ROSE HALL, St James — A planned upgrade to the popular Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in Montego Bay is facing delay as one element of the proposal needs tweaking.

The plan was to replace one of the cemeteries on the strip with a parking lot, but it has now been determined that the plot of land is too valuable for that.

The plot of land in question has in the past been referred to as the “old cholera cemetery”.

“It does take up premium ocean-front space, that was the issue,” executive director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr Carey Wallace, explained.

He was speaking with the Jamaica Observer on the sidelines of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI) career expo on Thursday.

“Moving from a cemetery to a car park is moving forward, but in terms of a long-term vision, it makes sense that once it’s not a cemetery [its use reflects the fact that] it’s really on the ocean front… All that real estate is going to very, very premium, maybe the most premium real estate in Jamaica,” Wallace continued.

“To take it up with a parking garage in the long term, it’s not necessarily the best strategic decision… So what we are looking at is a relocation,” he said.

But Wallace does not foresee a challenge finding another venue for the parking lot.

“We are just looking at a different location where, instead of it being on the Hip Strip itself, we’re moving it to Godfrey Dyer Boulevard so that it is close enough for the logistics of it to work where, when people park, they walk on the strip,” the TEF executive explained.

TEF announced in 2021 that it would be looking at a redesign of the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard — still frequently referred to as the Hip Strip — with a proposed injection of a $1 billion to make it all happen.

There are plans to put utility cables underground, improve the aesthetics, sort out parking as well as an array of other initiatives aimed at revitalising the area which is heavily used by tourists.

Wallace pointed out that the price tag would have increased since four years have passed.

“After the designs are done, you then get what we call the bill of quantities, which would be [based] on current-day prices. So, based on the scope, we’ll now get an idea what the new price will be and so we’ll have to look at that,” he explained.

“It’s the type of project that will span several financial years, so we anticipate that there will be adjustments that will be needed to be made for the delivery. But the important thing for us is to design it so well that after all that time and all that investment that we make, it delivers on something that is future-proof, can last another 100 years and still be enhancing tourism in Jamaica,” Wallace declared.

Even with the delays, he said he expects this to be a significant part of the country’s tourism product.

“Jamaica has several features that make us unique, and I believe that when we add the man-made components in a tasteful way — not in a way to work against it but to complement it — we can create the number one destination on the planet,” he said.