Tourism Minister Lauds Sandals

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has lauded the decision by Sandals International Resorts to construct three new hotels over the next five years.

Mr. Bartlett says this is testament to the confidence the hotel chain continues to have in Jamaica’s tourism sector.

The three hotels will be constructed at a cost of US$350 million, as announced by  Chief Executive Officer of Sandals, Adam Stewart, at the Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on September 14.

The hotels are slated to be built in Kingston, Negril and Port Antonio and will have a combined total of 750 rooms.

Mr. Bartlett pointed out that Sandals has been at the forefront when it comes to creating new ways to boost arrivals in Jamaica and the rest of the region, adding that the hotel chain has now become a household name worldwide.

“I want to encourage other entrepreneurs to follow the Sandals lead and get involved. Once the rooms are being built our job is to go out there and market the destination and provide the necessary tools as a government and create the kind of business climate where our business people can succeed,” the Minister said.

For his part, Mr. Stewart informed that the three hotels are part of a strategic plan his company has for tourism going forward. “We have to move with the times and continue to think of ways to boost arrivals and to improve our brand,” he said.

Mr. Stewart, who also chairs Jamaica’s Tourism Linkages Council, said Sandals will ensure that the hotels are of the highest quality and the best the industry has to offer.

He noted that everything is now market and customer driven and that the mindset in today’s industry has to be one that is technology driven.

“I think if people are paying attention they will see that the table is being set. Our fiscal house is in better shape than it has been for years, where it is now all coming together as part of a bigger plan. Tourism is alive and well in Jamaica and we are all very excited about the future,” Mr. Stewart said.