constructed

• Jamaica is projected to earn more than US$5Bn in direct foreign exchange inflows from visitor occupancy of approximately 8,000 rooms slated for construction over the next two to five years.
• Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says over 24,000 new jobs are also expected to be generated by the developments, valued approximately US$2Bn, which are either underway or slated to commence shortly.
• “It will be the largest expansion of tourism in the history of the industry [in Jamaica],” Mr. Bartlett further indicated, during a recent media briefing at Gordon House, in downtown Kingston.
• The programmed activities include the 2,000-room Princess Hotel in Hanover from which the first 1,000 rooms will be ready by 2023, the 260-room Sandals Dunn’s River development in Ocho Rios, St. Ann and the new 700-room RIU Hotel being constructed in Falmouth, Trelawny.
• There are also a number of smaller projects being completed by smaller hotels and villas that are locally owned. Mr. Bartlett highlighted that the villa subsector “is growing leaps and bounds.”
• These developments are helping to change the clientele demographic visiting Jamaica, attract more families, and offer a lot more engagement with communities. This is expected to further boost Jamaica’s tourism product and the sector’s contribution to growth and employment.

(Source: JIS News)