ST THOMAS, Jamaica – Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett yesterday expressed “profound sadness” at the passing of general manager of the popular Bath Fountain Hotel, Desmond Blair.

Blair had been managing the Bath Fountain, one of the tourism ministry’s eight public bodies, since 2001.

“I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Mr Blair. On behalf of the entire tourism fraternity, I would like to offer my condolences to his family. He was a thorough and astute manager who used best practices that led to great improvements at Bath Fountain,” Bartlett said.

He added that the hotelier was passionate about seeing improvements to the health and wellness facility that would cement its status as a world-renowned mineral bath, and was looking forward to impending developments that would do so.

“I am saddened that Mr Blair will not see these changes come to fruition, but very grateful for his many years of dedicated service to the local tourism industry. May his soul rest in peace,” the tourism minister added.

A native of St Ann, Blair was seen as a stalwart in the hospitality industry, having honed his skills over the decades in management positions at various Montego Bay and St Ann properties, including Quality Inn, Montego Bay Club Resort, the Gloucestershire, Americana and Runaway Bay hotels between 1975 and1981.

Blair, who died from natural causes, was also a hotel inspector at another of the Ministry’s public bodies – the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

In 1972, he was awarded a scholarship by the Federal Republic of Germany to pursue studies in hotel and tourism management at the Carl Duisberg Hotel & Tourism Institute in Munich, Germany.