Chukka Caribbean Adventures will invest US$2 million ($172 million) due to increased tourism prospects arising from the Falmouth Pier expansion.

John Byles, co-managing director of Chukka Caribbean Adventures, yesterday confirmed that his company would invest the money to broaden its adventure tours with an emphasis on the historical importance of Falmouth, incorporating Good Hope Estate and Great House, according to a release issued to the Business Observer.

Byles and other tourism stakeholders were speaking at a Pan Caribbean Financial Services (PCFS) staged breakfast on the economy under the theme, “Falmouth: The Next Step in Tourism’s Growth” at the Terra Nova Hotel.

Chukka Caribbean Adventures, run by the Melville family, won the 2008 Observer Business Leader Award at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston last year. The Melvilles have, for 15 years, worked as equal partners in Tropical Battery Ltd and Chukka Caribbean Adventures. The companies have annual sales of some $2.5 billion and employs about 550 workers.

The Government of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean International have invested US$226 million in a new port facility, duty-free shopping and related activities in Falmouth due to open next year. The expectation is that close to 600,000 cruise ship passengers will visit Falmouth in 2011 and that figure is projected to grow to one million visitors by 2013. This project is also anticipated to create new interest in the parish, which will lead to new jobs and a more vibrant economy on the North Coast.

Lennie Little-White, executive chairman of Outameni Experience, added that affordable housing, efficient transportation and improved interior road conditions are also critical factors to ensure the long-term success of the project. He suggested that authorities move quickly to avoid squatting and its attendant problems in this key economic zone. Donovan Perkins, President & Chief Executive Officer of PanCaribbean noted that the highways, water projects, access to energy and a competitive telecommunications market have a direct role in supporting the Falmouth project.

Under the US$224- million contract, US$122 million was allocated for dredging of the harbour and the construction of facilities for ships to dock. The remaining US$102 million is set aside for the RCCL to lease land from the government for the construction of all infrastructural development. The project generated some 1,700 jobs, 500 of which are expected to be permanent. Construction work on the pier began in February of this year with the aim of accommodating two Genesis-class RCCL ships, including what will be the world’s largest vessel, the Oasis of the Seas. The Genesis, which is able to carry some 5,400 passengers, is scheduled to dock in Falmouth in December 2010. It is expected that some 400,000 visitors will be brought into the port yearly for the next 20 years.