MONTEGO BAY, St James — Member of Parliament for St James North Western Dr Horace Chang wants the planned $53.5-million rehabilitation of the Old Fort Craft Market to serve as a catalyst for a new tourism and business experience along Montego Bay’s waterfront, with the historic facility envisioned as a boutique craft destination for visitors and small business operators.

He said the upgraded market, which is expected to benefit approximately 156 vendors, should form part of an emerging business hub stretching from Pier One to Dead End Beach, as the Government works to reposition the area as a signature destination.

“The Old Fort is a character that could be considered a boutique craft market with the forts and all the facilities and, once designed properly, [could] become an attractive, specialised centre for craft,” argued Dr Chang who is also deputy prime minister as well as minister of national security and peace.

He was delivering the keynote address during last Thursday’s contract-signing ceremony for the rehabilitation project.

Executive director of Jamaica Social Investment Fund, Omar Sweeney speaking during last Thursday’s contract signing ceremony, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, for rehabilitation of the city’s Old Fort Craft Market. Horace Hines

Dr Chang said the market’s history and location give it the potential to become a specialised attraction rather than simply another shopping facility. He recalled visiting a large, well-organised market in the Far East while travelling with a delegation led by a former prime minister, where craft vendors operated alongside businesses selling jewellery, haberdashery and other high-quality goods.

He suggested that a similar concept could be explored along the north coast, providing small business operators with an environment in which they can improve their products, presentation and standards while offering visitors a stronger shopping experience.

Dr Chang said the investment must also be viewed within the wider development of Montego Bay’s waterfront, including planned improvements at Harmony Beach Park, Walter Fletcher Beach and Gun Point Beach.

The Government, he said, is seeking to create a continuous waterfront experience where visitors and residents can walk, dine, shop and enjoy Jamaican food, craft and entertainment, with Old Fort Craft Market forming one of the attractions along that corridor.

Executive director of Jamaica Social Investment Fund, Omar Sweeney (right) making a point to Member of Parliament for St James North Western Dr Horace Chang during last Thursday’s contract signing for rehabilitation of Montego Bay’s Old Fort Craft Market. The event was held at the city’s convention centre. Horace Hines

But while welcoming the rehabilitation, he appealed to minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce and chairman of the National Craft Council Delano Seiveright, as well as Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Executive Director Omar Sweeney, to pay particular attention to the landscaping behind the market.

He said the surrounding area should reflect the standards expected of a major tourism city, noting that overgrown sidewalks, discarded bottles and poorly maintained public spaces undermine Montego Bay’s image. Dr Chang argued that relatively modest landscaping work could significantly improve the environment and better integrate the market into the city.

“If you isolate it, when [the greenery] grows up it looks like you are still 30 miles out of Montego Bay. But it is part of the city, part of the craft market,” he argued.

He also linked rehabilitation project to the wider infrastructure build-out in Montego Bay, pointing to the perimeter road, which he said is expected to open soon and is already stimulating residential and commercial development in Ironshore.

Front row from left: Minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce and chairman of the National Craft Council, Delano Seiveright; Patrick Patterson of SM Construction Limited; Jamaica Social Investment Fund Executive Director Omar Sweeney; and Member of Parliament for St James North Western Dr Horace Chang are all smiles after participating in last Thursday’s contract signing for the rehabilitation of the Old Fort Craft Market in Montego Bay. Looking on in the back row, from left, is deputy mayor of Montego Bay Dwight Crawford; Tourism Product Development Company Executive Director Dr Wade Mars; and executive director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, Dr Carey Wallace.Horace Hines

According to Sweeney, the Old Fort Craft Market Rehabilitation sub-project is being implemented by JSIF through the second phase of the Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI II).

“The upgrade of the facility includes the construction of one administrative office, the rehabilitation of the gazebo, 156 craft shops, the restroom facilities, existing display areas, walkways and entrances. Additionally, this sub-project will include the rehabilitation of the wishing well, the recounting of a canon, all helping to preserve the important features of this site,” Sweeney announced.

“There will also be termite treatment, electrical rewiring, landscaping, the installation of garbage skips as well as surveillance cameras,” he added.

The project is being financed by the Government of Jamaica through a loan agreement with the World Bank. Work is scheduled to begin on September 25 and is expected to be completed within eight months.

The road leading to Old Fort Craft Market in Montego Bay.

“The objective of this initiative is to create a safer, more accessible and more attractive environment for both vendors and visitors,” Sweeney said.

Dr Chang stressed that vendors at the location have a role beyond selling merchandise, describing them as ambassadors who help shape visitors’ impressions of Jamaica. He pointed out that the quality of the welcome visitors receive, along with the products they purchase, can influence their willingness to return to the island. The deputy prime minister said the Government therefore has a responsibility to provide craft operators with facilities that reflect their importance to the tourism product.

He said the Old Fort rehabilitation could serve as a model for similar developments elsewhere in Jamaica, particularly along the north coast, where tourism expansion is creating new opportunities for small businesses.

“When the project is complete, I want Old Fort to stand as another symbol of the transformation taking place in Montego Bay,” said Dr Chang.