$150 Million to Upgrade Milk River Spa

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has announced that $150 million would be spent to upgrade the Milk River spa in Clarendon.
Speaking recently while on a tour of the facility, the Minister said that part of the “new thrust” being undertaken by the Ministry was the active promotion of the ‘Health Tourism’ concept.
“This will enable this tourist attraction to be brought into the new millennium, because spas are now part of the lifestyle drive of the world and they attract huge attention, as this is linked to what is referred to as elite travel, which is not affected by things such as economic recession, as the rich are the last to be affected and the rich travel, number one, for health purposes, and healthy lifestyle is the one thing that has been eluding the rich,” he said.
Mr. Bartlett noted that because of this fact, “rich tourists” were often disposed to spending “big bucks” to regain or recapture their youthful appearance.
“So, health tourism has to be an important part of our product that we must accentuate over the next decade. In fact, we have here in Milk River, reputedly the best natural spa in the world,” he said.
The Minister said it was “high time” for the Jamaican tourist sector to create the right image that brings visitors from far and wide to come and visit the spa.
“I have been having discussions with a number of investors about the facility and there is in fact an individual who has an interest that goes beyond just the spa. He believes that there should be wide based development around the immediate area that will ultimately provide jobs, earnings and revenue for the people and the country,” he said.
Mr. Bartlett pointed out that he is currently examining a number of different proposals for the historic mineral spring site.