New Welcome Sign for Montego Bay

A new and improved welcome sign for Montego Bay in St. James is to be constructed at a cost of $17 million.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, laid blocks on November 17 at the roundabout, in the vicinity of the Sangster International Airport, where the sign will be erected.

“This project is not only timely, but also essential, as it will speak to the emotions we want to conjure up in our citizens and thousands of visitors who must traverse this area. It will be one of the first monuments they see when entering the city and the last when leaving,” Mr. Bartlett said.

Mr. Bartlett said the initiative, which is sponsored by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), falls within the extension of the Eastern Gateway Project, which is a series of beautification projects taking place along the Elegant Corridor from Greenwood in the parish to the Sangster International Airport roundabout.

“The sign will be a tropical contemporary interpretation of a traditional resort along a bay, which will stand illuminated with varying colours during the night with the options of being distinguished when required. This will better aid the celebration of seasons, as ‘Montego Bay’ – the dominant words – will be able to reflect the colours of each respective season,” the Minister outlined.

For his part, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, said the sign will be an impressive edifice on completion, and as “Mayor of the fastest developing city in the Caribbean, I am confident that what we are giving our citizens is a beautiful sign and we will certainly regard it as the benchmark for the city going forward”.

The project will be implemented by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and construction carried out by the St. James Municipal Corporation.

It is expected that the sign will be completed prior to the start of the 2018/19 winter tourist season.