MONTEGO BAY, St James — Prime Minister Andrew Holness believes that Montego Bay’s Hip Strip has the potential to be the best in the world, but bemoans that it is now “crying out for intervention”.

“Our Hip Strip could be like hip strips across the world,” Holness argued.

The prime minister was delivering the keynote address at recently opened Royal Decameron Cornwall Beach Resort along Montego Bay’s hip strip, yesterday.

He bemoaned that some tourism infrastructure, some of which were put in more than half a century ago, have outlived their usefulness and “cannot sustain the next growth spurt of 50 years to come”.

“And so there will have to be fundamental reorganisation, redevelopment and new infrastructure put in place to support the next 50 years in tourism in Jamaica, but specifically in Montego Bay,” the prime minister remarked.

Holness argued that the improvement of the Montego Bay Hip Strip will require the intervention of stakeholders, including the minister of tourism.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced the allocation of some $46 million to improve the aesthetics of the Montego Bay Hip Strip.

Of that amount, he said that $11 million will go towards initiating a project to run overlaying utility wires underground, while $35 million has been allotted for a streetscape project along the Gloucester Avenue (hip strip) corridor.

“We are looking at how we can reconfigure the Hip Strip. And among the first low-hanging fruits that we are dealing with is to create a cable arrangement that will remove all the overhanging utility wires and to put them underground so that we begin by a physical look that is different. And we have already allocated $11 million for the preliminary work to be done on that and we hope that before this budget year is completed, that exercise will be done,” Bartlett revealed, adding that another $35 million has been set aside for the roadscape programme.

He also pointed out that talks have started with “friends about building out the experiences along the Hip Strip.

“My dream is for this strip to be extended from Dump Up Beach all the way to Dead End with a series of experiences — of entertainment, and food, and shopping that will remind us of City Walk in Orlando. So we will be making our City Walk here in Montego Bay an exciting moment to create an experience that is not just acceptable, an experience that is not just delightful, an experience that will be aspirational, but more so, an experience that will be exceptional,” Bartlett argued.

He added that Decameron with its 146 sea view rooms, because of its location, will be the centrepiece of the Hip Strip.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament Dr Horace Chang said that he is looking “forward to the development of the entire area and the restoration of the hotel rooms that will ensure that the Hip Strip returns to it’s premier place of the resort of Montego Bay.

“Because this was what the Hip Strip was — it was the centre of activity. So we want to welcome Decameron here,” Dr Chang said.

President of Decameron Fabio Villegas emphasised that his group is committed to the development of the island.