Government eyes Cockpit Country for tourism
WHILE THE COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the local tourism sector, sidelining important revenue-generating vehicles like the cruise shipping sector, it has also given stakeholders an opportunity to review the sector with a view of adding more attractions for the future.
“We are now able to look towards the development of rural tourism,”said Bartlett, in seeking to identify a silver lining in what has been a very dark cloud. “Included in this development is the establishment of a Cockpit Country trail from Kinloss in northern Trelawny to St Vincent in southern Trelawny to offer an added attraction to our guests.”
Since the closing of the Outameni attraction several years ago, Trelawny, which is the hub of the nation’s cruise shipping industry has been without a marquee attraction, which means visitors have had to be travelling to attractions outside the parish, taking with them income that the parish could do well with. Hugh Dixon, who heads the 24-year-old Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA), which has been lobbying for parts of the Cockpit Country to be developed for tourism and biological research, welcomes the proposal for a trail through the Cockpit Country.
UNIQUE OFFERINGS
According to Dixon, the Cockpit Country is chock-full of unique offerings, which he thinks will offers visitors another perspective on Jamaica, outside of the traditional sea, sand, and sun.
“A Scientific Identification Report records that there are 1,500 endemic plant species in Jamaica, all of which are to be found in the Cockpit Country. It is the location for fauna, flowers and amphibians, among other natural beauty,” said Dixon. STEA, which has been operating a tour in a section of the Cockpit Country, is committed to assisting in creating a sustainable tourism product in Jamaica. According to Bartlett, the fact that the Cockpit Country is one of the nation’s premier yam-producing areas also creates an opportunity for agriculture to be showcased as a part of the tourism offering.
“The establishment of such a trail will be beneficial to all of Jamaica,” said Bartlett. “It is the area that produces the most and best yam in the country. It contributes significantly to our export market, from where we earn valuable foreign exchange. In the coming weeks, we will be having a series of consultation to see how best the area can contribute to the tourism product.”
However, Dixon is somewhat concerned about what appears to be mixed signals coming out of the Government as it relates to the Cockpit Country, as part of the area is also earmarked for bauxite mining.
“One agency is seeking to mine the area for short-term gain, while another is prepared to develop the area in a way that will last for many years to come,” said Dixon, who has consistently rejected the bauxite-mining option.