Janet Silvera/Gleaner Writer

CEO of S Hotels Jamaica, Christopher Issa, and his UK representative, Victoria Cranmer, pose with the two awards they were recognised with at the PATWA International Travel Awards 2026 during the ITB trade show in Berlin, Germany, last Wednesday.
March 9, 2026 by Janet Silvera

S Hotel’s boss cops PATWA ITA awards for excellence in hospitality innovation

Berlin, Germany: Jamaican hotelier Christopher Issa has earned international recognition for his contribution to Caribbean tourism, receiving the 2026 Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA)…
Mureen James (centre), executive director of the Montego Bay Convention Centre, accepts one of two awards from Yatan Ahluwalia (right), secretary general of the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA), and Jamaica’s tourism minister, Edmund Bartl
March 6, 2026 by Janet Silvera

Mureen James shines in Berlin with two global hospitality honours

Berlin, Germany: Jamaican tourism executive Mureen James stood among some of the most influential figures in global tourism in Berlin on Tuesday as she accepted two honours at the Pacific Area Travel…
Hotelier Christopher Issa, owner and operator of S Hotels Jamaica, poses with a plaque he was honoured with by media members of the Western Jamaica Media Association (WJMA) on Sunday at Hotel 39 in Montego Bay. He is flanked by WJMA members. 
March 3, 2026 by Janet Silvera

Issa defends traditional media, recalls why journalism mattered after hurricane

WESTERN BUREAU: In an age when news breaks first on social media and credibility is often the casualty, Jamaican hotelier Christopher Issa delivered an unexpected but forceful defence of traditional…
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton (left) and clinical coordinator, Western Regional Health Authority, Dr Delroy Fray, converse during a press briefing at the WRHA offices in Montego Freeport on Thursday.
February 28, 2026 by Janet Silvera

Tufton: Health centres to ‘build back smarter’

WESTERN BUREAU: The Ministry of Health & Wellness is moving into the second phase of post-Hurricane Melissa reconstruction, with more than 100 damaged health centres across western Jamaica set to…
Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton (left) and Dr Delroy Fray, clinical coordinator, Western Regional Health Authority, converse during a press briefing at the WRHA’s offices in Montego Freeport on Thursday.
February 27, 2026 by Janet Silvera

Ja equipped to stablilise severe burn cases, says health officials

WESTERN BUREAU: Amid public concern over local treatment options for severe burn victims, health officials have insisted that Jamaica’s health system has the capacity to stabilise critical cases…
Team manager Dominic Delgado
February 20, 2026 by Janet Silvera

From Kingston to Los Angeles: Ja’s hardwood revolution begins

WESTERN BUREAU: When the casinos in Las Vegas projected Jamaica to lose by 31 points, few outside the locker room believed. Then came the buzzer-beater. Then came the shock. Now comes Kingston. Next…
Former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson.
February 20, 2026 by Janet Silvera

Former CARICOM leaders urge repeal of US exec order targeting Cuba’s fuel supply

WESTERN BUREAU: Caribbean former heads of government have issued an extraordinary joint appeal condemning what they describe as a “catastrophic fuel blockade” against Cuba, warning that the island’s…
Sophie Grizzle-Roumel, hotelier at Charela Inn in Negril, Westmoreland.
February 18, 2026 by Janet Silvera

‘Death knell for small hotels’

WESTERN BUREAU: As Jamaica’s tourism sector continues its post-Hurricane Melissa recovery, small hotel operators are warning that new tax measures slated for implementation in April 2027 could…
Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon addressing the audience during the Chinese New Year event at The Pinnacle in Montego Bay, St James, on Sunday.
February 17, 2026 by Janet Silvera

Vernon: Chinese community central to MoBay’s commercial, civic evolution

WESTERN BUREAU: During the Spring Festival celebration at the Pinnacle in Reading on Sunday, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said the story of the city’s economic rise cannot be told without…