The Jamaican Government will be targeting more high-end investments in the tourism sector. The disclosure was made by Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett during a recent address to members of the diaspora.
“I think we have reached the level in room count for mass tourism, and we are moving now to high-end. So, it will be lower density and higher-end, with higher average daily rates and stronger input on value-added,” he said during the January 27 edition of ‘Let’s Connect with Ambassador Marks’.
During his presentation, he also gave an update on a number of projects already under way or scheduled for implementation.
“I just came back from Madrid where we settled 3,000 additional rooms,” Bartlett said, adding that work will begin a new 700-room hotel in Falmouth on February 17.
The Minister noted, further, that construction has begun for a 2,000-room hotel in Green Island, Hanover, and work on the 1,700-room Hard Rock Hotel in St James is expected to commence shortly.
He said that construction commenced at Sandals Dunn’s River late last year.
“We have 1,000 rooms for Sandals, overall, to be done. We have 700 more rooms from RIU and we also have 280 rooms at Breathless in Montego Bay, to be followed afterwards by 700 [rooms] at Secrets in Richmond in St Ann,” the minister added.