Six New Hotels to Create 10,000 Jobs

Construction of six hotels will begin during the new fiscal year, bringing foreign direct investment of US$2.5 billion and 10,000 new jobs.

The announcement was made on Thursday (February 13) by Custos of Kingston, Hon. Steadman Fuller, who delivered the 2025/26 Throne Speech at the ceremonial opening of Parliament.

He said that the new hotels will add 5,600 rooms, noting that construction of 1,000 hotel workers housing will also commence.

Custos Fuller, who was deputising for Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, said the new properties will accommodate the influx of visitors expected from market expansion and diversification.

The Government is targeting the African-American market as well as visitors from Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

In addition to market diversification, the Tourism Ministry plans to reshape the sector through digital transformation and culinary tourism.

“The Government is committed to reshaping tourism through digital transformation by automating licensing, applications and training access to boost efficiency and stakeholder engagement [and through] culinary tourism with the Montego Bay Convention Centre Gastronomy Institute empowering chefs and showcasing Jamaican cuisine on the global stage,” Custos Fuller noted.

He applauded the Tourism Ministry for its resilience, noting that despite many challenges the sector is closer to achieving its goal of having US$5 billion in earnings from five million visitors by 2025.

“Jamaica’s tourism sector demonstrated resilience, innovation and growth in 2024. It overcame challenges, including travel advisories and severe weather, to welcome 4.1 million visitors, generating US$4.3 billion in revenue. This moves the sector closer to the five-by-five-by-five goal, that is five million visitors, US$5 billion in earnings by 2025,” he noted.

The Throne Speech, which outlines the plans and programmes the Government will undertake in the next financial year, was delivered under the theme ‘Jamaica’s Next Chapter: Aspiring to Greatness’.

The new fiscal year begins on April 1.