Joseph Cunningham, Gleaner Writer
Mayor of Kingston Desmond McKenzie laying a wreath on the grave of Lewis Galdy, survivor of the Great Quake of 1692 that destroyed much of Port Royal. The occasion was the Jamaica National Trust's thanksgiving service at St. Peter's Anglican Church, Port Royal. At right is Jada Jones, student of Port Royal All-Age School. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
MAYOR OF Kingston Desmond McKenzie is calling on the Govern-ment to speed up the long-touted development of Port Royal.
The mayor on Wednesday said he was disappointed with the lengthy delay, saying the Government has been ignoring development plans for the town.
He was speaking at the 314th anniversary service of the 'Great Quake of 1692' that destroyed much of the seaside town, held at the St. Peter's Anglican Church, Port Royal, Kingston.
"As Mayor of Kingston, I am appealing once again to the Government to make Port Royal a priority tourism project," he said. "We were very enthusiastic about the launch of the project over a decade ago, and its objective to recapture the splendour of the town and make it a world-class historical attraction."
On the other hand, Gerry McDaniel, director of corporate communications in the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, believes that under the 'Masterplan for Sustainable Development Project' launched in 2002, the redevelopment of Port Royal was still very much on the Government's agenda.
FASTEST GROWING AREA
He told The Gleaner on Wednesday that the project targets four heritage sites - Port Royal, Kingston; Falmouth, Trelawny; Spanish Town, St. Catherine and Seville, also in Trelawny. He added that the project stipulates completion over an eight-year period, spanning 2002-2010, but emphasised that plans had never indicated work at all four locations simultaneously.
The mayor supported his appeal by underlining that heritage tourism has become one of the fastest growing areas of the global market. He added that the possibility of a return on investment of up to 15 per cent and 22 per cent, and with earnings anticipated at an average of about $146 million per annum, the vision of Port Royal can be achieved within a reasonable length of time.
In 1992, Robert Stephens, then director of the Jamaica Tourist Board, said there were tremendous opportunities for development and investments in Port Royal. He also said that a number of private sector investors including merchant banks, were in the process of putting together a tourism project for the town. However, those plans were never seen through.
