ATTENTION will be paid to developing the parishes of Portland, St Thomas, and St Mary as an economic hub to drive local development in the eastern end of the island if the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is returned to office after the September 3 General Election.

The commitment was given by Prime Minister and JLP leader Dr Andrew Holness in Port Antonio on Saturday night, as he addressed a large JLP parish meeting for the Portland Eastern constituency which is being contested by the party’s Ann-Marie Vaz.

The party leader said tourism would be at the centre of the development.

“It’s going to lift up Port Antonio, but we not stopping there with the development of this area…we’re focusing on the development of Portland, St Thomas, and St Mary. We’re focusing on developing this area as a local economic cluster,” said Holness.

He told the gathering that when the JLP took over the reins of government in 2016, Jamaica welcomed 2.2 million tourists annually. That number has since jumped to 4.4 million.

“We have doubled the number of visitors and literally almost doubled the number in terms of the revenues from tourism, but we have one particular kind of tourism product; we must develop another kind of tourism product,” Holness stated.

He highlighted that Jamaica is known and respected for the all-inclusive tourism concept but said, “We now must develop our brand and position in community tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, and high-value tourism”.

“All of that can be done right here with Portland as the centre of that new brand of tourism for Jamaica”.

Holness noted that the three parishes were so naturally beautiful, “the new thrust for our brand in tourism has to be centred right here”.

“It means that there will be more investments in tourism, more jobs for you in tourism, but for those of you who have businesses already servicing the tourism industry, it means more business and income for you”.

Holness said a future JLP government will develop the harbour and build a new park similar to Harmony Beach Park in St James and the Portmore Resilience Park in Portmore, St Catherine, which is nearing completion. He said the JLP is committed to building out parish parks around the country.

“We’re going to develop the harbour, we’re going to bring cruise shipping back into Port Antonio in a big way,” he told the crowd. And, he told supporters that the historic Musgrave Market that was destroyed by fire in May 2023 will be rebuilt, with the architectural design nearing completion and work set to begin shortly.

“You will have a first-class market that will complement the thrust that we will have in tourism,” he said.

With the clock ticking towards election day, Holness made a plea for party supporters and the undecided to vote for the JLP which he described as the “party of substance, the party that delivers, the party that understands how to implement; the party that can transform Jamaica from poverty to prosperity”.

“And the transformation is happening before your very eyes,” he remarked.

Earlier in his speech, he told the party faithfuls that the JLP Administration had cut the national debt and the poverty rate in half. He also said crime, in particular murders, had been cut in half.

“We have presented 10 budgets to you and we have not asked you to pay one dollar more in new taxes,” he added.

He also highlighted the Solidarity Programme which will see 20,000 vulnerable Jamaicans benefiting from a one-off payment of $20,000.

“When it comes to roads and water, we have been doing a creditable job,” Holness said while acknowledging that more needs to be done and that all politics is local.

“So even though the Jamaica Labour Party has done well with the national economy, all of you here are still concerned about the issues that start in your house, move to your gate, move to your local road, move to your taxi stand and your town”.

Holness described the local issues as “simple things” including roads, water, housing, rural electrification, and hospitals.

“Your Government that you have elected is intensely focused on dealing with these issues that affect you,” he said.

a