$48m treasure to support community tourism in Jamaica

Treasure Beach leads the way, farmers also to benefit

With a Community Tourism policy now in place, the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment is moving to formally develop community tourism across Jamaica with Treasure Beach leading the way.

This south central Jamaica seaside community is to benefit from a pilot project in the drive to further develop community tourism across the island, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment.

The ministry said that as part of the pilot project there will be an injection of $48 million from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

During a recent visit, Tourism and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill reportedly said that Treasure Beach and its environs, already renowned for community tourism, would be the first to benefit under the new initiative to assist such enterprises.

The programme forms part of efforts to implement the Community Tourism Policy recently tabled in Parliament.

Twenty million dollars is to be used as a revolving loan fund to assist smaller tourism-related properties struggling to equip themselves in order to acquire operating licences from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB). The JTB has specific standards for approved tourism entities.

McNeill told Treasure Beach stakeholders that they would be eligible for benefits if they took steps to become compliant with the revised Tourist Board Act.

He also disclosed that an additional $28 million had been granted by the TEF to improve road infrastructure in the community "because under the Tourism Linkages Initiative we want the farmers to also benefit from the growth in tourism. So by improving the roads they will be able to get their produce to purchasers in a timelier manner and the improved roads will benefit persons living in the area as well".

Tourist arrivals in Jamaica have reached a record 3.65 million in 2015, but McNeill said "to get the real benefit of tourism I want to see a thrust in community tourism because that opens up areas like this. Once we get the model right it will open up a wide cross section of Jamaica to community tourism."

McNeill said "we want the benefits of tourism to spread across the length and breadth of Jamaica; we want to ensure that it’s not just those with big pockets but that Jamaicans at all levels can benefit".

While recognising the need to protect the industry, Dr McNeill said there had to be realistic standards for small and large properties as "some of the things that are in place for large properties are not practical for smaller properties…".

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle [email protected]