US$200-million infrastructure upgrade for St Thomas

[Jangle]

Friday, April 08, 2022

THE Government will be spending more than US$200 million to develop the infrastructure in St Thomas to position the parish as a new prime tourism destination.

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett made the disclosure as he opened the 2022/23 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The works include developing Rocky Point Beach, establishing wayfinding stations in Yallahs, rehabilitating the road to Bath Fountain Hotel, as well as leveraging strategic partnerships to develop heritage sites such as Fort Rocky and the Morant Bay Monument.

Other arms of government are supporting this thrust by undertaking significant upgrades to the road and water pipeline networks.

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news...-thomas_248121

[HL]

Wase-a-money dat Jangle!

De forum `genus ` done tell unu dat.

Btw, the genus look like him get jab. Have not seen him in a long time expressing how much he has the answer for everything:-)

[Jangle]

The Iyah a werk pon him robot weh a go tek over Jamaica.

[Jangle]

PM: False prophets using poor people to stop development

Two weeks after a lobby claimed that Rastafarian families were at risk of being evicted from Bob Marley Beach in St Thomas, Prime Minister Andrew Holness castigated critics as being mischief makers who are inimical to the progress of the eastern parish.

In his remarks at the opening of the new multimillion-dollar Yallahs Fire Station on Wednesday, Holness said that the push for investment in St Thomas would not be undertaken to the disadvantage of nationals.

The ongoing multibillion-dollar Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project and the construction of an urban centre at the old Goodyear factory lands are expected to unlock new economic opportunities and woo investors.

“Along the coast, we are seeing significant private sector interests in tourism development. I wanted to go and visit the Bob Marley Beach because I saw a social media post; I saw a video being circulated that Andrew Holness wants to take away poor people land,” Holness said before taking a long pause.

He continued: “I immediately saw through it, because all that Andrew Holness has ever done is to give poor people access to land and housing, but I took heart after I saw the video, because, immediately, a young lady called me and said to me, ‘Prime Minister, I hope you’re not going to stop the hotel development that is coming.’”

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...op-development

[Sir X]

How do you equate anyone on this site with developing infrastructure as being a waste , who on this site said that ?. Advocating for St Thomas to be a whore house is another thing, is that what you are conflating it with ?. This P.M conflates development with the issue of private beaches being captured by developers. These developers dont own the section of the land that is in question, yet he conflates for political mileage and some of us , just ride the wagon, why ?

Just to be clear, the Bob Marley Beach is owned by the commissioner of lands and there is no intention whatsoever to sell the beach. In fact, government policy is that we do not sell beach land/beachfront. We want to make that clear So, if there were any concerns, please rest assured that’s not the case,” the prime minister said Wednesday.

[Jangle]

How do you equate anyone on this site with developing infrastructure as being a waste , who on this site said that ?. Advocating for St Thomas to be a whore house is another thing, is that what you are conflating it with ?. This P.M conflates development with the issue of private beaches being captured by developers. These developers dont own the section of the land that is in question, yet he conflates for political mileage and some of us , just ride the wagon, why ?

Unfortunately, since the upgrade of this site, some of the forum's Archives were not carried over and is lost in cyberspace. You and I had a debate just recently about the government use of money to build a new parliament building at Heroes Circle. You said that it was a waste of resources, and that the money should be used to uplift poor people. You even went on to say that the existing building should be refurbished instead of torn down.

"Word that public access to Bob Marley Beach in Bull Bay is going to be restricted due to construction of a hotel on land leading to the facility has left the Government puzzled, Information Minister Robert Nesta Morgan said on Friday afternoon.

"The Government has not given anybody any permission to restrict access to the beach or take over the beach," Morgan told the Jamaica Observer after residents voiced opposition to what they said was notice given to them by a developer to leave the property located near the border between St Andrew and St Thomas.

However, Morgan said he checked with the National Land Agency (NLA) and the information he has is that the beach has neither been leased nor sold to anyone.

"There's a gentlemen who we bought some lands from for the highway now under construction who is trying to claim additional property and the NLA has said to him 'you will not be given any additional property, you need to go though the legal process'," Morgan told the Observer.

"So there is no order by the Government, there is no plan by the Government to remove people from Bob Marley Beach, and I have not seen anything, and we had the NLA searching since midday and we don't have any lease application for Bob Marley Beach, so we're trying to figure out where this is coming from," the minister said."

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/bad-card/

[Sir X]

So Building a new parliament would uplift poor people ?. How is that comparable with transportation infrastructure where people, not just the poor use it to transport goods and it spurs development in rural communities and being against one ( Parliament building) doesnt mean I am against the other ( transportation infrastructure) ?.

Ahhhhh sah, yuh a show yuh green colors

[Jangle]

The US Capitol Building in Washington DC each year is visited by an estimated 3-5 million people from around the world. I guess cleaning up Heroes Circle and building a new architecturally appealing edifice that will attract visitors and commercial activities in the area will not uplift poor people in Allman Town, Franklin Town, Vineyard Town and Down Town.

[Sir X]

.

[Jangle]

Gov't acquires JamWorld

ENTERTAINMENT and Culture Minister Olivia "Babsy" Grange says the Government has acquired the JamWorld Entertainment Centre in Portmore, St Catherine — spiritual home of Sting.

She disclosed that there are plans to construct a state-of-the-art facility there.

Grange made the announcement during Sting's media launch at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday evening.

"A few weeks ago, I got a letter from the National Land Agency. I had made representation about two years ago for the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport to get possession of JamWorld. But I can tell you tonight, that I am now in possess of the deed... grant of possession of land part of Stone Old and Cumberland Pen, St Catherine — 70 acres of land. We are now in possession of JamWorld at the ministry and it will be built out as one of the greatest entertainment complex you can find in this hemisphere," she told the audience, comprising guests, artistes, entertainment personalities, and the media.

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/ente...ires-jamworld/



"So Building a new parliament would uplift poor people ?." Another waste of money.

[Jangle]

Bartlett: Highways major boost for air travel

The ongoing road infra-structure improvements taking place across the island are already having a positive multiplier effect on tourism bookings for the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA), with the capital city Kingston now gaining in attraction as a destination for business travellers especially, according to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett.

On Tuesday, he told an appreciation breakfast hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board for members of the airline industry at the transportation section of the airport that as of December 18, some 697,000 passengers had come through its gates, 382,000 of whom were tourists, with the others split between members of the diaspora, business traveller and Jamaicans.

This, according to the tourism minister, was due in large measure to the significant reduction in travel time along the island’s roadways.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...ost-air-travel

[HL]

Bartlett: Highways major boost for air travel

The ongoing road infra-structure improvements taking place across the island are already having a positive multiplier effect on tourism bookings for the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA), with the capital city Kingston now gaining in attraction as a destination for business travellers especially, according to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett.

On Tuesday, he told an appreciation breakfast hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board for members of the airline industry at the transportation section of the airport that as of December 18, some 697,000 passengers had come through its gates, 382,000 of whom were tourists, with the others split between members of the diaspora, business traveller and Jamaicans.

This, according to the tourism minister, was due in large measure to the significant reduction in travel time along the island’s roadways.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...ost-air-travel

Was in St. ANN Jamaica 2 weeks ago. Took wrong turn at round about. Was on the new highway to Kingston. Had to drive several miles to the toll booth in order to return......

Impressed with the new highway.

Ssasin would say....gwane Bartlett!!

[Jangle]

Buzo brings northern Italy to Jamaica

The Peter George-owned Buzo Osteria Italiana restaurant officially opened its doors yesterday welcoming Jamaicans to savour the tastes of northern Italy.

Located at 1 Park Close in New Kingston, just below the Marriot Courtyard, and with views of Emancipation Park, the restaurant is George's third iteration of the Buzo brand in the Caribbean; the other two being in his native Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, the Trinidadian magnate shared that his Trotters Restaurant Group portfolio now comprises eight eateries in the three countries — Buzo, which had its inception in 2017; the group's flagship Trotters sports bar; brew pub Tommy's; Mediterranean-styled Amara's; and Blue Star Diner, a 50s-styled American diner.

Explaining the concept behind Buzo Osteria Italiana, the Trotters Restaurant Group's foray into Jamaica's hospitality market, founder and CEO George noted, "Our style is different, it's northern Italian...There is focus on high-quality produce; focus on fresh seafoods, poultry and meat; and fresh sauces made of traditional [Italian] herbs and spices."

Further differentiating the restaurant's offerings, he said it has "moved away from the Westernised style of Italian food" and attempts to replicate as close as is possible the cuisine of that's country's northern region, which also lends itself to using Calabrian-styled sausages, meatballs and tomato-based broths

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busi...ly-to-jamaica/



George explained that "Jamaica is the epicentre of Caribbean culture," adding that the city of Kingston has earned its "cachet" throughout the world for its heritage and music punctuated by the contributions of the legendary Robert Nesta Marley. Moreover, he pointed out that in comparison to Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica has larger population, is a geographically closer to the United States and is a regional hot spot for tourism.

[Jangle]

From ‘forgotten parish’ to being in full focus

St Thomas on radar for development, including new tourism-styled residential community concept

FROM BEING long labelled the ‘forgotten parish’, St Thomas, on Jamaica’s southeastern end, is now hitting the spotlight in a big way, with infrastructural developments there spurring some big economic ventures and interests.

Once a challenge to navigate even its main thoroughfare, that scenario is rapidly changing with the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project establishing a highway from Harbour View in St Andrew to Port Antonio, Portland, which should gradually mean little time between metropolitan Kingston and St Andrew and Part Antonio.

The changes have been fostering other major developments across St Thomas, where the Government is also adding an urban town centre on the old Goodyear factory compound in Morant Bay.

Last Tuesday, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett signalled growing interests in the changing dynamics of the parish while announcing that investors from the Dominican Republic are seriously eyeing St Thomas.

Speaking at the inaugural Jamaican-Dominican Republic business forum in Kingston, Bartlett said Jamaica is “anticipating, within a short while, a good visit from another set of friends from the Dominican Republic, who will be coming to look at my new destination, St Thomas”.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/...ing-full-focus

[Jangle]

Big tourism projection for Hanover

GREEN ISLAND, Hanover — Ed Bartlett is projecting that in five years Hanover will be western Jamaica's strongest tourism parish.

Bartlett made the forecast Thursday during a visit to Princess Hotels in Green Island, Hanover.

"So, you have 5,000 rooms right within the area, from Rhodes Hall [in Orange Bay] to Point in Lucea," Bartlett, the tourism minister, stated, adding that Lucea, the capital of Hanover, is to become a tourism town, paving the way for it to be marketed as a resort "in the same way that we are going to be marketing St Thomas as a destination".

Meanwhile, Delano Seiveright, senior adviser and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, told the Jamaica Observer that Grand Palladium Hotel in Point, Hanover, which has 1,000 rooms, is slated to double this figure, while Viva Wyndham Resort in Rhodes Hall will be constructing 1,000 rooms. He added that Princess Hotel will officially open to the public in January 2024 with 2,000 rooms. The three projects, he said, are expected to cost approximately US$1 billion.

https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news...n-for-hanover/