#destinationFalmouth
FALMOUTH, Trelawny – TOURISM interests are pushing to have Falmouth emerge from the shadows of Montego Bay and be recognised as a destination in its own right.
“I’m here to compete so I’m going to just lay it down right now and make it very clear. I want awards for Falmouth. I don’t want the hotels and Falmouth to be listed under Montego Bay on Google. They have to do that now because Falmouth does not have an identity,” declared chairman designate of the Falmouth Destination Assurance Council (DAC) Dr Shaun Jones.
Rolled out across resort areas starting in 2017, DACs are tasked with ensuring high-quality standards within the tourism sector.
Dr Jones is taking his role seriously and he’s urging residents to help Falmouth get the recognition it deserves.
“All of us are going to participate in creating that identity. As of tonight, go on Facebook, #destinationFalmouth. That is a new hash tag that you’re going to work with. Everybody just do that once, just do it,” he cajoled.
He was addressing a stakeholders’ meeting at Mystic Flava restaurant last Friday. The gathering followed Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett’s Destination Assurance Tour of Falmouth, his fourth across the country.
Dr Jones explained that strengthening the Falmouth brand will benefit the parish of Trelawny as it seeks to capitalise on the tourism dollar.
“I can speak from my own personal experiences back in the 90s when I visited South Trelawny ever so often: Wait-a-Bit, Stettin, Warsop, all these places. The best yellow yam in the country; that is where you find it. Now I need to have a yam tour that is leaving from Falmouth pier to Warsop, I need people to be going through Trelawny. Trelawny is one of the most beautiful parishes in Jamaica. I can tell you that the people of Trelawny, I have found to be the warmest and the nicest people ever,” he stated.
“It’s interesting that several folks have spoken about Falmouth and talk of it being a part of Montego Bay and being a part of St James, et cetera… But that’s a problem for us because this is now our product. This product needs to have its own identity and therefore we have to work to ensure that identity is created.”
The historic town’s unique architecture is a vital part of its brand, he explained.
“Falmouth is one of the most recognised towns in the Caribbean for Georgian architecture so this is something that we have to ensure that we preserve and reinstate, and ensure that that physical infrastructure is a part of what we have to offer to our guests,” Dr Jones said.
He also spoke of the role innovation can play in enhancing the seaside town’s tourism product.
“We want to bring technology to bear in this space. We want technology to make tourism and its effects seamless for Falmouth and Trelawny. We want to also foster a culture of innovation where we want to encourage our stakeholders. Those homeowners who can cook a good ackee and saltfish, we want to have those people listed so that we can create a tour to their house for somebody to sit on the verandah and enjoy ackee and saltfish and roast breadfruit — because that is what the visitors want. So, that’s the sort of innovation I’m talking about,” he stated.