Caribbean News
JAMAICA: TEF commits $17.5M to Duke Street Museum Project
#Kingston, December 24, 2018 – Jamaica – The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has committed over $17.5 million to mobilise Jamaica’s first Walking Street Museum on Duke Street as part of downtown Kingston’s redevelopment plans
Dubbed the Duke Street Refurbishing Project (DSRP), the walking street museum will include placement of street art depicting Duke Street’s history, along various locations of the roadway. These include sculptures, murals, low and high relief figures and storyboards.
The work, which is expected to commence by the second quarter of 2019, will also include upgrading and paving of sidewalks in the area.
The Kingston Restoration Company is managing the project, which is part of a public-private initiative to upgrade the target area, which falls between Port Royal Street and East Queen Street.
As the centre for government and commerce, and with its proposed redevelopment now under way, coupled with the anticipated revitalisation of its tourism product, the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to further diversify Jamaica’s product offerings by developing downtown Kingston as a tourist destination.
Director of Projects at the TEF, Yohan Rampair, told JIS News, that the walking museum is seen as a way to create an enduring and unique attraction for visitors, while serving as a vehicle to preserve an important part of the nation’s history.
“Duke Street is already a popular street. It represents the business district of Jamaica [and] is, probably, one of the most traversed streets in downtown Kingston. We are trying to establish our city for locals and tourists to enjoy [and] this project will make the impact that we are looking for in the redevelopment of downtown Kingston,” he pointed out.
Mr. Rampair noted that the initiative will contribute to the promotion of sustainable heritage tourism attractions in the downtown area. Additionally, he said the project is consistent with the Ministry’s thrust to increase its “experiential” tourism product.
“We think this is a good offering. By offering diverse products, people will come and enjoy it because every visitor has an individual need. Our Minister [Hon. Edmund Bartlett] has said he wants to have an experiential tourism product – not just sun, sea and sand… . It must be your experience here. So we try to make as wide a cross section of these experiences available as possible,” the Project Director said.
Additionally, with its designation as a Creative City of Music by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and 
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Mr. Rampair contended that Kingston is poised to become another in the increasing number of tourist destinations.
“It is considered to be a destination, itself, for us in tourism… not just Montego Bay, Ocho Rios or Negril. There is some amount of appeal to downtown Kingston,” he pointed out, citing visitor treks to Trench Town to learn about the history of Jamaica’s music, as an example.
Mr, Rampair said while not all persons in the wider society have embraced the concept, “we encourage it”.
“Because, at the end of the day, what this is doing is not only putting money into the hands of the big hoteliers but [will see] the man who sells bag juice on the street [also] earning, because tourists are walking on the street. So it will also be growing the economy of the area,” he added.
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: George William Gordon House, one of the historic landmarks on Duke Street, Kingston, which is the home of Jamaica’s Houses of Parliament. The building was named in honour of one of Jamaica’s National Heroes.
JIS File Photo
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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