BRACO, Trelawny — As demand for its offerings continue to grow, Jamwest Motorsports and Adventure Park has announced plans to expand into another parish.

“Our up-and-coming park is in Trelawny, located in Braco, and this will be open… the end of this month, July,” vice-president of sales and marketing for Jamwest Motorsports and Adventure Park Andel Griffiths told the Jamaica Observer.

Jamwest now operates from two locations in Westmoreland: Motorsports and Adventure Park in Little London and Negril Beach Park.

According to Griffiths, feedback from local and international partners gave birth to the idea and development of the Trelawny location.

“Because of the quality of the product and the demand for the product we were convinced that it would be a good venture,” he said.

They were also guided by market research that pointed to Trelawny’s need for the type of entertainment that Jamwest can add to the tourism product.

The new venture will stay true to the highly popular offerings at the Westmoreland venue. Activities on offer will include adrenaline-pumping zip lining, the thrill of driving all-terrain vehicles (ATV) over rugged ground, and horseback riding.

“We decided to find the ideal location that will give the same sense of what we capture in the original park; that’s what inspired us for that location,” Griffiths explained.

He expects clients will come from not just Trelawny but also the nearby tourist resorts of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.

“It will be good quality adventure fun that is geared towards Jamaicans and the international market,” Griffiths said.

The goal, he said, was to also impress customers with the amenities available at the venue.

“We were very careful to try to capture the essence of Jamaica and its natural beauty in some of the building materials,” Griffiths explained. “We want to have our guests get a feel of the hotel refinement, but also some of the rustic material that we use here on the island. We were very careful to create that balance when we were putting this property together,” he added.

He stressed that, while the expectation is that most clients will be visitors to Jamaica, locals are just as welcome.

“The number one thing that we go after is to make sure that when locals come on our property they are treated with the same respect, the same love, the same service that we offer to our international guests. People can look forward to that same quality treatment, and at an affordable price, taking into consideration that locals need to enjoy these facilities just the same as the international audience,” Griffiths declared.

“We are very conscious of offering a product to the local market that is affordable and that is fun and entertaining,” he reiterated.

There is also a push to hire staff from the nearby community.

“We are very careful with training and getting the team members ready that work at the park. They know a lot about the area, so when they’re the tour guides for these guests, or locals, they know what they’re talking about, the area and the history of the area. So that is something that we’re very conscious about in our hiring practices,” said Griffiths.

This foray into Trelawny comes on the heels of Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association naming Jamwest Motorsports and Adventure Park as Attraction of the Year. This is the second time eight-year-old Jamwest has copped that award.

“It’s a good feeling to know that we’re doing something right and we’re being recognised by our peers, our major players in the industry,” said Griffiths.

“It’s a wonderful feeling and it’s thanks to our dedicated team members, the owners, and directors of the company. Our team members — from tour guides, front desk staff, our managers on property — they are very, very instrumental in helping us to win another award,” he added.

He believes the uniqueness of the attraction’s offerings — being able to zip line above a racetrack — gave them the edge.

“Last Sunday, there was a major drag racing event on the property while we had our tours going on. You can be zip lining and you’re above the racetrack and watching cars going down the quarter mile,” he said.

Griffiths was also keen to highlight the importance of keeping guests out of harm’s way while they are having fun.

“We make sure that we tailor our excursions to, number one, make sure that our guests are safe. You get to the park safe, you enjoy the attraction in a safe way, and we make sure that the information that you’re getting and the experience are memorable,” he said.