Hillside in St. Thomas to Receive Attention from Tourism Ministry

The Hillside community in St. Thomas, which is home to the renowned Reggae Falls, is to receive some attention from the Ministry of Tourism to continue to develop its potential.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, led a Destination Assurance tour of the site and others in the parish on Thursday (June 22), alongside key Ministry personnel, other stakeholders, and Member of Parliament (MP) for St. Thomas Western, James Robertson.

Mr. Bartlett said that discussions have been taking place about how to “spruce up” the Hillside area and how to improve the infrastructure in the community.

“As a matter of fact, we started to do some of the roads leading to Reggae Falls already, so we’re going to continue that collaboration to ensure that full access to the Falls is had,” the Minister said.

He informed that the work will be done in collaboration with residents in the area and MP Robertson but pointed out that there are other issues that will need to be dealt with, “which has to do a lot with access to the area in general, but also in terms of ownership structures and so on”.

“We have to make sure that Reggae Falls remains a public good that is going to be available to all the people of Jamaica and all the visitors of the world who will be invited into the area to ensure that wealth is created and good money is left in Hillside when these visitors come,” Mr. Bartlett said.

In the meantime, the Minister argued that the opportunity is now present for Hillside residents to build out tourism value-chain engagements and activities, “whether it is food and drink, or whether it is nutraceuticals, or rubs and scrubs and baths, and so on”.

“We also could develop good storytelling capabilities… great guides who can offer education and guidance to the people who come to tour,” he added.

According to Minister Bartlett, the area is one with rich biodiversity that can be leveraged to create products that will enhance the experience of its visitors.

“We are very excited about the prospects of looking deeper into it, to study the whole area a little more and to be able to offer support to the community in building it,” the Minister said.

The tour of the parish also included a stop at the famous Bath Fountain in the Eastern end. Member of Parliament for St. Thomas Eastern, Dr. Michelle Charles, also took part in the tour.

An islandwide activity, the Ministry’s Destination Assurance tour is intended to devise and implement strategies aimed at improving the tourism value chain in Jamaica.