Photo by Janet Silvera
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (right foreground), and His Excellency Abel Matutes (second left), chairman of Fiesta Hotel Group, shovel dirt as they break ground for the construction of the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort at Point, Hanover. Sharing in the occasion is Minister of Development, Donald Buchanan (left), and State Minister in the Ministry of Tourism Dr. Wykeham McNeill (centre back).

Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica's tourism landscape moved up a notch further with the groundbreaking of the premier eco-tourism resort by the multi-national Spanish group, Fiesta, in Point, Hanover, yesterday afternoon.

Construction of the US$260 million 'top end' 1,600-room resort has commenced with completion of the first phase of 1,000 rooms scheduled for the end of 2007.

Spanning three magnificent beaches along the Hanover coastline, Fiesta will build two properties initially, tagged 'Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort' and the 'Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa,' respectively.

The property will house a total of four resorts on completion, and will provide permanent employment to 2,000 persons directly and 1,000 temporarily during the construction period.

Abel Matutes, chairman of the Fiesta Hotel Group - who said Jamaica's 'King of Reggae,' Robert Nesta Marley, had invited him to invest in the island years ago - said this development would take the lead as the 'Green Holiday' resort for all his other properties.

Will preserve landscape

The Matutes family owns and operates 41 hotels worldwide.

"We will preserve the landscape, use renewable energy and introduce the strictest measures adhering to local and regional best practices," he told the gathering, while making a firm commitment to form partnerships with the community and environmental protection agencies.

Describing the investment as a source of extreme delight, keynote speaker, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said the development underscores the country's commitment to people development and the development of rural areas, which would raise the quality of life of the Jamaican people and help stem rural to urban migration.

She said the resounding vote of confidence in Jamaica by Fiesta is evident and is bolstered by their declared expression to "going local" in terms of their purchases, wherever possible. "Such an approach will serve to further maximise the value-added spin-offs of this project."