ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, says an additional $175 million is to be spent in Ocho Rios, St Ann, to make the resort town more marketable and attractive to cruise ship and stopover visitors.

Following a recent tour of the area, Bartlett said the town will be given a complete makeover.

Some $400 million had already been allocated for the town, some of which was spent on rehabilitating the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Terminal and the sidewalks from the pier leading into Main Street.

“What we will have in Ocho Rios is a renewed experience. It will have freshness and a crispness that will be very attractive to visitors over time. Already, we have completed the Turtle River road trails and the parking lots at the terminal building. The cruise ship pier has been refurbished and is quite attractive,” the minister said.

Bartlett said it is time to embark on phase two of the project, which will see work on the promenade – a walkway leading from the cruise ship pier into the town of Ocho Rios. He added that the project will also see a number of street side cafes being installed.