Jamaica is aiming to elevate the Caribbean’s travel, tourism, and hospitality industries by constructing the region’s soon-to-be tallest hotel and its first “Tourism Innovation Township.”
According to The Gleaner, a local news outlet, the country anticipates that its forthcoming Tourism Innovation Township will be the Caribbean’s most packed concentration of hotel rooms. Reportedly, the designated area will be located around Barrett Town, an area within Rose Hall, Montego Bay, which is the capital of St. James Parish. Once officially established, Tourism Innovation Township will offer over 5,000 hotel rooms across the local Unico, Hard Rock, Moon Palace, and Iberostar resorts in the area.
The development includes a new 33-story Moon Palace resort in the Rose Hall area (named after the historic Rose Hall Great House). In addition to being the tallest hotel in Jamaica, the new building is expected to become the tallest in the Caribbean upon completion.
What Else Should I Know About The Tourism Innovation Township And Moon Palace Coming To Montego Bay?
Jamaica is not unfamiliar territory for Moon Palace Resorts. The hospitality group already has an over 700-room hotel property in Ocho Rios, St. Ann called Moon Palace Jamaica Grand.
The synergistic dynamic within the Tourism Innovation Township will support both its local mega-resorts and the surrounding communities. According to The Gleaner, the designated area will reportedly see local entrepreneurs contributing their goods and services, while hotels provide water and electricity to nearby communities.
On June 28, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett spoke about the Tourism Innovation Township at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA)’s most recent Annual General Meeting. He emphasized that once finished, the area is expected to support its local environment and Jamaica’s hospitality expansion.
“This is a game-changer for tourism in the region,” noted Bartlett. “It will be the first tourism innovation township in the Caribbean, arguably in the world… We are building a model where backyard farming, the production of condiments, sheets, pillowcases, and other essentials will be done right there in the community, feeding directly into the hotel supply chain.”
“Montego Bay is on the verge of an unprecedented tourism renaissance,” he added. “This is a level of coordinated, large-scale investment that we have never seen before, not just in Jamaica, but in the Caribbean… This model brings the people with it. It does not leave them behind.”
