KINGSTON, Jamaica — Direct foreign investments in Jamaica’s hospitality sector have not waned, even with tourism being badly affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

This is according to Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett whose confidence is fueled by confirmation that 980 new rooms will be added to the nation’s stock.

The minister was in Madrid, Spain, attending the recent international tourism trade fair, FITUR.

He said the AMResorts Group has just inked a deal that will see the construction of a 280-room Dreams resort and a 700-room Secrets resort in Montego Bay, St James, and Richmond, St Ann, respectively.

AMResorts is a growing luxury leisure company in North America, with resorts located throughout Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Bartlett said the forum could not have been more beneficial for Jamaica.

“We fully secured the 700 rooms I spoke of in my presentation in Parliament — that property will be in Richmond, St Ann, between Grizzly’s Entertainment Centre and Priory — and a 280-room top-end Dreams in Montego Freeport, where Hard Rock Café was,” the minister was quoted saying by JIS News.

He noted that plans “to expand the hotels’ reach into Jamaican communities through greater and sustainable supplies to the properties, and partnerships in manufacturing, energy and logistics,” were also discussed.

Bartlett said that meetings were also held with SAMPOL, the group that deals with a lot of the supply side of tourism.

“We are excited about the possibility of that side of tourism because this is where we want to go in the resetting of the sector, ensuring that more of the supplies that the industry needs are sourced in Jamaica, through Jamaican partnerships or Jamaican entities,” he added.

FITUR 2021, which was held from May 19 to 23, was the first appointment of the year for the world’s tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America.