evelopment of multi-billion dollar resort hotels and casinos could be a tipping point in the upgrading of Jamaica's tourism industry. Several are in the planning stages following the Jamaican government giving the green light to casino licensing earlier this year. These job-generating projects and others in the works figure to boost employment on the island in the coming years.
      Construction is set to begin in September 2009 on a US$1.8-billion resort hotel and casino in Rose Hall, on the island's north coast east of Montego Bay. The project, which will be Jamaica's first casino/hotel, is planned by developers of the Palmyra Resort & Spa, operating under a company called Celebration Jamaica Limited.
      Dennis Constanza, president of the Palmyra Resort & Spa, says the project will generate 12,000 direct jobs and two or three times that many indirect jobs. He says the project will rival the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas in scope and size, helping spur a needed transformation of Jamaica's tourism sector.
      "It will spur a complete repositioning of tourism on the island," says Constanza. "We say that because we think our product will be a four- and five-star product. That portends well for repositioning of Jamaica to an upscale island. Today, it's heavily all inclusive."
      Celebration Jamaica, which will include a 16-story, 2,500-room hotel, will encompass 2.5 million sq. ft. (232,250 sq. m.) of space, including 75,000 sq. ft. (7,000 sq. m.) devoted to the casino.
      "The project will attract significant housing development, and there will be some transportation issues that have to be addressed," Constanza says. "It will really create velocity in the economy."
      Another massive resort development planned for Trelawny parish, several miles to the east, also is expected to include a casino. The multi-billion-dollar Harmony Cove resort will include a reported 3,500 hotel rooms. The project is part of $16 billion in projects planned for Trelawny, according to Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's tourism minister.
      The Jamaican government requires casino applications to meet certain minimum requirements: At least $1.5 billion must be invested; at least 1,000 hotel rooms must be constructed; and the casino component cannot be more than 20 percent of the total project. Also, casino operators must be deemed fit by the government.
      A planned $250-million cruise ship port in Falmouth, 22 miles (35.4 km.) east of Montego Bay, is another important cog in future tourism efforts, officials say. The port, Jamaica's fourth, is being developed by the Port Authority of Jamaica and will have facilities to host two Genesis-class ships. Royal Caribbean International is developing the new huge class of ships, with passenger capacities of 5,400, for debut in 2009.       The new resort hotels, the new cruise ship port, and other improvements on the island are among the key infrastructure elements pushing the industry, according to its chief promoter.
      Edmund Bartlett became Jamaica's Minister of Tourism last September following the election that resulted in a change of government on the island. Bartlett spent more than two decades in the Jamaican Parliament and has been a longtime advocate for tourism.
      He says development of the new large hotels will be a major boon to the island's ability to attract visitors. Current and planned construction will drive the number of hotel rooms on the island from the current 27,000 to 45,000 by 2015, he says.
      While Jamaica figures to reap huge economic benefits from the mega casino resorts, Bartlett makes it clear that the island is not being marketed as a gambling destination. He believes the strict government requirements for casino approval will help achieve this policy goal.
      "Our strategy does not envision Jamaica becoming a casino destination," Bartlett says. "We are not encouraging free-standing casinos along the island. We are using these projects to drive economic growth and open up new parts of the island."
      Bartlett says the new cruise ship port in Falmouth, which will be the largest in the region, will also drive development and employment.
      "Cruise ships will be calling on Falmouth twice a week, and the benefits will spill over to both Montego Bay and Ocho Rios."
      Bartlett cites recent improvements at Sangster Airport in Montego Bay and Manley Airport in Kingston, plus plans for a new jetport catering to private jets in Duckenfield in the parish of St. Thomas on the island's eastern end, as key infrastructure projects. Highway improvements, including the ongoing Highway 2000 toll road project, which will eventually connect Kingston and Montego Bay, will also help.
      "We have two first class airports now," he says. "Jamaica is growing, and we continue to expand our accommodations and improve the types and variety of attractions. Jamaica is seen as one of the key hot spots for American and Canadian tourists who are coming here in unprecedented numbers, up 30 percent this year and 25 percent last year. Jamaica is seen as one of the strongest brands in the Caribbean."
      But challenges remain to the island's tourism. Bartlett believes Jamaica's high crime rate is the biggest threat to tourism and says the industry and communities must cooperate to reduce crime on the island.