Jamaica announces a new step forward in air connectivity and hotel investment
Jamaica will host the second annual Air Connectivity Summit of the Caribbean Tourism Organization on 23 February 2027 in Kingston, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced while taking part in the 2026 Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Antigua and Barbuda. It is an event that, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s announcement, should bring together airline partners, tourism officials, airports and other stakeholders to discuss the future of air connectivity in the region. Bartlett stressed that the summit will be used for strategic reflection on regional planning and for talks on how Caribbean destinations can connect markets, capacity and tourism demand more effectively. The announcement comes at a time when Jamaica is seeking to further strengthen its position as one of the most important tourism destinations in the Caribbean, while simultaneously expanding its hotel offering, investing in airports and strengthening regional cooperation.
The announced summit in Kingston follows the first CTO Air Connectivity Summit, held on 24 February 2026 in Hamilton, Bermuda. According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the focus then was on capacity shortages, high taxes and fees, the need for stronger intra-regional and long-haul services, and the development of credible business cases that would encourage airlines to launch new routes. Jamaica has announced that it will use its role as host to continue those talks, but also to strengthen practical partnerships between destinations, airlines and airports. In the Caribbean tourism industry, air accessibility is not only a transport issue, but one of the key prerequisites for economic growth, because a large share of demand comes from distant source markets. That is why discussions on flights, interline agreements, fees and risk sharing for new routes are directly connected with hotel revenues, employment and the wider supply chain.
The summit in Kingston is connected with the theme of tourism resilience
The date of the summit was also chosen because of its proximity to Global Tourism Resilience Day, which is observed on 17 February. The United Nations states that the day was proclaimed to emphasize the need for more resilient tourism development, especially in sectors exposed to crises, natural disasters, health disruptions and economic shocks. In recent years, Jamaica has strongly promoted this topic at the international level, and Bartlett is one of the most visible advocates of the concept according to which tourism should not be viewed only through arrivals and revenues, but also through the ability of destinations to recover quickly after disruptions. In the Caribbean context, this topic is especially sensitive because many island economies rely heavily on tourism while at the same time being exposed to climate risks and changes in global demand.
According to the CTO announcement, the summit in Kingston should address the building of credible business arguments for airlines, better use of existing infrastructure, expansion of interline agreements and diversification of the markets from which visitors come. Such an approach shows that the regional debate is moving away from the short-term attraction of flights and is increasingly focusing on data, coordinated planning and risk reduction for airlines. For destinations such as Jamaica, this means that tourism strategy must be developed simultaneously on several levels: from promotion and hotel investment to airport capacity, workforce, destination safety and the quality of the visitor experience. Bartlett also stated that air connectivity remains crucial for the future of the region because without reliable links there can be no stable growth in tourism traffic.
CHTA Marketplace as a platform for wider Caribbean cooperation
Caribbean Travel Marketplace, where Bartlett made the announcement, is one of the central business gatherings of Caribbean tourism. The organizer, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, states that Marketplace enables direct meetings between tourism suppliers and buyers who sell Caribbean travel in international markets. The 2026 edition was held in Antigua and Barbuda and, according to information from the organizer, included business meetings, programs connecting tourism with other sectors, discussions on digital channels, sustainability and new forms of sales. For Caribbean destinations, such meetings have importance that goes beyond classic trade-fair promotion because capacities, partnerships, distribution models and market priorities for upcoming seasons are agreed there.
In that environment, Bartlett emphasized the need for stronger regional integration and the concept of multi-destination tourism. According to his public appearances related to CHTA 2026, the Caribbean should connect individual destinations more effectively in order to offer travelers broader itineraries and destinations a greater shared reach. Such a model depends on air accessibility, coordinated procedures, cooperation between tourism boards and the willingness of the private sector to develop products beyond the borders of a single destination. For Jamaica, which has strong international recognition and developed hotel infrastructure, such a position opens space for it to establish itself as one of the regional hubs. However, implementing such a strategy requires resolving the issues of travel prices between islands, seat availability, seasonality and coordination among ministries of tourism, finance, transport and immigration.
Air connectivity as the foundation of the growth of Jamaican tourism
Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism previously announced that international and regional airlines had played an important role in traffic growth through Sangster International and Norman Manley International airports. According to ministry data, those airports recorded 6.96 million passengers in 2023 and generated revenue of 200.28 million US dollars, or about 30 billion Jamaican dollars. The ministry also stated that Jamaica had seat capacity growth of 15.4 percent in 2023 compared with the previous year, with a total of 4,105,313 seats and an average load factor of 83.5 percent. Bartlett then emphasized that Jamaica’s level of connectivity is among the strongest in the region, with the Dominican Republic being a destination with a larger scale of air accessibility.
In practice, this strategy can be seen through new and restored routes from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Panama and other markets. The Ministry of Tourism cited the introduction of United Airlines’ direct service from Denver to Jamaica, new Southwest flights from Kansas City to Montego Bay, the return of Delta flights between New York’s JFK and Kingston, and the American Eagle route between Miami and Ian Fleming International Airport in St. Mary. From Canada, according to the same source, flights from Toronto, Montreal and Halifax are particularly important, while for the European market the role of flights from London and other British cities to Montego Bay was highlighted. Such examples show that Jamaica is not building growth on only one market, but is seeking to distribute demand across several sources in order to reduce exposure to disruptions.
Investment in hotels and new rooms reaches several billion dollars
Along with transport connectivity, the second key axis of Jamaica’s tourism strategy is the expansion of accommodation capacity. The Office of the Prime Minister of Jamaica announced that obligations are under way or have already been undertaken for more than three billion US dollars in hotel investments, with brands such as RIU, H10, Princess, Moon Palace and Hard Rock, which should contribute to the addition of 20,000 new rooms over the next decade. Other public appearances and sector announcements linked to Bartlett mention a broader investment cycle of 15,000 to 20,000 new rooms over a period of five to ten years, with investment value that in some estimates rises to about five billion US dollars. Although the amounts differ depending on the period, project phase and source used, the trend is clear: Jamaica is seeking to significantly increase capacity, especially in the higher-standard segment.
The Ministry of Tourism stated that specific projects include additional capacity in Trelawny, Hanover, Montego Bay, St. Ann and Westmoreland. Ministry announcements mention Riu Palace Aquarelle in Trelawny, Princess Grand Jamaica in Green Island, Unico Hotel in Montego Bay, the expansion of Grand Palladium in Lucea, projects linked to Hard Rock in Montego Bay and other resorts and luxury developments. In one of his more recent announcements, Bartlett said that 2,000 new rooms were already under construction, while work should soon begin on an additional 3,000 higher-priced rooms. This shows that the emphasis is not placed exclusively on quantity, but also on positioning toward higher-spending consumers, with the development of villas, boutique accommodation and luxury resorts.
Tourism seeks to connect with local production
The Jamaican government is trying to present tourism growth as a broader economic strategy, not only as an increase in the number of hotel beds. The Office of the Prime Minister states that 40.8 percent of the tourism dollar is retained locally, which is attributed to the strengthening of links with agriculture, manufacturing and creative sectors. According to the same source, the Agri-Linkages Exchange connected more than 2,000 farmers with hotels and generated more than 1.2 billion Jamaican dollars in sales. Such data are important because Caribbean destinations often warn that part of tourism spending goes to imports of food, equipment and services, thereby reducing the benefit for the domestic economy. Bartlett and the CTO therefore increasingly speak about the supply side of tourism, that is, about who produces, transports and sells the goods and services that visitors use.
The idea of a Caribbean logistics hub for tourism, which Bartlett advocated as part of the work of the newly established CTO Committee on the Supply Side of Tourism, also fits into that context. According to a Jamaica Observer report, the goal of such a hub would be to increase revenue retention, strengthen control of supply chains, encourage intra-regional trade and create jobs in logistics, agriculture, light industry and services. It is also stated that Caribbean countries, despite the great importance of tourism for GDP, retain less than 20 cents of every tourism dollar because of dependence on imports and external supply chains. If this problem is to be reduced, hotel investment must be connected with local suppliers, worker certification, infrastructure and entrepreneurship programs. The mere growth in the number of rooms is therefore not enough if it is not accompanied by the expansion of local value.
Growth also raises questions of infrastructure, workforce and space
In recent statements, Bartlett has emphasized that the expansion of tourism must be accompanied by the development of infrastructure and the capacities of local communities. The Ministry of Tourism stated that Jamaica now requires investors developing 500 or more hotel rooms to also build accommodation for workers, which shows that the issue of employees is becoming one of the key constraints of major projects. Growth in the hotel sector creates jobs, but at the same time increases pressure on housing, roads, water, drainage, health services and local prices. That is why government announcements increasingly mention zones, targeted planning and the need for tourism development not to lead to a feeling of overload among the population. Bartlett stressed that tourism should be focused on the people of Jamaica, not only on visitors.
Plans also include spatial differentiation of the tourism product. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the area around Treasure Beach on the south coast should be developed as a low-density zone with villas, while Portland and Port Antonio are to be profiled toward the higher segment of the market, including boutique vessels and a more luxurious offering. In Montego Bay, according to Bartlett’s announcement, the first casino zone is planned along the Elegant Corridor, while eastern St. Thomas is mentioned as a new destination. Such an approach shows that Jamaica is trying to avoid a single model of mass resort development and at the same time create products for different groups of visitors. However, success will depend on whether spatial planning, environmental protection, transport and local involvement keep pace with the speed of investment.
The wider Caribbean significance of Jamaican plans
Jamaica’s strategy also has a regional dimension because many of the issues it opens are not limited to one country. Expensive flights between islands, the lack of direct connections, dependence on several major source markets and exposure to climate disruptions are issues that affect almost the entire Caribbean. That is why the summit in Kingston will be a test of whether the rhetoric about regional cooperation can be turned into concrete agreements with airlines, airports, regulators and the tourism sector. According to the CTO announcement, the focus will also be on strengthening the vision of "One Caribbean", that is, a more connected and more resilient regional tourism space. If such an approach succeeds, destinations could more easily share data, jointly promote new routes and reduce the risk they individually assume when attracting carriers.
For Jamaica, hosting the 2027 summit comes at a time of major ambitions. The country wants to increase the number of visitors, revenues, hotel capacity and local benefit from tourism, but at the same time must manage the risks that accompany accelerated growth. In that sense, Bartlett’s announcements from CHTA 2026 are not only a promotional message to the tourism market, but part of a broader effort to position Jamaica as a regional leader in issues of air connectivity, resilience, investment and more sustainable retention of tourism value. Whether the plans will be realized will depend on the speed of implementation of infrastructure projects, the stability of air traffic, the availability of the workforce and the ability to connect large hotel development with the local economy. For now, it is clear that Jamaica does not plan to view tourism growth as an isolated figure, but as a system in which flights, rooms, supply chains and communities are interconnected.
Sources:
- Caribbean Tourism Organization – announcement that Jamaica will host the second CTO Air Connectivity Summit on 23 February 2027 in Kingston and the context of the first summit in Bermuda (link)
- Ministry of Tourism, Government of Jamaica – data on air connectivity, seat capacity, passengers and new routes to Jamaica (link)
- Ministry of Tourism, Government of Jamaica – data on hotel investment, new rooms and projects in several Jamaican destinations (link)
- Ministry of Tourism, Government of Jamaica – more recent Bartlett announcements on the expansion of hotel capacity, zoning and the development of new tourism areas (link)
- Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association – description of Caribbean Travel Marketplace and programs connecting tourism with other sectors of the Caribbean economy (link)
- United Nations – explanation of Global Tourism Resilience Day, which is observed on 17 February (link)
- Office of the Prime Minister of Jamaica – data on investment, 20,000 new rooms, local retention of the tourism dollar and linkage programs with domestic sectors (link)
- Jamaica Observer – report on Bartlett’s proposal for a Caribbean tourism logistics hub and the supply side of tourism (link)