WORLD

WORLD
Spanish resort chain plansluxury hotels for Jamaica
KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Spanish resort chain Grupo Pinero agreed to build three new luxury hotels on Jamaica's north coast in the largest tourism development project in the Caribbean nation's history, officials said Sunday.
The three 600-room hotels will be built on a 200-acre plot in Pear Tree Bay, about 20 miles west of the resort town of Ocho Rios, according to Godfrey Dyer, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association.
Each of the seaside properties will cost between $60 million and $100 million to build. They will employ a total of 1,440 people, making the project Jamaica's largest single hotel development, officials said.
The addition of 1,800 hotel rooms will energize the island's vital tourism industry, which is slowly recovering after a sharp drop in visitors.
Associated Press