TPDCo., the product development agency of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, on Saturday launched 'Knutsford Nights' a project aimed at fostering tourism in New Kingston, the heart of Jamaica's business district.
'Knutsford Nights' seeks to establish sections of Knutsford Boulevard as a centre for high quality entertainment and cultural activities.
According to the Tourism Product Development company, the programme will seek to complement and enhance the offerings of the already popular Knutsford Boulevard strip by facilitating a series of monthly events featuring Jamaican culture, outdoor café-style dining and showcasing of authentic Jamaican products. These events are designed to attract local and overseas visitors resulting in potential increase in revenue for existing operators, while fostering the development of tourism in the New Kingston area.
'Knutsford Nights' features a pedestrian zone along the Knutsford Boulevard from Grenada Crescent to Trinidad Terrace. Events staged in this zone will include designed areas for:
Outdoor dining restaurants on the strip allowed use of
sidewalks for outdoor café-type dining.
Entertainment live performances of music, drama, and poetry.
Art painting, sculpting and sketching.
While 'Knutsford Nights' is confined to Kingston and St. Andrew, the concept has much wider focus of diversifying the offerings of Jamaica's tourism product.
Speaking recently about the project, executive director of TPDCo, Michael Muirhead, said, "The concept will be adapted for implementation in the resort areas islandwide.
ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD
"The events will focus on
showcasing Brand Jamaica, the uniqueness of our culture through entertainment and food, and will serve as added income for operators in the areas."
The project has the support of the New Kingston business and residential communities and other agencies of government such as the Jamaica Cultural Development Corporation (JCDC), Public Health Authority, National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
