DG Travel and Hospitality

Milk River Hotel & Spa is owned by the Government of Jamaica and is operated by the Ministry of Tourism. The property is comprised of the hotel and nine baths, which are utilized by tourists as well as many local visitors. The Milk River is world renowned for its healing properties. According to legend, the Milk River spa was discovered in the eighteenth century by a slave who fled his master after a merciless beating. He was hiding in the hills near to the estate on which he had worked and stumbled across a brackish spring in which he bathed his wounds. Soon after, he returned to the slave village and, to the amazement of all, seemed fully recovered. Jonathan Ludford, owner of the estate promised never to punish the slave again if he would show him the miraculous spring. Ludford later fenced the spot and assigned the slave the job of watchman. On his death, Ludford willed the property to the government and in 1794 public baths were built and opened to the public. The proper...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica; January 23, 2023: Plans are in high gear to strengthen ties between the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). This follows a meeting with Minister of Tourism and Co-Chair of the GTRCMC, Hon Edmund Bartlett, CAF representatives and other Caribbean Ministers of Tourism, on the margins of the FITUR trade event in Spain. The discussions centred around capacity building, sustainability and resilience for tourism dependent countries and how the CAF can provide support in these diverse areas. “Most of the Caribbean remains a highly tourism dependent region that is extremely vulnerable to disruptions like climatic events and pandemics. It is this vulnerability that has caused setbacks in our ability to recover quickly after these disruptions and this is why building resilience is critical for our survival. I am pleased that CAF is interested in supporting the Caribbean and specifically Jamaica’s...

MADRID, Spain; January 24, 2023:  As part of efforts to capitalize on tourism offerings between Jamaica and Sierra Leone, both countries are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The move is aimed at strengthening tourism cooperation between Jamaica and the historic African nation. “With the strong historical and cultural association between Jamaica and Sierra Leone, it is strategic to collaborate and strengthen our tourism cooperation. Both countries have a lot to offer in tourism and we can capitalize on this to build out new experiences for our visitors,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett. The discussions centred around air connectivity; training and development; marketing and promotional activities; cultural exchange; tourism diversification and growth and resilience. “The pandemic has been the most tangible example of tourism vulnerability to disruptions and so a major area of focus will be resilience and resilience building to ensure the future pro...

Tourism is an important part of Jamaica's economy. Because of the island's warm climate and year-round sunshine, its beaches and beautiful landscape, many thousands of people from all over the world come here each year for a holiday. Booking.com History Jamaica's tourism had its beginning in the latter part of the nineteenth century when invalids started coming to Jamaica to escape the cold winters in England and North America. The first tourist hotels were built in Montego Bay and Port Antonio. The now defunct Myrtle Bank Hotel in Kingston was built in 1892. In those early days, tourism was limited largely to the rich, the old, the few. Tourism began to prosper in Jamaica after World War I, when improved methods of transportation made it easier for people to get from one country to the other. Indications are that in the early 1920s the number of tourists visiting the island annually probably did not exceed a few thousand. By 1938 the figure had risen to 64,...

  Jamaica’s resurgent tourism industry continues to largely spearhead the country’s gradual recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic economic fallout. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) reports that the ‘Hotels and Restaurants’ category dominated the sector outturns fuelling third quarter 2022 calendar year growth of 5.9 per cent, between July and September. A STATIN communiqué on Friday (December 30) indicated that this category grew by 35.3 per cent, to outpace other subsectors recording growth in the Services Industry, which rose by six per cent during the period. The Goods Producing Industry also grew, recording a 5.6 per cent outturn. Growth in the hotels and restaurants segment largely resulted from increased activities in the hotels and other short-stay accommodation subcategory, which recorded a 49.2 per cent rise in foreign national arrivals, supported by positive outturns for restaurants, bars, and canteens. Speaking during the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s (PIOJ)...