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Sunset at the Palms celebrates 15th anniversary

Published:Wednesday | October 30, 2019 | 12:25 AM
Sunset at the Palms 15th anniversary awardees share lens time with Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (centre); President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Omar Robinson (left); Ian Kerr, managing director (second right); and Hotel Manager Sharon Powell (third right).
Ashley Anguin
Sunset at the Palms 15th anniversary awardees share lens time with Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett (centre); President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Omar Robinson (left); Ian Kerr, managing director (second right); and Hotel Manager Sharon Powell (third right).

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, in highlighting what he called tourism’s “unprecedented growth in arrivals and earnings,” said this could not be done without the sector’s “dedicated workers” who remain the key ingredient in the continued success of the sector.

Bartlett was speaking at the 15th ­anniversary celebration of the Sunset at the Palms in Negril recently.

Lauding the dedicated employees who were recognised for long service and ­outstanding contribution to the sector, the minister announced that the country has welcomed 700,000 more visitors over the last three years and is set to earn US$3.7billion by the end of the year, representing an almost doubling of foreign exchange over the same period.

“We have been targeting five million visitors and earning US$5 billion by 2021, and we are already at 4.5 million visitors of the five million and US$3.7 billion of the US$5 billion,” Bartlett noted.

“The growth in our ­arrivals and earnings is ­underpinned by strategic targets set in my 5x5x5 plan. In 2016, our target was to bring in that 5 billion in earnings by 2021.”

Current data from the Jamaica Tourist Board has forecast growth in stopover arrivals for September to December at seven per cent, or 807,796, which would end calendar year 2019 with 2.68 million arrivals, or an 8.4 per cent increase over 2018. The earnings from the full year of stopover arrivals is estimated at US$3.49 billion, or a 12 per cent increase over 2018, Bartlett shared.

“Based on these figures, tourism has become the leading contributor to the growth in GDP [gross domestic product] in Jamaica. We ­recognise also that with this growth comes an even greater responsibility to ensure safety, ­security and seamlessness in the destination, and we remain committed to keeping our ­enviable record of visitor safety,” he added.

Sunset at the Palms resort was the first in the world to receive certification for ­environmentally sustainable tourism by the UK’s Green Globe. The resort has also won the prestigious Governor General’s Award for overall architectural design, among many others. The management of the hotel, led by Ian Kerr and Sharon Powell, recognised several members of staff for their years of service to the hotel.