Jamaica Invests $30 Million in Montego Bay Restoration

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) recently released $30 million in funding to help restore the Montego Bay area and take advantage of its massive potential in relation to cultural tourism.

Supporters of the program believe it's a city with a lot of potential for making the most out of untapped resources. They also believe restoring this rundown area of Jamaica will enable the country to attract tourists by revealing more of Jamaica's rich history and vibrant culture. Overall, they expect it to provide a major contribution to the country's tourism industry, as well as offering more in revenue for artisans, vendors, and taxi drivers in the area.

These resources centre on a few major projects in the centre of the city; primarily, the Montego Bay Civic Centre and the Sam Sharpe Square. The TEF is a Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment agent and can spend money in any way it sees fit to accomplish its aims of improving growth in the country's tourism sector, promoting superior management of natural resources throughout the country, and enhancing tourism as a whole with Jamaica luxury hotels and its high quality facilities, whilst doing it in a sustainable way.

Dr. Wykeham McNeill, the Minister of Tourism, and Senator Noel Sloley, are particularly well-known supporters of the program. The belief comes from the recent upturn in cultural tourism. No longer are people merely flying half way across the world for some sun, they want to find out more about the country they are staying in.

As part of their grand design, the first step is to install a cultural attraction in Montego Bay to enhance the country's product as a whole. Initial steps involve revitalising the Montego Bay Civic Centre to turn it into a massive cultural centre and museum. State-of-the-art lighting, parking, modern fencing, and audio-visual attractions are just a few of the things going into the centre. To display the country's history, the centre will house monuments to both Sam Sharpe and the victims of the mass hanging following the 1831 Christmas Rebellion.

When the new Montego Bay Civic Centre is completed an art curator and centre manager will oversee the care and maintenance of the facility. Under the leadership of the Arts Commission it's hoped the domestic populace will greatly support the action and it can successfully compete for cultural tourists in the region.

One of the major reasons why $30 million is going towards such projects is to counter the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated Jamaica and a number of countries in the second half of 2012. The damage was extensive and led to a major clean-up operation in Jamaica, costing the country significant amounts of money.

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