LUCEA, Hanover – Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has urged Hanovarians to unite in their efforts to rid the society of crime and violence, which he said is the single most debilitating disease affecting the country.

“You will have to act together in a manner that is selfless to rid the society of it,” the tourism minister stressed.

“The one thing that is standing between Jamaica and first world status is the crime and violence. Nobody wants to live in a community of fear, nobody wants to visit a destination where there is uncertainty as to whether they will come out alive,” added Bartlett.

The tourism minister was addressing the regular monthly meeting of the Hanover Parish Council at the Lucea Municipal Building on Thursday, where he launched the Lucea leg of the ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ programme.

Lucea, a quaint Georgian town which sits on a beautiful harbour 25 miles west of the resort city of Montego Bay, is poised for tourism development.

Apart from the recent construction of the 1,600-room Grand Palladium Resort and Spa on the outskirts of the town, there are plans to develop a multimillion dollar marina attraction and a number of heritage sites.

Plans are also afoot for the town to be designated a resort destination later

this year.

“The designation will give Lucea certain privileges and will also allow for us to look at the resort’s planning development, which other resort towns are getting and so Lucea will be able to join Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios as properly planned resort centres,” Bartlett told Hanovarians earlier this year.

Over the past few years, the parish of Hanover has seen a marked increase in crime and violence.

The parish, with a population of roughly 72,000 residents, recorded 23 murders last year, while 13 persons have been killed in the parish since the start of the year.

Thursday, Bartlett told the meeting that if Hanover is to maximise its full potential as a tourist destination, crime and violence will have to be eradicated.

“If you are serious about building tourism and serious about building a nation, let us be serious about eradicating crime and violence among us,” he urged.

He reiterated that the country’s high level of crime and violence is making it difficult for him to sell the destination.

“I have to face the music when I go abroad to sell Jamaica. Everybody speaks about Jamaica, its beauty, its rich music, it’s excitement, rich culture… but its painful crime and horrendous violence is damaging us,” he emphasised.

“As your minister of tourism, I can double tourism arrivals to Jamaica in no time flat, if we remove this one stain,” he said.

Following his address, the tourism minister presented a letter of commitment for $1.9 million to the Hanover Parish Council to facilitate work in the Lucea area, under the ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ programme.

The tourism minister also pledged to disburse some $300,000 to the council on a monthly basis, to assist in the cleaning up of the town.