PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill has described the Blue Lagoon as an icon that should be protected. The minister was responding to a question, on a recent visit to Portland, about the protection of the world famous attraction.

“Blue Lagoon is iconic, it is a well-known attraction and we must be careful how we protect the ecology (and) the environment of all of Jamaica, but there are certain places that take on a specific importance and it is one of the things I feel strongly about, and I have had some preliminary talks with the member of parliament and we will be discussing it further with the mayor and the parish council.

“It is that we have to ensure that we protect the environment in all that is done going forward and certainly here with the development of tourism as we are going forward.

“Today was the first time that I have seen the development myself, but I am just saying we have to be careful about the development within those specific prescribed zones. I have had some discussion with the chairman of the resort board as to how we are going to proceed because Blue Lagoon is such a fabulous place that we really would want to see it open up so that more Jamaicans and our visitors can enjoy the fruits of such a fabulous place,” said McNeill.

The minister visited the facility along with Michael Lee Chin, who should be reopening the restaurant, and Jon Baker, who operates GeeJam Resorts, which has a music recording studio in addition to accommodation and dining. The floor of the restaurant needs major repairs and across from the restaurant is a beach that environmentalists have complained about as it can affect the ecology of the lagoon and the blue-hued water for which it is famous.