NewzOCHO RIOS, St Ann — Jamaica is preparing for a dramatic post-Hurricane Melissa transformation, with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett pointing to plans to create new townships, relocate vulnerable communities, redesign waterfronts, and overhaul major tourism infrastructure as the country rebuilds from the devastation of last year’s storm. The minister was unable to provide a price tag to go with his vision, but the concept has received enthusiastic support from two major tourism players. “We are going to be reimagining Destination Jamaica,” Bartlett declared Monday, in an address delivered virtually during the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) media breakfast at Moon Palace Jamaica in Ocho Rios.
Bartlett has previously mentioned some aspects of his plans but on Monday he pulled it all together and presented a wider picture. He noted, for example, that the transformation will include new ports around the island, improved highway connections between airports and resort areas, and a proposed central-island airport that would operate as an “aerotropolis”, incorporating cargo and aviation maintenance facilities. The proposed redesign is already drawing support from industry stakeholders, particularly the prospect of creating more functional, integrated communities around the tourism product.
On Tuesday Robin Russell, general manager of Deja Resorts, which is located on Montego Bay’s Jimmy Cliff Boulevard, said the new townships could improve the way communities function, from traffic management and transportation to entertainment and commercial activity. His hotel falls within the area Bartlett has plans to transform. “What new townships are looking like is better management of resources: How traffic is moved, how the town operates,” said Russell, who is a past president of the Jamaica Tourist and Hotel Association (JHTA).
He welcomed the prospect of properly planned taxi centres and entertainment districts that would serve both visitors and residents. Russell said the redevelopment could also help modernise Jamaica’s physical infrastructure and create new opportunities for businesses. “It is moving Jamaica into the 21st century,” he said, adding that new town centres could provide an environment in which businesses will flourish.
Robin Russell, general manager of Deja Resorts, at his hotel’s booth on the exhibition floor of the Jamaica Product Exchange at Moon Pa…
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