WESTERN BUREAU – The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) is undertaking a $1.6 million refurbishing project at the popular Lovers Leap attraction in St Elizabeth.

Work on the facility, which sustained extensive damage during the passage of hurricane Ivan last September, began just under a month ago, shortly after TPDCo terminated the contract of the lessee and closed the facility.

The facelift is part of an effort to boost business at the facility by making it more attractive to visitors.

Director of product development at TPDCo Denzil Wilks told the Observer that the company decided to terminate the lease of property because the attraction was not realising its full potential.

“Lovers Leap has aesthetics, it has history and it has a view – which is just breath taking. In our view the potential for it in terms of people knowing about it and it becoming a major place where people flock wasn’t forthcoming,” Wilks said. “In addition we didn’t think that the then operators had the wherewithal to take it (the attraction) to the next level,” he added.

The legend of Lovers Leap is based around the romance of two slaves, who, to prevent separation from each other, jumped from a 1,700-foot cliff.

The cliff and the view on the property are all part of the story that is told daily from the balcony by tour representatives.

The view is said to be one of the most spectacular on the island, and it offer visitors a panoramic view of the coastline from Rocky Point, Clarendon in the east, to Pedro Bluff, Treasure Beach in the west while the mountains act as a backdrop to complete the view.

In the meantime, Wilks told the Observer that so far there have been several expressions of interest to operate the facility, which is expected to reopen within another two months.

“When it is reopened what we are hoping to see is an operator who has some creative ideas and once we are convinced that the place is in a position to take the kind of marketing that we want it to have, then we will seek to work with that operator,” he said.

The new features TPDCo would like to see added to property are a walking trail and a variety of attractions for children.

“Apart from people just coming there individually we are hoping to have the tour people making it a major stop along their way when the facility is reopened,” said Wilks.

-cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com