Cabinet briefing sets out Tourism 3.0 reforms, worker housing and hurricane recovery plans

Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett and Education Minister Fayval Williams addressed journalists and students at a post-Cabinet press briefing on June 24, outlining major shifts in tourism governance, worker support, and disaster preparedness across both sectors.

Bartlett said Jamaica is moving toward what he called Tourism 3.0, with JAMPRO taking full responsibility for cruise development, the Tourism Enhancement Fund refocused on training, innovation and technology, and a separate body to handle regulation, standards and quality control. He said the industry must become more inclusive and community-driven, supported by improved road links to rural attractions and inland tourism growth.

On accommodation, Bartlett said roughly 20,000 hotel rooms are under construction nationwide. He reported that about 80% of hotel inventory is currently operational, with 11 properties set to reopen between July and the first quarter of 2027. The Unico property at Lilliput is scheduled to open on December 15, while the extensively damaged Catalonia hotel is being rebuilt with 270 additional rooms and is expected to return in 2028.

A worker housing programme includes 1,500 units at Grange Pen, mostly one-bedroom starter homes, with officials exploring a "patient mortgage" arrangement through mortgage institutions. Bartlett said anyone earning at least 30% of income from tourism qualifies, including craft vendors, transport operators and airport workers.

On cruise shipping, Bartlett said Jamaica welcomed about 1.1 million cruise visitors last year and is targeting recovery toward 1.5 million, against a pre-pandemic peak near 1.6 million in 2017. He argued Western Caribbean routing has been disrupted by port limitations in Cayman and security conditions affecting Labadee in Haiti, leaving Jamaica operating largely as a standalone port.

Responding to concerns about ground transport, he said licensed operators have grown from about 2,000 to 6,000 over the past decade, and Tourism 3.0 will seek to restructure the sector so hotels can contract with organised providers rather than thousands of individual operators.

Williams said more than 400 schools still need repairs after Hurricane Melissa, with some rebuilds expected to take over a year. She said new school construction standards are being applied to make buildings more resilient, and updated resilience plans are being rolled out. She also noted that seven of the top 10 PEP performers this year are boys, while reaffirming plans for a committee focused on improving boys' educational outcomes.

Parents with questions about PEP placements were advised to review their child's report with teachers and contact one of the ministry's seven regional offices for clarification. Limited transfer options remain available at the school level.