Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the third by population (after Kingston and Spanish Town). It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches. The city is backed by picturesque low mountains. Popular beaches include Doctor’s Cave Beach and Walter Fletcher Beach, home to an amusement park. Today, Montego Bay is known for its large regional hospital (Cornwall Regional Hospital), port facilities, second homes for numerous upper class Jamaicans from Kingston as well as North Americans and Europeans, fine restaurants, and shopping opportunities. The coastland near Montego Bay is occupied by numerous tourist resorts, most newly built, some occupying the grounds of old sugarcane plantations with some of the original buildings and mill-works still standing. The most famous is the White Witch's Rose Hall which now features a world-class golf course.

Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean, located to the south of Cuba and to the west of the island of Hispaniola. It is best known for its lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in the vibrant city, Montego Bay, with its British colonial architecture, and Negril, renowned for diving and snorkelling. Jamaica's climate is tropical, supporting diverse ecosystems with a wealth of plants and animals. Previously inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Named Santiago, it remained a possession of Spain until 1655, when England (later Great Britain) conquered the island and renamed it Jamaica. Under British rule, Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with its plantation economy highly dependent on slaves imported from Africa, followed later by Chinese and Indian indentured labour.