Reimaging Kingston and Spanish Town

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

Can we talk? Luvs, recent news stories surfacing that the historic Devon House is up for divestment, via sale or lease, continue to be met with howls of protests, and rightly so.

For all our talk about developing the Jamaican tourism product and visitor experience, talk of selling the landmark, which now falls under the portfolio responsibility of the tourism ministry, flies in the face of not only reason but practical common sense. Devon House, properly positioned, represents one of the pillars on which Kingston should be relaunched as the 'Tourism Capital of the Caribbean'!

Sadly, news of the intended divestment underlines the approach in governing tourism circles which presuppose that the world traveller is so myopic in view and taste that Jamaica is only about sun, sea and rum, not to mention sex! Consequently, those entrusted to administer our affairs have from the very get-go been ignoring the natural assets of the country, specifically in areas of heritage, history, culture and other-non-traditional areas to sell Jamaica as a multifaceted generic destination. Jamaica has varying constituent appeal not just one homogeneous destination that's all about the sun and sea! The folk history of Devon House is part of our heritage that has international appeal.

Port Royal is another case in point, another globally recognised destination that has all the requirements to attract the world traveller in droves but, for reasons best known to our policy architects, has been denied its primary role in heritage tourism because leaders continue to focus on our beaches! Not that our beaches are to be ignored. But what is being proposed is a multi-pronged, different approach which would include Kingston and our first capital, Spanish Town, playing a part in regenerating themselves through the embrace of their history and heritage, and then marketing and promoting them internationally as destinations. It cannot be that Jamaica's image and tourism product are allowed to continue in the mode of yesteryear, while smarter nations, for all the warts their capitals carry, have managed to promote them successfully to the benefit of their people and country!

high time

Kingston is no different in terms of its rich history, heritage and architecture! It's high time the tourism blinkers be removed from those charged with chartering our course to embrace our history and heritage and join with other first-world cities in promoting Kingston as a heritage destination.

Boasting one of the first and largest Jewish synagogues in the region; the Holy Trinity Cathedral; Devon House; a re-organised and rebranded King's House, to include its own museum and gift shops; the repackaging and rebranding of National Heroes Circle; the Jamaica Defence Force headquarters; Rockfort Mineral Bath; and Hope Botanic Gardens and Zoo; and the addition of a national museum to its list of attractions. Kingston is a tourism destination just begging to be given the opportunity to contribute its fair share to the national pie!

And that's just Kingston! As there is Port Royal as its own destination, with its potential for rediscovering the 'city of pirates' and debauchery and being home to our coastguard, it is a gold mine waiting to be pillaged by hordes of tourists. And it does not necessarily have to be all about the heady days of piracy either, as with its history of cataclysmic destruction (see Pompeii in Italy); the old city is uniquely poised to both celebrate its history of loose, wanton debauchery, as well as its historical destruction. The spin-offs from both its destruction and days as capital of piracy, pregnant with untold riches in artefacts, mementoes, art and craft and other keepsakes, make us wonder why our policy wonks keep flogging the sun and beach formula.

historic Spanish Town

And then there is the historic Spanish Town, with its old square, architecture and history. The old capital is also uniquely poised to grow itself out of its current malaise by embracing its history; creating new natural history museums, and pretty much embrace the concept now being promoted in Falmouth to engineer it rebirth!

And so with all these proposals, the cynic will now pose the question of where do we find funding, not as a means to fuel debate, but to stifle same. Funding is the least of the tourism apostles as to fund the redevelopment and recasting of these various sites of interest for the international traveller, the Jamaica Tourist Board should suspend its wholesale promotion of Jamaica, leaving the lead players in the industry to shoulder the responsibility of promoting their own resorts and then redirect the funds saved, like from the Tourism Enhancement Fund, and subventions from the central Government, to facilitate this expansion.

No, Mr Minister, we do not need to lease Devon House to raise funds in the short term. What is required is a new master plan to pull Kingston out of the doldrums by the harnessing of its ignored and untapped resources and deploying them for the benefit of the city and the nation!