Tessanne Chin for Rum Festival

Tessanne Chin has been confirmed for the 2022 staging of the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Festival.

The 2013 Voice singing competition winner is among the list of heavyweight entertainers who have been booked for the event, set for June 25.

Reggae/dancehall superstar Capleton and the melodious singers Sanchez and Romaine Virgo are also set to grace the event's stage at Harmony Beach Park in Jamaica's tourism capital, Montego Bay, St James.

Festival Director Valon Thorpe noted that the event will be returning to a physical setting this year following the lifting of COVID-19 protocols.

"Last year we were able to successfully pivot to a virtual staging, with over one million persons tuning in to watch, and impressions in the millions. This year, we are able to once again host patrons physically, where they can directly engage their senses in real-time to experience our rums," Thorpe said.

The Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Festival is being presented in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, through its agencies the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Jamaica Tourist Board, and will serve as a significant milestone for the entertainment industry as it fully reopens. Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism, said that Montego Bay is an ideal location for the event.

"[Jamaica] is the fastest-growing tourist destination following the COVID-19 recovery. No wonder Montego Bay was voted the second most popular city in the world, second only to Punta Cana, with a growth of 136 per cent."

"For the first three months [of the year], and now approaching the fourth, Jamaica is now on the verge of having its first million visitors and earning US$1.5 billion," he added.

In addition to entertainment, a suite of other cultural activities will be featured during the festival, giving locals and tourists alike a deeper appreciation of Jamaican heritage and culture.