分类： business

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican drivers are set to catch a break at fuel pumps starting this Thursday, May 14, after state-owned refinery Petrojam released updated ex-refinery pricing that brings widespread reductions to most common fuel types.

The $0.25 per liter cut applies uniformly to three of the nation’s most widely used fuels: 90-octane gasoline, which will drop to a new retail base price of $197.33 per liter; 87-octane gasoline, which will see an identical cut to land at $189.88 per liter; and standard automotive diesel, which will also fall to $197.33 per liter after the reduction. Ultra-low sulphur diesel, a popular option for modern heavy-duty and passenger vehicles, will follow the same trend, dropping by $0.25 per liter to a base price of $204.35. Kerosene, commonly used for heating and off-grid power generation, is also set for a $0.25 per liter decrease, bringing its base price to $182.15 per liter.

Two specialized liquid petroleum products see divergent changes: propane will tick up by $0.25 per liter to $82.03, while butane will see a far steeper drop of $2.94 per liter, landing at a new base price of $88.96.

It is important to note that these figures reflect ex-refinery base costs, not final retail prices. Private marketing companies and retail station operators will add their standard operating margins and markups to these base rates before consumers see final prices at the pump.

In St. James, Jamaica, MBJ Airports Limited (MBJ), the operator of the island’s world-famous Sangster International Airport (SIA), has brought together airport stakeholders to celebrate the fourth annual Customer Experience (CX) Excellence Awards, a ceremony that doubled as a tribute to the airport’s 23 years of operation and its extraordinary recovery from one of the most challenging periods in its modern history.

The event, held in the wake of the widespread disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa in late 2025, centered on a core message that has guided the airport through crisis and growth: human connection and cultural commitment remain the most powerful drivers of customer service excellence, even as technology reshapes air travel. Speaking to a room of award nominees, airport employees and partner organization representatives, MBJ Chief Executive Officer Shane Munroe emphasized that no automated system or artificial intelligence can replicate the unique value of on-the-ground teams that shape millions of visitors’ first impressions of Jamaica each year.

Munroe framed customer experience not as a task limited to a single corporate department, but as a shared responsibility woven into the identity of every person connected to the airport. “Every agency, every stakeholder, every airport employee who passes through these doors carries the reputation of this airport and of the entire country of Jamaica,” he told attendees. He noted that the 2025 hurricane season served as a critical test of this shared culture, and the airport community passed with flying colors. “What defined us was not the challenge itself, but how we responded. We stayed focused, we supported each other, and we kept the passenger at the center of everything we do,” Munroe said. He added that the awards honor both measurable performance and a core mindset of ownership that has kept SIA the leading airport hub in the Caribbean.

The evening’s guest speaker, Ryan Matthew, corporate director of human resources at Sandals Resorts International, brought decades of aviation and hospitality experience to his remarks, having spent more than 10 years in regional airport operations management at the former Air Jamaica. Drawing on a memorable past interaction with a frustrated passenger, Matthew argued that exceptional service is defined not by never making mistakes, but by how teams respond when expectations go unmet. “Service has never been about what people may say to you in their worst moment. It is about how you make them feel in that moment, how you recover when expectations are not met, how you restore trust, how you turn frustration into relief,” he explained.

Matthew echoed Munroe’s stance on the growing importance of human service in an increasingly automated travel landscape, noting that while new digital tools have boosted efficiency, they have also left many passengers feeling more anxious. “When the journey becomes more automated, empathy becomes a differentiator,” he said. He also reminded award recipients that recognition comes with responsibility: “The true power of recognition is not in the trophy. It is the example that remains after the applause is over.”

This year’s awards cycle drew more than 45 qualified nominations, sourced both from internal management recommendations and feedback submitted directly by passengers through SIA’s customer portal. A total of 29 individual winners were recognized across seven core award categories, including the MBJ Choice Award, Unsung Heroes, Teamwork Makes the Dream Work, Impression Makers, Caring Support, Voice of the Customer, and Safe and Sound. A new, special award category—the Resilience and Recovery Award—was created this year to honor 13 partner companies whose rapid collaborative response cleared the way for SIA’s timely, safe reopening just weeks after Hurricane Melissa made landfall.

First place individual winners included Oliver England of the Jamaica Tourist Board (Impression Makers), Demoy Lawson of Menzies Aviation (Unsung Heroes), Deborah Bernard of the Jamaica Tourist Board (Caring Support), Julian Williams of the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (Safe and Sound), and Lenville Walters of Guardsman Group (Teamwork Makes the Dream Work).

Closing out the ceremony, MBJ Operations Manager Nicole Hall reflected on the unprecedented disruption brought by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, when the storm damaged infrastructure and displaced communities across northwestern Jamaica. What stood out most in the recovery effort, Hall said, was the extraordinary dedication of airport staff who showed up to work ready to serve even after their own homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm. “They were here, and they gave 100 per cent,” she said, adding that the response laid bare the true character and capability of the broader SIA community.

Hall noted that the team’s collective resilience not only restored airport operations far faster than projected, but also preserved passenger confidence in SIA as the most reliable gateway to the Caribbean. “Your resilience and determination ensured the recovery of our operations and the preservation of passenger confidence in SIA as a reliable gateway to the Caribbean. The effort went beyond duty. It reflected pride, ownership, and a shared commitment to something greater than any one organisation,” she said. She closed with a call to action for all stakeholders to continue centering human connection in every passenger interaction: “Let us continue to strengthen our partnerships, empower our teams, and remain intentional about every interaction, because in the end, it is these interactions that define us.”

TransJamaican Highway Limited (TJH), Jamaica’s leading toll road operator, has delivered a stunning 46% year-over-year surge in first-quarter net profit, fueled by higher overall traffic volumes and outperformance from its newly launched May Pen-to-Williamsfield highway extension. For the three-month period ending March 31, the firm reported net income of $13.2 million, up sharply from $9.1 million logged in the same quarter last year. Total quarterly revenues also climbed 29% annually to hit $29 million, marking one of the company’s strongest quarterly growth stretches in recent years.

The new 1C extension of Jamaica’s Highway 2000, which connects the parishes of Clarendon and Manchester via the May Pen-to-Williamsfield corridor, entered full commercial operation in late December 2025. In its first full quarter of service, the leg contributed $3.5 million in total revenue, equal to roughly 12% of the company’s total group revenue for the quarter. In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday, TJH Chief Executive Officer Ivan Anderson explained that the new corridor has exceeded all internal revenue projections, driven by higher-than-expected adoption among motorists.

“What we have seen is that most people now utilise the full length of the roadway from May Pen to Williamsfield,” Anderson said. “We’re seeing a little different mix in terms of traffic — more long-haul and less short-haul traffic — which has boosted the revenues as well.”

The solid quarterly results underscore the inherent strength of TJH’s toll road operating model, where fixed infrastructure costs mean that incremental revenue growth from new traffic translates directly to disproportionate gains in bottom-line profit. Beyond the new corridor lift, the company’s ongoing strategy of debt reduction also supported the sharp rise in profitability. While total revenues grew 29% year-over-year, TJH’s finance costs continued a steady decline as the firm paid down outstanding borrowings and redeemed outstanding preference shares.

For the quarter, pre-tax earnings rose to $16.8 million, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) climbed 31% annually to $23.7 million. Total borrowings fell to $182 million at the end of March, down from $192 million at the same point last year, continuing the company’s multi-year trend of deleveraging its balance sheet.

Aligning with its commitments to investors made during its initial public offering, TJH declared a $13 million dividend during the quarter that was paid out to shareholders in April. Anderson noted the company has stayed true to its promise of distributing nearly all excess cash to shareholders after accounting for planned maintenance, infrastructure upgrades and debt repayment obligations.

“We gave some commitments when we went to the IPO, which was that we would distribute almost all the cash we had except for what we needed for routine maintenance, major renewals, and paying down our debt,” Anderson said. “As our profits grow, we continue to pay out more in terms of dividends.”

Even with the strong contribution from the new extension, Anderson emphasized that TJH’s core earnings still come from the broader Highway 2000 network that spans from Kingston through Clarendon. “Phase 1C is not a significant portion of our revenues,” he said. “But obviously, because our costs are fixed, the additional revenues tend to flow to our bottom line.”

Looking ahead, TJH is actively positioning itself to bid for upcoming toll road operation concessions across Jamaica, starting with the Montego Bay perimeter road that is currently being developed by the Jamaican government. Anderson noted that the company expects the completed project will be opened to competitive bidding for experienced toll road operators, though he confirmed TJH holds no exclusive rights or first refusal option on the asset.

“We expect that once it is completed, it may be offered to the entities who can operate toll roads in Jamaica to provide a bid,” Anderson said.

The company is also monitoring additional proposed highway expansion projects connected to Jamaica’s North-South Highway, including planned new corridors linking to Discovery Bay and White River that Prime Minister Andrew Holness has publicly discussed. “We are very interested in those as well,” Anderson said. “Should they become opportunities, then obviously we’ll look at those in terms of trying to take advantage of those as well.”

Currently, TJH holds a 35-year concession to operate Highway 2000 East-West, with an option to extend the agreement for an additional 35 years, which would extend the operating rights through 2071.

For years, parametric insurance flew under the radar of most Jamaican businesses and insurance brokers. But a string of destructive back-to-back hurricanes in 2024 and 2025 have shifted market attitudes, pushing local brokerage firm Fraser Fontaine & Kong Ltd (FFK) to aggressively expand access to this alternative weather risk coverage, company leaders announced at the recent Jamaica Observer Business Forum.

FFK’s president and chairman Gerard Fontaine noted that the firm has researched parametric insurance models for more than a decade, moving forward with a tailored local offering only after addressing widespread past dissatisfaction with early iterations of the product. After years of studying successful international implementations and collaborating with risk modeling specialists, the company has designed a version of parametric coverage adapted to the unique needs of Jamaican businesses.

The urgent push for broader adoption comes in the wake of Hurricanes Beryl in 2024 and Melissa in 2025, which laid bare critical gaps in traditional property insurance that left many local businesses grappling with extended financial strain. Executive Director Martine Fontaine explained that the core difference between the two coverage models lies in how claim payouts are triggered. For traditional insurance, payouts are only issued after lengthy on-site physical damage assessments, adjuster investigations, and forensic reviews. In contrast, parametric insurance pays out as soon as a pre-agreed weather threshold — such as hurricane wind speed or earthquake magnitude — is met, eliminating the need for time-consuming damage inspections.

Martine shared a firsthand example from Hurricane Melissa, where the trigger condition was satisfied at 8:00 a.m. By 3:00 p.m. the same day, FFK had issued payout declarations to eligible clients, and funds were already wired to clients’ bank accounts by the following Monday. This rapid disbursement addresses one of the most common pain points of traditional insurance, where businesses often wait weeks or even months for payout while already facing post-disaster financial pressure.

Another critical gap parametric coverage fills is “loss of market” scenarios that are rarely covered by traditional policies. For example, Jamaican hotels frequently lose millions in revenue from booking cancellations and plummeting visitor arrivals after major storms, even if their properties sustain little to no direct physical damage. Because traditional insurance requires proof of physical damage to process a claim, these indirect revenue losses are almost never recoverable. Parametric insurance also covers costs that conventional policies often exclude, including hurricane preparation expenses, forced operational shutdowns, and post-storm business interruptions. Beyond speed and expanded coverage, the simplified claims process is another major advantage: after a trigger event, clients only need to submit a one-page declaration confirming they have experienced financial loss, rather than navigating a complex maze of adjusters, deductibles, and underinsurance disputes that often leave clients feeling the traditional system is designed to deny claims.

FFK’s custom parametric programs can be tailored to a wide range of local stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, large hotel operators, and any other property owner facing weather-related financial risk. Coverage can extend to tangible recovery costs such as re-landscaping, roof repairs, equipment replacement, and business restart expenses. Company leaders emphasized that almost any asset or revenue stream at risk of weather-related loss can be covered by a customized parametric plan.

Despite these benefits, FFK executives caution that parametric insurance is not intended to replace traditional property coverage. Payout caps for parametric policies mean they may not fully cover extreme losses from major catastrophic events, so businesses should integrate parametric coverage into a broader, diversified risk management strategy. While consumer inquiries and coverage discussions have risen sharply since the 2024 hurricane season, the product still remains relatively unknown to most businesses in Jamaica’s local market.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a landmark win for Jamaica’s travel and hospitality sector, Club Kingston has secured the coveted title of “Lounge of the Year” for the Latin America and Caribbean region from Priority Pass, outperforming over 350 competing airport lounges across the area to claim the top honor.\n\nThis industry recognition lands at a pivotal juncture for Jamaica, which has been working steadily to rebuild and revitalize its tourism sector following the widespread disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa. Beyond celebrating the high quality of Jamaica’s hospitality offerings, the award serves as a powerful vote of global confidence in the country as a travel destination, underscoring its ability to deliver world-class experiences to visitors from around the globe.\n\nAs the world’s preeminent airport lounge and curated travel experience program, Priority Pass boasts an extensive network that spans more than 1,800 lounges and unique experiences across 725 airports in over 145 nations. The program’s awards draw directly from feedback collected from its millions of global members, who submit more than 700,000 independent reviews and customer surveys each year. This data-driven, traveler-centered approach has made the Priority Pass awards one of the most respected and credible honors in the international travel industry.\n\nFor the 2024 cycle of awards, global travelers placed Club Kingston firmly at the head of the regional rankings, with consistent top ratings across all key service and experience metrics.\n\n“This recognition is incredibly meaningful because it does not come from an industry panel—it comes directly from the travelers we welcome and serve every single day,” explained Tanya Beckford, Chief Executive Officer of VIP Attractions Limited, which operates both Club Kingston and Jamaica’s popular Club Mobay lounge. “To be recognized by global passengers in this way is a tremendous honor, not just for our entire team, but for the whole of Jamaica. It reflects the warmth, resilience, and unwavering commitment to excellence that define our people and our national tourism product.”\n\nAt the official award ceremony held Tuesday in Kingston, Jeremy Dalkoff, Vice President of Partnerships at Priority Pass, echoed Beckford’s remarks and praised the lounge’s standout achievement. Dalkoff emphasized that the award reflects unfiltered, authentic sentiment from travelers across the world.\n\n“Club Kingston consistently delivers a standout, memorable experience for our Priority Pass members,” Dalkoff noted. “What makes this win especially significant is that it is 100% driven by direct, unedited feedback from the travelers who use the lounge. Earning the top spot across the entire Latin America and Caribbean region is a remarkable accomplishment, and it speaks volumes about the entire team’s relentless dedication to service excellence.”\n\nFor the Club Kingston staff and leadership, the award carries deeper meaning than just industry acclaim: it offers a ongoing platform to showcase the best of Jamaican hospitality and culture to international visitors before they even leave the country.\n\n“Every guest who walks through our doors gets an authentic taste of the legendary spirit of Jamaica long before they board their departing flight,” Beckford added. “This award proves that those small, personal moments of hospitality leave a lasting impact, and that matters more than anything.”\n\nThe honor comes as Jamaica ramps up national efforts to boost traveler confidence, expand international air connectivity, and upgrade the full end-to-end visitor experience for guests. This award will further solidify Jamaica’s competitive position in the crowded Caribbean tourism market, while reinforcing the value of strategic investment in high-quality guest experiences across every touchpoint of a traveler’s journey, from arrival to departure.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — One of Jamaica’s most prominent media conglomerates has announced a key strategic property deal that will reshape its operational footprint for years to come. RJR Gleaner Communications Group, the parent company of the decades-old Jamaica Gleaner publication, has entered into a binding sales agreement with local enterprise LP Azar Limited for its iconic former headquarters located at 7 North Street in downtown Kingston.

The announcement, made publicly this Tuesday, confirmed that the deal includes not only the main building that housed the Jamaica Gleaner for generations, but also adjacent parcels of land and existing parking areas attached to the property.

In an official news release detailing the transaction, the media group emphasized that the sale is not an isolated move, but a core component of its company-wide strategic restructuring and modernization agenda. The overarching goals of these initiatives are to streamline the organization’s physical operational footprint, cut unnecessary overhead, boost efficiency across all of its commercial divisions, and ultimately deliver greater long-term value to its shareholders.

The proceeds and freed-up resources from the sale will support the ongoing consolidation of all of the group’s operations at its updated Lyndhurst Road campus, where the Jamaica Gleaner newsroom has already completed its relocation. By centralizing operations at this single site, the group expects to eliminate redundant costs and improve cross-department collaboration between its print, digital and broadcast teams.

Furthermore, the sale allows leadership to reallocate capital and management attention away from non-core real estate holdings and back to the company’s primary business lines: print journalism, digital media content, and broadcast operations.

Like most commercial property transactions of this scale, the final closing is contingent on the completion of standard regulatory and procedural conditions. The deal is currently projected to be finalized within the next 45 days.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda – Ahead of the highly anticipated 2026 Caribbean Travel Marketplace trade exhibition kicking off in Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica’s top tourism official has thrown down a clear gauntlet to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), calling on the bloc to formally enshrine tourism as the region’s number one economic activity and unite to shield, grow and future-proof the critical sector.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett pointed out a striking disconnect that has persisted in regional policy for years: while tourism accounts for more than 40 percent of gross domestic product across multiple Caribbean economies and sustains the livelihoods of millions of local workers and families, it has yet to earn a spot as a core priority on CARICOM’s overarching strategic roadmap.

“Tourism is no afterthought, no secondary industry – it is the very backbone of the Caribbean economy,” Bartlett emphasized. “The moment has arrived for CARICOM to treat it with the urgency, dedicated resources and political will that this transformative sector demands.”

Bartlett went on to highlight that tourism extends far beyond hotels and resort hospitality. Across the entire Caribbean basin, the sector acts as a central engine that powers growth across a wide swath of interconnected industries, from aviation and local agriculture to creative arts, infrastructure construction, regional financial services, and small and medium enterprise development. He argued that CARICOM’s broader economic integration goals can never reach their full potential if the bloc continues to relegate tourism to a peripheral issue, rather than centering it as the region’s leading economic driver.

“We cannot credibly claim to be advancing economic integration when we leave our largest industry to face global economic headwinds on its own,” Bartlett stated. “CARICOM must put in place a dedicated, high-level mandate for tourism – one backed by binding commitments, coordinated cross-border policies and collective investment frameworks – that matches the enormous weight the industry holds for every single member state.”

The minister laid out five key, long-overdue areas where coordinated CARICOM action is urgently needed: developing a unified regional tourism strategy, streamlining visa processes and cross-border travel facilitation, establishing a dedicated regional resilience fund to respond to industry shocks, accelerating the digital transformation of tourism services across the bloc, and investing in targeted human capital development for the tourism workforce.

Bartlett added that building local capacity to control the supply side of the regional tourism industry is also critical to reducing economic leakage and ensuring that more revenue from tourism stays within local Caribbean economies, rather than flowing to foreign entities.

“The world’s most successful tourism destinations do not achieve lasting success in isolation,” Bartlett noted. “Our regional cultural and natural diversity is our greatest strength – but that strength can only be unlocked if we harness it collectively under a CARICOM framework that places tourism at the very top of our shared agenda.”

Reaffirming his commitment to advancing this unified vision, Bartlett confirmed that Jamaica will continue to hold bilateral and multilateral discussions with regional counterparts across the Caribbean to build broad consensus for a coordinated Caribbean tourism integration agenda moving forward.