OYSTER BAY, Trelawny — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the good relationship between Jamaica and Spain has seen the latter investing US$1.7 billion in the local tourism sector.

In fact, he disclosed that Spanish investments account for a quarter of the 32,000 hotel room stock across the island.

“In terms of the tourism sector, about 25 per cent of the rooms built in Jamaica are the product of Spanish investment,” Prime Minister Holness said yesterday.

“Again, Jamaica is very grateful for the interest and investment coming in from Spain, not just from tourism, but in multiple sectors of the Jamaican economy,” he continued.

Holness, who was speaking at the grand opening of Excellence Oyster Bay — the newest addition to the family owned Excellence Group Luxury Hotels and Resorts which represents a US$110-million investment — was delighted with the completed project.

“Today, I am pleased to be present at the grand opening of Excellence Oyster Bay, which adds a new dimension to our tourism stock. Last year I was here at the groundbreaking and just driving in today (yesterday), it is amazing — the transformation. Wow! It is truly excellent. It is clear for the US$110 million spent on the property, you have got value and more. It is a great feeling to both do the groundbreaking and it is a better feeling to do the opening. I am very pleased with what I am seeing here,” the prime minister said.

The 315-suite resort is an adult-only, all-inclusive experience that sits on the private peninsula of Oyster Bay, near Falmouth in Trelawny.

Also speaking at the grand opening, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett noted that the completion of the resort within 18 months of the ground-breaking, augurs well for boosting investor confidence.

“The development here has proven a few things to us, one of which is that it is possible for us to have turnaround time for major construction that is less than 18 months. And that’s very important for cost, as it is very important for us to satisfy our investors that when you come to destination Jamaica, you can start your business quickly after you have broken ground,” Bartlett said.

In the meantime, Delano Seiveright, senior advisor/strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, was also heartened by the turnaround time for the completion of the project.

“Prime Minister Holness, ministers Bartlett, Vaz and other officials broke ground for the US$110-million project, the group’s first property outside of Mexico and the Dominican Republic, in March of last year,” Seiveright noted.

“The waterfront adults only property features 315 suites, nightly entertainment, daily activities, restaurants, bars, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, two beachfront swimming pools, a lounge with rooftop pool, a luxury spa, and more,” he continued.

Chief executive officer of Excellence Group Luxury Hotels and Resorts, Antonio de Montaner, who expressed his appreciation to all stakeholders who contributed to the completion of the project, announced the construction of the second phase yesterday.

“Mr Prime Minister, we are more than happy to announce that we will continue our investments here in Jamaica. In the immediate future we will develop the second phase of the Excellence Oyster Bay,” Montaner said.

Excellence Group’s co-CEO, Monserrate Amengual, stated that more than 2,000 people have been employed since the construction phase of the hotel.

“With every aspect thoughtfully designed, we created over 1,500 jobs for Jamaicans during the construction phase as well as a staff of 700 Jamaicans. Oyster Bay will further position Jamaica as one of the world’s leading travel destinations while creating jobs, increasing tourism, and providing overall economic growth,” he said.

Excellence Group Luxury has been the recipient of TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award, The AAA Diamond Award, Condé Nast Travel Readers’ Choice Award, and Travel & Leisure’s Best Award.