What's new in Jamaica? Hotel, air updates revealed at JAPEX 2018.

Increased airlift, more rooms and improvements to infrastructure are on the horizon for Jamaica, tourism officials announced last week upon the conclusion of the 28th annual Jamaican Product Exchange in Montego Bay.

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 The two-day conference, which was held from Sept. 23-25 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre,  welcomed 250 supplier delegates, 200 buyer delegates and travel agents from the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Europe. 

“Tourism is the only industry in Jamaica that has grown consistently for the past thirty years and it is on track to become the largest contributor to the GDP of our country,” the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, stated in a release.

More rooms are coming

 A total of 7,560 rooms are in the pipeline from now until 2020 and beginning in October and Nordwind Flights from Moscow to Jamaica are expected to increase the presence of Russian tourists coming into the island.

 Jamaica will also see 1.3 million airplane seats for the upcoming winter season, including approximately 38,000 more seats from the U.S., 42,400 more seats from Canada, 12,000 more seats from Continental Europe and 7,455 more seats from the United Kingdom/Northern Europe for the high season.

The Tourism Minister announced infrastructure improvements at both Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport and Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport. A new highway is set to begin construction by the first quarter of 2019 which will connect Kingston to Port Antonio.

Major announcements

• The adults-only, 325-room Excellence Oyster Bay in Montego Bay opened its first property in June.
• Skylark Negril Beach Resort, sister property to Rockhouse Hotel, opened in July. It is home to the first Jamaican outpost of Miss Lily’s restaurant in New York City.
• The S Hotel Montego Bay is scheduled to be completed in January 2019 with 124 rooms, offering views of Doctors Cave Beach and spa-like bathrooms with roman tubs.
• Wyndham Kingston with 454 rooms and Marriot QC (Sandals International) with 220 rooms are scheduled to be completed by 2019.
• Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience opened last year after Wray & Nephew completed a US$7.2 million investment project. The facility is now able to double its capacity.

 For more information, go to www.visitjamaica.com.