The role of Jamaica’s first Prime Minister, National Hero Sir Alexander Bustamante in enhancing the island’s cultural tourism product, has been boosted with the unveiling of a life-sized statue of him on the front lawn of the Hanover Parish Library in Lucea.
The statue was grant funded by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) to the tune of $3 million under its Spruce Up Pon De Corner Programme.
TPDCo’s Director of Product Development and Community Tourism, Lionel Myrie explained that part of its role was to diversify and enhance Jamaica’s tourism product.
“Our heritage is an important aspect of what makes us unique, and in addition to our service excellence, we can leverage our uniqueness to distinguish brand Jamaica,” he said.
Myrie said diversification was important as tourism markets were changing, life was evolving, and research had shown that the new and emerging traveller was looking for more than sun, sea, and sand, with the new traveller looking for authentic experiences which will take them into the heart of the nation.
He disclosed that recently TPDCo installed several story boards in Western Jamaica under its Heritage Story Boards project. Among the locations are the Mannings School, Roaring River, Seaford Town, and Savanna-la-Mar Port, in Westmoreland; the Rastafari Indigenous Village, Rose Hall, and Greenwood Great Houses in St. James, and in Hanover, at the Tryall Water Wheel, Fort Charlotte, Kenilworth and Blenheim, the birthplace of Sir Alexander Bustamante.
