A group of Mexican developers through what will be the Sugarcane Bay US billion-dollar investment project has officially broken ground to add about 4,800 more rooms to the hotel industry, aiming also to become a new landmark destination for luxury travel in the tourism sector.

At a ground-breaking ceremony held on Friday last at the development site in Llandovery, St Ann, Armando Chomat, chief strategic officer for the Sugarcane Bay project deemed the project an ambitious undertaking which was conceptualised four years ago.

“We have worked together with the Government as well as other agencies to do all the necessary work in preparation for this moment, which now four years later is becoming a reality. Our goal with Sugarcane is to make it a destination created for all and a five star luxury hotel and the most exclusive travel destination within Jamaica,” he said.

He identified Jamaica as one of the most recognised destinations in the world and stated that his company already has hotels operating in Negril; of which Sugarcane Bay will be their newest development.

“Sugarcane is a 226-acres development and 1.1 miles of beachfront prime lands. There will be 10 different hotels here and each hotel will bring in what they consider unique for their product to make what Sugarcane will become. Each hotel should average about 300-400 rooms so there will be approximately 4,000 rooms here,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Still in the developmental stages, the names of the different hotels to operate at Sugarcane Bay are not yet fully known and finalised.

“Karisma Hotel will have some of their hotels here at Sugarcane Bay just like other hoteliers will, but right now there isn’t an announcement of which hotels we’ll have here,” he further told Sunday Finance.

The project was selected as the first investment under the Government’s ‘Shovel Ready programme’, a collaborative initiative with the Jamaica Promotions Corporation (Jampro) and the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). The project carried out in partnership with Karisma hotels and resorts which owns and manages a coveted portfolio of 30 plus properties in Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

The development, which is set to be the largest single hotel development in the country’s history, is expected to create employment for some 10,000 people, while bringing 375,000 more visitors to the island and generating estimated revenues of $850 billion per year for the local economy.

An excited Minster of Tourism Edmund Bartlett lauded the Sugarcane Bay development as one of the largest investments ever in the country’s hotel industry.

“The effect of $850 billion over time and $850 million coming in a single year is very significant as this means jobs, and the backward and forward linkages of tourism will enable a wide range of economic activities to take place. We are excited about this partnership which shows confidence in Brand Jamaica,” he stated.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who also participated in the ground-breaking exercise, said that the project will be a significant development for Jamaica.

“Tourism has continued to demonstrate robust growth. Last year, we welcomed 4.3 million visitors and earned US$3.7 billion in revenues which accounted for 9.2 per cent of GDP. There have been significant developments in the industry and these investments have been able to generate significant returns.

“Investors know that investing in Jamaica is profitable business. We now have to figure out a way of how to keep the profits reinvesting in Jamaica, as we still have many undeveloped areas and areas that were previously developed that need reinvesting. We want to keep the investors in Sugarcane Bay investing in Jamaica,” he said.