Jamaica is looking to transform the Caribbean’s thriving tourism industry by developing the region’s tallest hotel and first-ever Tourism Innovation Township.
On June 28, Jamaica unveiled construction plans for the 33-story Moon Palace tower in Rose Hall, St. James, the Jamaica-Gleaner reports. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett boasted about the historic nature of the development, citing its innovation, scale, and inclusivity.
“This is a game-changer for tourism in the region,” Bartlett said during the 64th Annual General Meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association. “It will be the first tourism innovation township in the Caribbean, arguably in the world.”
The Unico, Hard Rock, Moon Palace, and Iberostar mega-resorts will welcome the new township, turning the area into what will become the Caribbean’s largest cluster of hotel rooms in one area, with over 5,000 rooms all within walking distance, Bartlett said. It will be developed as a circular economic hub where hotels provide electricity and water to the nearby community while residents supply the goods and services that help power resort operations.
The township aims to revitalize the area by introducing a STEM school, improving healthcare facilities, upgrading local schools, adding supermarkets, and supporting the growth of light manufacturing and cottage industries.
“We are building a model where backyard farming, the production of condiments, sheets, pillowcases, and other essentials will be done right there in the community, feeding directly into the hotel supply chain,” Bartlett said.
“This model brings the people with it. It does not leave them behind. It is a future where tourism doesn’t just create jobs and builds communities.”
By 2030, Jamaica is set to add 10,000 new hotel rooms through major expansions at Harmony Cove, Palladium, Bahia Principe, Unico, Hard Rock, and Moon Palace resorts, as well as two new Sandals properties, one in Runaway Bay and the newly announced AC Marriott in Montego Bay. In addition to the township near Barrett Town, further commercial development is planned on the Rollins lands (Rose Hall Developments) across from the Dreams Rose Hall Resort and Spa (formerly Hilton), featuring service stations and retail outlets.
“Montego Bay is on the verge of an unprecedented tourism renaissance,” Bartlett declared. “This is a level of coordinated, large-scale investment that we have never seen before, not just in Jamaica, but in the Caribbean.”
RELATED CONTENT: Son Of U.S. Soldier Left Without Citizenship, Deported To Jamaica
