Above: the Ritz-Carlton Montego Bay

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica’s tourism industry could see as many as 20,000 new jobs, along with 15,825 new rooms completed by 2013, according to Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Holness was speaking at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s 50th Anniversary gala Saturday night in Montego Bay.

That includes as much as $700 million in new investment in the industry, he said, with five new attractions to open in the resort areas of Montego Bay, Falmouth, Ocho Rios and Kingston.

“The government is sensitive and keen to support the industry as a critical pillar of the Jamaican economy,” he said. “I’m encouraged by the level of discourse and robust debate that will ensure a workable consensus towards a new economic template for Jamaica.”