Prime Minister Holness salutes RIU Hotels' 25 years of investment in Jamaica at Montego Bay gala

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness delivered the keynote address at RIU Hotels and Resorts' 25th anniversary gala in Montego Bay, St James, marking a quarter-century of Spanish investment that has reshaped Jamaica's tourism landscape.

The celebration at the RIU Theatre brought together Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Spanish Ambassador José María Fernández López de Terán, opposition representative Andrea Peris, Mayor Michael Belnavis, Custos of St James Bishop Conrad Pitkin, and senior RIU executives including managing director Juan Trian Riu and Naomi Riu. Master of ceremonies Janet Syla said the milestone reflected community transformation, thousands of jobs, and enduring ties between Jamaica and the RIU family.

RIU opened its first Jamaican property, RIU Palace Tropical Bay in Negril, in 2001, becoming the first Spanish hotel chain to establish Jamaica as a principal Caribbean destination. The group now operates seven hotels with more than 4,200 rooms, welcoming roughly half a million guests annually and employing about 4,000 people, 99 per cent of them Jamaican.

Bartlett put total investment over 25 years at more than US$750 million, or about J$118 billion. Juan Trian Riu said that in the past five years alone RIU contributed more than J$14.3 billion in social security and taxes, paid J$12 billion in salaries, and spent J$66 billion with Jamaican suppliers.

Speakers also recalled Hurricane Melissa's impact in October and RIU's response, including a US$1 million reconstruction fund for staff homes, care packages for workers, and more than 100,000 hot meals distributed with World Central Kitchen. All properties reopened before the end of the year.

Ambassador Fernández noted deepening Spain-Jamaica tourism links, citing nearly 100 million visitors to Spain in 2025 and strong repeat travel. Holness urged Jamaicans to see the country as a global competitor for visitors, capital, and talent, describing tourism as a gateway to broader development. "Jamaica must become and continue to be a destination of choice," he said.

Twenty-five employees with 25 years of service received awards during the programme. The evening closed with a ceremonial cake-cutting alongside Bartlett and Peris, and Holness accepted a sculptured gift presented on behalf of Jamaican artist Robert Campbell.