The Jamaica government says the island will be recording the “largest wave of tourism development and expansion” in its history as it announced plans for the development of a sustainable framework and strategy for the sector.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told Parliament on Tuesday that the aim of the strategy is to enhance the resilience of the industry and increase its sustainability during times of crisis.
“When it comes to sustainable goods and services, the initiative will include policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks as well as suitable inducements to promote supply and productive capacity,” Bartlett said, adding that “this will address supply shortages, allowing us to keep a larger portion of the industry’s foreign exchange earnings here in Jamaica”.
Bartlett told legislators that a total of 8,500 new hotel rooms are set to come on stream within the next five years including the 2,000-room Princess Resort in Hanover, which will become Jamaica’s largest resort.
“We have 2,000 rooms coming with Hard Rock Resort development, and we have 1,000 rooms coming with Sandals and Beaches in St. Ann,” he added.
He said that plans are also underway for the Viva Wyndham Resort north of Negril with 1,000 rooms, the new RIU Hotel in Trelawny with approximately 700 rooms, a new Secrets Resort in Richmond, St. Ann, with around 700 rooms, and Bahia Principe has announced massive expansion plans by its owners, Grupo Piñero, out of Spain.
“This will be the largest wave of tourism development and expansion in the history of Jamaica. We are satisfied that notwithstanding the COVID disruptions, the investment climate in Jamaica remains strong and buoyant,” Bartlett said.
In addition, Bartlett highlighted several priority policies that are to be finalized for this financial year.
He said that the Water Sports Policy, which seeks to sustain a viable, safe, and productive water sports industry, and the Climate Change and Multi-Hazard Contingency Program will be implemented by the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).
It seeks to develop comprehensive disaster risk reduction strategies for the tourism sector as part of the National Emergency Management Framework for managing and responding to emergencies and disasters.
Bartlett said Cabinet has approved the white and green paper for the policy and will soon be laid in Parliament.
Other initiatives being pursued by the Ministry include the World Bank-funded Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) and the use of an Internet-based geographic information system (GIS) mapping database that will provide the framework for building a more resilient and sustainable tourism sector.
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