A steady stream of visitors poured into the Bob Marley Museum on its reopening yesterday.

The Hope Road facility had been closed since mid-October.

“The museum has been in operation for nearly 30 years, while the building itself is almost a century old… so we did some structural upgrade which will extend its life for the next 30 years. It was modernised without losing the integrity,” Marie Bruce, the museum’s general manager, told the Jamaica Observer.

Bruce, who has been GM since May 2012, said the makeover includes restored floors, a new roof, expanded parking, and a more diverse gift shop. She said interactive touchscreen devices would be installed in the coming weeks to heighten the visitor-experience.

“They will be in several languages … Portugese, Spanish, English, and French,” she said.

Bruce declined to comment on how much was spent on the transformation, but said “it was a significant investment”.

She said the museum, which advertises on social media and in selected travel magazines, attracts 35,000 visitors per year.

Among yesterday’s vistors were Jaime Kirkpatrick and his daughter, Cirlota, from Spain.

“It is our first time in Jamaica. We like music and had to see the Bob Marley Museum,” said Kirkpatrick.

Eve Morrison, another first-timer from London, was equally elated.

“This visit gave me an indepth information about Bob Marley and made me more aware of his worldwide accolades,” she said.

Earlier in the day, there was an opening ceremony which saw representatives from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church blessing the building.

Marley became a superstar in the 1970s, a fruitful period for roots-reggae. He lived at what became the museum in May 11, 1986.

He died of cancer in May 1981 at age 36.