Jamaica is hoping to protect a portion of the island nation from high-density development and make it attractive to high-end tourism.
The Revere Zone will cover an area along the island’s northern coast stretching from Oracabessa to Port Antonio.
The rules of the zone are to only allow low-density development, keeping it from looking too overgrown and too developed. It hopes to capture the scenic, peaceful nature of the northern island.
“As we are working to diversify our tourism sector, we could not be more pleased to create an area that provides a different type of experience for a high-end traveler,” said Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism.
The zone will include a number of familiar coastal towns, including Ocho Rios, home to Dunn’s River Falls, one of the most popular attractions on the island.
Other towns covered in the zone include Oracabessa, Port Maria, Saint Ann’s Bay, Runaway Bay, and Discovery Bay.
Tourism officials plan to make travel to the zone easier with the construction of new highways and increased air traffic into Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios. Travelers who land at the airport will be less than an hour away from any destination in the zone.
“[The airport] will play a key role, because you’re going to be able to bring those high, net-worth visitors into this place, and within a few minutes they will be in their wonderful villas and their beautiful hotels along the coast,” Bartlett said at a welcome ceremony, according to the Jamaican Information Service.
He added that international flights will fly directly into Ocho Rios, making it the third airport on the island to do so.
“The presence of this third international airport gives Jamaica the unique position in the region of being able to be connected within an hour from any point of entry into the country,” he said.
Officials believe the zone will encourage travel beyond the common Montego Bay and Negril visits. That, in turn, will create additional tourism revenue.
That plan, known within government circles as Jamaica’s Blue Ocean Strategy, is designed to build back and support small and medium-size businesses.
The Blue Ocean Strategy promotes resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability, as well.
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