Support for Bartlett’s plan to ‘reimagine’ Destination Jamaica

OCHO 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 Palace Jamaica in Ocho Rios on Tuesday. (Photo: Horace Hines)

Kyle Mais, managing director of Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, focused on the opportunity to rebalance Jamaica’s tourism offering towards boutique and higher-value experiences. He said smaller properties have been concerned about the gradual decline of the boutique market as Jamaica became increasingly identified with its successful all-inclusive model. Mais, who is also vice-president of the JHTA, welcomed Bartlett’s vision of changing that approach, arguing that future development should favour a “low-volume, high-value” model, noting that boutique and luxury travellers generally spend more beyond their hotels, creating greater interaction with and economic benefits for surrounding communities. “The community tends to benefit more from their stays,” Mais said, arguing that increasing the share of boutique and luxury offerings alongside all-inclusive properties could spread tourism’s economic benefits more broadly. Elements of the planned transformation involve Black River in St Elizabeth, Falmouth in Trelawny and Montego Bay in St James, where post-Melissa rebuilding could dramatically alter the physical character of these areas. On Monday, Bartlett reminded that Black River, which suffered significant damage during the hurricane, is to be substantially redesigned, including moving the town further inland and away from the coastline. “We are going to be creating new townships in Black River,” he said. A similar approach is planned for Falmouth, while Montego Bay is to undergo a major redesign, particularly along its waterfront. That area, Bartlett said, is being considered for a major development that would resemble Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard. The newly commissioned National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) will oversee and enable execution of the plans, with the Urban Development Corporation, Port Authority of Jamaica and Factories Corporation of Jamaica working with architects and other professionals on the designs.

Jamaica’s tourism product is also expected to pivot further towards luxury, with new experiences, including casino gaming at Princess Grand Jamaica, expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027. Bartlett said the Government is also developing policies to retain more of the tourism dollar locally and increase participation of Jamaicans in the sector’s value chain. The wider transformation is being packaged as Tourism 3.0, focusing on infrastructure, resilience, development of human capital and greater inclusion. Bartlett said tourism workers will be placed at the centre of the new model, with greater emphasis on training, certification and classification to professionalise the industry and better align remuneration with skills and qualifications. “Service for us represents 60 per cent of the value of the experience that the visitor has,” the minister explained. “We want to be known as the destination that offers the best service,” he added. For Bartlett, the devastation wrought by Hurricane Melissa has created an opportunity to build back differently — creating a Jamaica that is “more resilient, more sophisticated and better positioned to capture greater value from tourism”.