Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica's 'Gold Coast', Rose Hall, is to receive another boost with the injection of a major tourism development valued at US$1.8 billion (J$123.3 billion).

The announcement was made by chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board, Dennis Morrison, while addressing members of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) on Tuesday.

Extremely guarded about naming the principals involved in the investment, the JTB chairman said he was not at liberty to give specific details. However, the project was among several others in the pipeline.

The mixed-use development, he said, will boast a marina, boutique, hotels and luxury homes.

"In addition to the United States multimillion-dollar Palmyra Condominium project which was recently cited by Travel and Leisure magazine as the world's most exciting home development, this will inject further high-end capacity into the second city."

Rose Hall, home to the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon, LXR Luxury Resort (formerly Wyndham Rose Hall), which has unofficially assumed the term the 'Golden Corridor', has been the beneficiary of a series of developments, including the Spanish-owned Iberostar, Shoppes at Rose Hall and the multimillion-dollar convention centre to be constructed within the next 18 months.

Over-performing country

As a result of the buoyancy in that area and several other parts of the island, Jamaica is now being regarded as an over-performing country in terms of the level of investment, said Morrison.

"Our focus was to promote the destination aggressively as investor friendly, so, all these investments did not come about by accident, but by a deliberate strategy between JAMPRO (now Jamaica Trade and Invest), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the High Commission in London."

He added: "In fact, Spain was targeted from as early as the mid 1990s."

In addition to the Rose Hallproject, he said some 15,000 new rooms that are at different stages of approval are on the drawing board. In particular, he pointed out Negril as one of the tourist towns to benefit.

According to Morrison, environmental and other permits are to be approved shortly. However, he emphasised that, though that development was a large one, it would maintain the character of the resort town. He noted that this project would make provision for social amenities unlike any other previous developments across the country.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com