As the Tourism Ministry continues to devise strategies to improve the island’s tourism value chain, Portfolio Minister Edmund Bartlett says a plan is being crafted to improve tourism attractions in St Thomas.
Some communities where such attractions are located are also to benefit from much-needed improvements, said Bartlett during a Destination Assurance tour of such sites in St Thomas on Thursday.
Bartlett said the tour was aimed at examining, among other things, the level of work that will be needed to expand and develop existing tourist assets in the parish, which is set to take off in tandem with the construction of the St Thomas leg of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) through the parish.
“This Government is excited about the future of St Thomas,” declared Bartlett as he spoke to residents of the parish on one leg of the tour.
The Hillside community, which is home to the renowned Reggae Falls, is to receive some attention from the ministry as part of the thrust to continue to develop its potential.
Bartlett said discussions have been taking place about how to spruce up the Hillside area, and how to improve the infrastructure in the community.
“As a matter of fact, we started to do some of the roads leading to Reggae Falls already, so we’re going to continue that collaboration to ensure that full access to the falls is had,” the minister said.
Reggae Falls in St Thomas.
He added that the work will be done in collaboration with residents in the area and Member of Parliament (MP) for West St Thomas, James Robertson.
The tour of the parish also included a stop at the famous Bath Fountain in the eastern section of the parish.
“As you know, Bath is a big and major asset for us. It’s one of the best natural hot springs in the world and we gonna do much with it down the road,” Bartlett stated.
Along with Bath, Bartlett said the potential of Reggae Falls is exciting for the tourism product nationally.
“We have to make sure that Reggae Falls remains a public good that is going to be available to all the people of Jamaica, and all the visitors of the world who will be invited into the area to ensure that wealth is created and good money is left in Hillside when these visitors come,” he indicated.
On that score, the minister said the opportunity now exists for Hillside residents to build out what he called “tourism value-chain engagements” and activities, “whether it is food and drink, or whether it is nutraceuticals or rubs and scrubs and baths, and so on.”
The area has rich biodiversity, which Bartlett said can be leveraged to create products that will enhance the experience of visitors.
“We are very excited about the prospects of looking deeper into it, to study the whole area a little more, and to be able to offer support to the community in building it,” he stated.