LUCEA, Hanover

Newly appointed chairman of the Hanover Parish Council and mayor of Lucea Vasca Brown said this week that he will “vigorously” pursue his dream to have the town developed into a heritage tourism attraction during his term in office.

“Lucea is said to be one of the oldest towns in the island and has a number of ancient buildings. So what we really want to do is to develop it into a concept and sell it as a tourist product,” he told the OBSERVER WEST.

Brown, who was last week appointed head of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)-dominated parish council following the resignation of party councillor Lester Crooks, argued that with a little initiative the town’s attractions could support a vibrant tourist industry.

The mayor, also the JLP councillor for the Hopewell division, argued that the existing Hanover Parish Council building as well as Fort Charlotte, and the Hanover museum could be developed into first-class tourist attractions.

“All of these sites capture a whole lot of what went on in Lucea in the 18th and 19th centuries,” he said.

Lucea sits on a beautiful harbour 25 miles west of Montego Bay and is located between that city and Negril – two of the Caribbean’s most renowned tourist resort areas.

For many years, talks to devise strategies on how to capitalise on the thousands of tourists who pass through Lucea annually have failed to bear fruit. Apart from the handful of those who visit the Hanover museum – located on the site of a prison dating back to 1776 – the town is bypassed by visitors to the island.

But Brown vowed Tuesday to work to change that.

He said that as part of the effort he would renew the push for the development of the Lucea waterfront. Local business interests have long argued that the Lucea Harbour, once a shipping port, was capable of accommodating a viable cruise shipping industry that could help to stimulate economic growth in the parish.

The parish council chairman said the development of the craft market in the town would also be high on the agenda. Brown said he would be initiating talks with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), and private sector interests with a view to getting the required assistance.

There has, in recent years, been renewed interest in Lucea’s development as a tourist destination. Last November, Spain’s Fiesta Hotel Group began construction of a 1,600-room hotel at Point, three miles from the Hanover capital.