Repositioning downtown Kingston

[Jangle]

Transforming the capital into a cultural tourism mecca

Sunday, December 19, 2021

BY DURRANT PATE Observer business writer A serious attempt is being made to reposition downtown Kingston, long regarded as the birthplace of Jamaica's popular music, into a heritage tourism destination. The move is expected to funnel millions in tourism receipts annually into the country.

While the endeavour calls for millions of dollars in investments incrementally, the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Tourism Enhancement Fund have already approved the start of the project in principle. The finer details of the plan and costing are still being worked out but the concept has already been approved for government funding and would be a private-public partnership.
https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sund...m-mecca_239237

[Bricktop]

i think this is a pipe dream...downtown is definitely being transformed...but for business not cultural tours and the sort...nobody spending money to rehabilitate a slum...they will spend the money to demolish the squalor & build a BPO office though...

[Sir X]

Yep , definitely haven't traveled in awhile have you.( Like since the 90s) . It's called gentrification.

Kingston has to change ,not saying they will eliminate poverty , but you sure as hell can make it easy on the eyes.

[Bricktop]

Yep , definitely haven't traveled in awhile have you.( Like since the 90s) . It's called gentrification.

Kingston has to change ,not saying they will eliminate poverty , but you sure as hell can make it easy on the eyes.

dummy comes to dummy down the conversation...how do you preserve ramshackle communities that house the record shops & studios & living quarters of past musical greats while gentrifying the community?

[Sir X]

You think name calling is going to hide the fact you are a clown ? 1st your position is" no one is going to spend money to rehabilitate a slum " , you and OJ must be cousins, gentrification entails just that. It's either you have cognitive dissonance , or you are being disingenuous to score points , or you can escape with the confused ticket.

Now your 2nd point , " how do you preserve ramshackle communities" . You see the cognitive dissonance in your point , how can gentrification be the preservation of ramshackle communities ?

Isn't that inconsistent with gentrification ? . Gentrification is the rehabilitation of poor housing into better ones , to attract new developments of housing and corporate buildings. What ultimately happens is real estate and rents sky rocket, thereby forcing the poor out. Old crack houses that were built a 100 years ago are the most valued in some cases , depending on the quality of the work,/ foundation e.g brownstones in Brooklyn, and Manhattan are now worth millions because of rehabilitation.


Why do the fools rage.

[Bricktop]

reading comprehension isn't your strong point is it? now answer the question...how do you preserve ramshackle communities that house the record shops & studios & living quarters of past musical greats while gentrifying the community?

[Sir X]

Like I said you havent left Jamaica from the 90s, you havent a clue what gentrification entails, then again " cognitive disonance "on your part could be the issue, you see what you want to see.

[Bricktop]

just gone off on your own tangent haven't you? the article posted by Jangle speaks to preserving the communities...record shops. & studios of our music legends...i said that nobody is going to spend money to preserve ramshackle institutions...people will spend money to demolish & rebuild modern office structures & traditional income generating institutions (gentrification)...and as usual you're lost

Now your 2nd point, " how do you preserve ramshackle communities" . You see the cognitive dissonance in your point, how can gentrification be the preservation of ramshackle communities ?.

[Sir X]

I am lost ...hehe

[Jangle]

Letter of the Day | Downtown Kingston is a disgrace


Published:Wednesday | December 22, 2021 | 12:07 AM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I spend a lot of time in downtown Kingston. I work there, and I shop there … or I should say, I TRY to shop there.

I have been waiting for years for successive governments to make good on their promise to FIX the area. It has not yet happened, and I feel like the conditions are only getting worse.


https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...gston-disgrace

[Bricktop]

everybody wants to clean up downtown until they realise what it takes to clean up downtown...how do you "clean up" downtown without displacing the current residents?

[Jangle]

Failing downtown and urban renewal

It is past time for the administration to outline a policy or its thinking on urban renewal in Jamaica, as well as respond to Glen Christian’s complaint that he and private-sector colleagues have been frustrated by government inaction into abandoning a major development in the market district of downtown Kingston.

For if the likes of Mr Christian, a wealthy and influential entrepreneur, a big employer and a member of the boards of government agencies – including, ironically, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) – can be exasperated to the point of chucking it in, the prospects for a concentrated attack on Jamaica’s urban blight, with the support of private capital and community action, seems bleak.


https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...-urban-renewal

[Sir X]

Food for thought $50 million USD is seed money for more projects that will come,also if one group or man is willing to invest that amount, multiply that by 4 or 10 to get an estimate on potential investors if the conditions were right. Proves my point gentrification can be done and this and succesive givernments are clueless. The only thing this clown government wants to build in Kingston of any grand scale is a new Parliament, yuh would see how the red tape would be shreaded.

[Bricktop]

i wonder why no politician is willing to displace hundreds of thousands of inner city residents? i just can't seem to figure it out

[Jangle]

Tourism minister hails ROK Hotel's investment in downtown Kingston

The Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has applauded the pending opening of ROK Hotel Kingston, hailing the development on the Kingston waterfront as an invaluable investment that will add to the revitalisation of the capital.

Following a recent meeting with hotel stakeholders, Bartlett said the hotel's opening is coming at a very opportune time and aligns with the ministry's push for the overall development of the city.



“This investment is quite timely as we are taking aggressive steps to position Kingston as a vibrant urban tourism destination and developing its surrounding areas to offer a variety of authentic cultural and entertainment experiences through music, food, art, and adventure. The continued show of confidence by investors, even at this challenging time, is evidence that Jamaica is still a coveted destination and a powerful global brand,” said Bartlett.



The minister added that the milestone investment heralds yet another global brand to the capital, and that the hotel will add a “new dimension to Jamaica's tourism product and city's accommodation offerings”.



ROK Hotel Kingston, formerly the Oceana Hotel, is set to open this year. It sits at the corner of King Street and Ocean Boulevard in downtown Kingston on the waterfront. It's the first property in the region which will boast the tapestry collection by Hilton.



Overlooking the Kingston Harbour, which is the seventh-largest natural harbour in the world, the 168-room property will include retail, on-site entertainment and commercial office space with ROK residences on the top four floors.



General Manager for ROK Hotel Kingston, Jaap van Dam, welcomed the endorsement by the Tourism Minister, noting that the hotel is fully committed to its investment in the tourism sector in Jamaica.

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busi...3?profile=1056

[Jangle]

Port Royal gets first cruise ship for 2022

Cruise shipping has resumed in Port Royal with the sleepy seaside town getting its first vessel of the year on Monday.

The vessel, Crystal Symphony docked at the historic Naval Dockyard with 940 passengers, who were able to take part in controlled cruise activities over in Kingston before returning to Port Royal, where it set sail to its next port of call in Clarence Town in The Bahamas.



Port Royal became the latest cruise port in Jamaica more than a year ago, joining the four other cruise ports on the island namely — Montego Bay, Falmouth, Ocho Rios, and Port Antonio.



The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), which is the government agency that oversees Jamaica's cruise shipping sector, reports that the 1995-built Crystal Symphony is operating on a 10-day round-trip Caribbean itinerary from/to Miami, Florida. Aside from Kingston, ports of call include Bimini Islands, San Salvador Island, Ocho Rios, Long Island, and Exuma Islands.



The PAJ built the cruise port in Port Royal to fulfil three main objectives:



• create economic and social benefits while collaborating with other Government of Jamaica agencies;



• enhance the unique historical assets of Port Royal for the benefit of Jamaicans and visitors; and create a gateway to Kingston, the 'cultural capital' of the Caribbean in an environmentally sustainable manner.

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busi...8?profile=1056