New Kingston, St Andrew, 12 August 2026
Jamaica’s biggest travel trade show is moving to Ocho Rios this year, with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett confirming that the 36th Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) will take place from 14 to 18 September at Moon Palace Jamaica in St Ann.
A move shaped by Melissa
Speaking virtually at the launch on Monday, 10 August, at the Jamaica Tourist Board headquarters, Mr Bartlett said the choice of Ocho Rios reflected the damage Hurricane Melissa did to western Jamaica. It is the first time in more than a decade that the show has returned to the resort areas, and it will run under the theme ‘Jamaica Reimagined’.
The minister described the relocation as a necessity that had turned into an opportunity. He said close to 80 per cent of the island’s hotel rooms are expected to be operating again by the time JAPEX opens, with the rest projected to reopen before the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Business on the table
JAPEX is organised jointly by the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association. Mr Bartlett said the last staging generated about $100 million in commercial agreements and negotiations, bringing local tourism suppliers face to face with overseas buyers, tour operators and travel agents.
JAPEX Chair Nicola Madden-Greig outlined the programme. It opens on 14 September with a travel forum covering business tourism, artificial intelligence and the luxury market, followed by a welcome reception at Island Village. Suppliers meet international buyers on 15 September and travel advisers from around the world on 16 September.
Delegates will also tour Kingston, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and the South Coast, and 17 September is set aside for community activities, including visits to Teen Challenge Jamaica, a fish sanctuary and St Ann’s Bay Hospital. Registrations have come in from 22 countries.
What it means for property
Tourism drives much of the demand for homes, rentals and commercial space along the north coast. A major trade show in Ocho Rios brings visitors, spending and attention to St Ann, and the recovery of hotel room stock is an important signal for investors weighing villas, apartments and short-let properties in resort areas.
For owners in the west, the timetable for hotels reopening matters just as much. Rental demand from tourism workers and visitors there is closely tied to how quickly properties return to full operation.
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