Improved tourism for rural parishes
WITH TWO of the three aerodromes islandwide, Ken Jones and the Negril domestic airport, racking up huge losses annually, a senior tourism strategist is forecasting new fortunes for Portland and St Mary for 2019 and beyond.
Chief communications strategist and adviser in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright, has hinted that the economic and tourism fortunes of St Mary and the neighbouring parish of Portland have become inextricably linked to the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, located in the north-eastern parish of St Mary. In an exclusive interview with
The Gleaner, Seiveright said the airport, formerly known as Boscobel Aerodrome, while undergoing expansion work to accommodate more visitors, will undoubtedly be “what the doctor ordered” as it relates to enhancing the growing popularity of the north-eastern region of the island.
“Air connectivity has been described as one of the main recipes for success in the tourism business,” commented Seiveright.
“As Minister Edmund Bartlett will gleefully tell you, the people who come to our beautiful island did not swim to get here, which simply means we have to create the infrastructure that will allow for air connectivity to happen. Once we get that rolling here at Ian Fleming, then there is no stopping this side of the island.”
Seiveright added that some visitors, particularly those who come in on long flights, find it difficult to drive to faraway places like St Mary and Portland, preferring to stay at hotels within close proximity to the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
“Tourists need time to allow their bodies to recuperate, so they will opt to stay at hotels that will give them that opportunity,” he noted.
Seiveright said the Ian Fleming expansion will now open up new opportunities for bigger aircraft to come in and “with even more people”.
“The big planes, the super jets that fly into the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and also the Norman Manly International in Kingston, cannot fly into Ian Fleming,” Seiveright pointed out.
“The Lear jets and the ATR types are, however, good fits that can easily be accommodated and which we want to consistently get in here.”
He argued that few places are more beautiful or have more attractions than the north-eastern region, adding that this will also open up opportunities for the villas and small hotel owners and operators in St Ann, St Mary and Portland.
“They can now use the connectivity access as their major selling point, as part of their marketing strategy. Tourists (foreigners) can, or, I should say, be able to fly directly into the airport, after which the drive to wherever they want to go is not that long,” he added.
“The Ian Fleming Airport, following expansion work, will give both St Mary and Portland a major economic boost and will also enhance or improve the fortunes of tourism operators along the beautiful corridors here in Boscobel and also Tower Isle, St Mary.”
Seiveright, in the meantime, said he has been having “a heavy load” of meetings and consultations with tourism stakeholders right across Jamaica, with the aim being to build on the gains and momentum of the past two years.
“A few weeks ago, we were in Falmouth breaking ground for a new hotel, and shortly after that in Negril. We will be in the north-east region very soon to have dialogue on the way forward, “Seiveright concluded.
The Ian Fleming Airport had a total of 2,059 passengers and 2,338 aircraft movements during 2015 and 2016.