where the sunniness of the destination matches its bright tourism outlook.

 

When you arrive at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Montego Bay, and you’re waiting to check in at the front desk, it’s hard not to let your gaze stray to the sprawling pool area and beach just over your shoulder.

 

There’s a good chance that while a swim in the pool or in the placid Caribbean Sea beckons you in one direction, there will be a water cooler filled with something tropical like freshly squeezed mango juice pulling you in the other direction.

 

 

Spirit of Celebration
When JAX FAX arrived to experience the many joys of the island, along with a tourism briefing at the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) conference, the happy diversions of this all-inclusive property immediately presented themselves. After a long day of traveling, Choicez was a good first stop.

 

Even at an odd time for dining in the late afternoon, between the traditional lunch and dinner hours, there was an array of “choicez” at this buffet-style restaurant ranging from at least a few different types of pasta to more than one kind of fish, savory (and spicy) meat and even pizza. The Hyatt Ziva is the family side of the resort, so I wasn’t surprised to see both sophisticated and simple culinary options there. Adults-only lodging is available at Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall on the other side of  the property.

 

As easy as sun, pool, beach and a great meal are to come by at Hyatt Ziva, the inherent joy of Jamaica means there is also a good chance another happy activity shortly awaits in Montego Bay.

 

The first night of JAX FAX’s stay on the island, the travel group was treated to the JAPEX conference welcome reception at Harmony Beach Park featuring speakers from the Ministry of Tourism and an ebullient celebration with live music, food and an open bar offering heavy pours of Jamaica’s world-famous rum. This reception was hosted in partnership with the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) as part of Montego Bay Reggae Nights, an ongoing series of events.

 

“This event isn’t just about transactions but about building relationships,” Christopher Jarrett, President of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), said of JAPEX. “Let us use these three days to collaborate and network.”

 

Richard Vernon, mayor of Montego Bay, noted the importance of tourism in Jamaica inspiring collaboration across sectors, so communities across the country would be strengthened. “Tourism must be the connective tissue that binds sectors,” he said. Mayor Vernon noted the importance of leveraging tourism as a “force for transformation.”

 

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett pointed with optimism to the 160 buyers present at JAPEX 2025 from all over the world. Minister Bartlett said he looked forward to a year of “new approaches to tourism.” Like Mayor Vernon, Minister Bartlett said he was hopeful that the next five years in Jamaica tourism would bring “serious growth and inclusion of local Jamaicans” in reaping the benefits of the many travelers to visit the island.

 

 

Ready, Set, Go
The theme of a wider, more inclusive tourism in Jamaica carried into the first day of presentations at the conference. With a theme of “Ready, Set, Go,” Jarrett said that he hoped the buyers in attendance, and the travelers they send to Jamaica, would have an expansive experience on the island. He said he wanted visitors to experience the music, cuisine, nature, and people, that make Jamaica so special.

 

Jarrett, as many of the event’s other speakers would do, alluded to the expansion of tourism outreach to emerging markets, most significantly to Latin America. He said tourism in Jamaica is moving beyond just traditional all-inclusives, “trying to provide for tourists who want truly unique experiences.”

 

Along with the effort to reach out to emerging markets, there was an upbeat projection from speakers like Donovan White, Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, that tourism was back on track for strong growth after a challenging year, following the U.S. State Department Level 3 warning issued in January 2024 to “reconsider travel.” On May 29, 2025, that warning was downgraded to a Level 2, recommending only that travelers to Jamaica “exercise increased caution.”

 

Director White shared a slide with statistics showing that in 2024, Jamaica welcomed 2.9 million stopover arrivals, “a consistent volume compared to 2024; 2025 is on track with 1.48 million stopovers to date.”

 

By the end of 2025, the projection is for total stopover arrivals for the year to come to 3.1 million and a total of 3.3 million stopover arrivals by the end of 2026.

 

Air service growth is one reason why there are optimistic projections for tourism growth. According to information presented during Director White’s presentation, a record 1.05 million U.S. seats were added between January and April 2024. There is a forecasted continued expansion in 2025, with an approximately 4 percent year over year increase in total seat count.

 

At a media breakfast the following morning, Minister Bartlett noted that tourism across the world is at an “inflection point” with a continuing surge of travelers in this post-pandemic period. He said, however, that a reset was needed to ensure that local communities benefitted from the tourism dollars coming into countries.

 

In Jamaica, Minister Bartlett said the country was “renewing the human capital in our country.” That included ensuring a skilled workforce that could provide for not only tourists in Jamaica but could provide skilled labor wherever in the world their work took them. “While we promote local culture, we want you to also appreciate we can walk into your culture and provide you with a little of Jamaica,” he said.

 

Minister Bartlett noted that in addition to the benefits to their own welfare, a skilled, well-cared for workforce is best suited to successfully host visitors to Jamaica. With that in mind, construction projects of 500 rooms or more are required to provide housing for their workers.

 

There also is now a digital platform in Jamaica that connects the country’s tourism with its agricultural sectors. This is known as the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX). It is an e-commerce platform that connects Jamaican farmers directly with buyers in the hotel, tourism, export and processing sectors.

 

“Wealth comes in from tourism and can go away unless there is capacity to absorb that wealth,” Minister Bartlett said. “We want to make sure at all times there is a plus for the people of Jamaica.”

 

 

Buy from Local Artisans & Learn How to Do It Yourself
One of the places JAX FAX visited that epitomized the ideal of local people benefiting from tourism was the new Artisan Village at Falmouth, located at Hampden Wharf.

 

JAX FAX experienced a musical performance on a stage in the center of the village that told the story of sugar cane plantations and slavery in Jamaica. Murals painted on the village walls similarly provide an artistic telling of the city and country’s heritage.
The village provides a literal taste of Jamaica with culinary shops like a seasoning store with the kind of local jerk and ginger spices visitors tend to remember from their trip. A popsicle shop has flavors like yam, ackee, sweet potato pudding and soursop.

 

At Red Set-Girls & Jack-in-the-Green, you can buy custom jewelry and hair ornaments or make your own. The beaded jewelry is inspired by the jewelry slaves in Jamaica would make and wear.

 

First Straw gives visitors a chance to not just buy baskets but learn the art of basket weaving.
Jippi Jappa offers hand-painted hats and caps and t-shirts with a promise that no two hats are alike.
There are also crochet crafts via Monis Voice and alabaster stone crafts from Maxine Stoney Gifts.
Alongside the old-time tradition of crafts, the Artisan’s Village offers a 21st century AR/VR space, where on JAX FAX’s visit, children were at play.

 

JAX FAX’s time in the Artisan’s Village was capped off by a gastronomy experience in which the tour group learned to make (and then eat) jerk chicken. Sugar cane juice, also created within the village, flavored with ginger and other spices, accompanied the meal.

 

 

Journeying on a River and History
The first thing to know about bamboo rafting in Jamaica is that it’s the apex of relaxation. Unlike other boating activities, the passenger is not expected to exert any effort. No paddling or rowing required. On the contrary, it’s thoroughly passive and enjoyable.

 

JAX FAX experienced a bamboo rafting experience at Chukka Eco-Adventure Outpost at Good Hope. There is a cushioned seat framed by palm leaves that the passenger eases themselves into while a captain stands as they paddle a raft made of bamboo with a bamboo pole. At some point on the journey, the captain will pause and give the passenger a foot and leg massage, with a paste made from the river’s water and the limestone that is found in the river. The limestone is said to sooth all manner of skin irritations, including sunburns, insect bites and stretch marks.

 

The captain of JAX FAX’s raft said the tradition dates back hundreds of years to when slaves would ferry themselves down the river in bamboo rafts and would sometimes ferry the owners of plantations and visiting colonialists. Sunburn was common among visitors to the island. The limestone massages were a way to soothe those burns while transporting the passengers.

 

 

Make Time for at Least One Yacht Experience
If you are in Montego Bay, your trip won’t be complete without an experience cruising the island’s turquoise, translucent waters.

 

JAX FAX experienced a cruise provided by the Aristo Kat Tours Ltd. The experience included a non-alcoholic punch with a watermelon wedge and maraschino cherry served upon embarking. If there will be snorkeling on a cruise, no alcohol is served until after the snorkelers return.

 

The cruise took JAX FAX’s tour group to Doctor’s Cave Reef, where snorkeling revealed many yellow- and black-striped fish known as “sergeant major” fish because of their stripes.

 

Cocktails and refreshments along with reverberating music and dancing were enjoyed on the ride back to shore.

 

 

Gourmet Iteration of Local Cuisine
As fun as it is to sample the street food and casual dining in Jamaica, sometimes it’s also a treat to experience a more exalted version of the local flavors.

 

JAX FAX’s tour group was invited into the home of Chef Walker of the Kitchen721 catering company for a poolside dinner that included rustic chicken pumpkin soup, braised oxtail, backyard-style curried goat, escoveitched fish, fire-roasted jerk chicken, Scotch bonnet infused rice and peas, buttered sweet potato, and for dessert, passion fruit cheesecake and rum and raisin bread pudding.

 

The spice of Jamaican food follows a theme of warmth that you feel from the moment you arrive on the island. The jubilation of the people of Jamaica takes the form of warm hospitality, flavorful cuisine, and the kind of relaxing and culturally immersive activities that leave the visitor with a sense that they have experienced something unique.

 

 

Getting There
JAX FAX flew Delta Air Lines from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City direct to Montego Bay, Jamaica’s Sangster International Airport.

 

 

Where to Stay
JAX FAX stayed at Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Montego Bay, an all-inclusive resort, in a room with a side view of the pool area and a patio with seating. Hyatt Ziva is the family portion of the resort, while Hyatt Zilara is the adults-only part.

 

 

What to Eat
In addition to Choicez, the Hyatt Ziva’s buffet-style restaurant, JAX FAX dined at Fuzion, where an excellent pad thai with shrimp was enjoyed alongside chefs behind glass cooking over open flames.

 

Also at the Hyatt Ziva, JAX FAX dined at the English-style sports pub, Union Jack’z, enjoying a quesadilla while others at the table enjoyed a more authentic pub-style fish and chips.

 

Dessert was also enjoyed at Bitez, a café offering ice cream, pastries and candy.

 

Beyond the Hyatt Ziva, JAX FAX dined at Pier 1 on the Waterfront, where a lunch of lobster and fries and a dessert of Bailey’s cheesecake was enjoyed with a waterfront view.

 

At the site of Falmouth Mystic Lagoon Tours, the restaurant Mystic Flava provided an outdoor setting near the water in a pavilion-like structure with a cover overhead. The fish sandwich was one of the many favorites of the cuisine at this restaurant.

 

Regarding the special experience of dining at Chef Walker’s home, these dinners are monthly and are private with limited seats. It’s called a ‘Chef’s Table’ with preferably group of 24 where you get a four-course, high-end plated dining experience. The experience can happen at the chef’s home or a venue of choice. It can be booked by calling (658) 210-0426 or emailing kitchen_721@outlook.com.

 

Chef Walker’s Instagram is @kitchen721bychefwalker.
It also should be noted that JAX FAX got a chance to try Jamaica’s take on KFC. This includes fried chicken with seasonings and dressings that provide a kick in keeping with the island’s love of spice.

 

 

New Development to Anticipate
JAX FAX’s tour group toured a new housing and hotel complex currently under construction known as The Pinnacle, “a transformative $450 million (U.S.) luxury development by LCH Development Ltd. In partnership with Accor/Ennismore, featuring four distinctively designed towers with 351 luxury residences, 12 private villas and a 2,666-key branded luxury hotel.” For more information, visit: https://thepinnaclejamaica.com
For more information about Jamaica visit: www.visitjamaica.com