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Trelawny, A Tourism Destination
...See and seize the potential.
There is talk in the public media and among elected representatives about tourism plans and projects for the town of
Falmouth in particular and the parish of Trelawny in general, Harmony Cove and Greenfield Stadium among them.
Let me say up front, that I will not attempt to speak for those who are involved in the tourism planning, or try to speak
to what plans are already out there in the public domain, but instead just give my vision of what else I would like to see
in the Parish on a broader scale as far as tourism development goes.
Firstly, foreign dollars are always welcome and we should definitely target that group of travelers who choose to make
Jamaica their destination for travel. However, we should also target the local dollars so that the Jamaican people who
would normally travel to Negril, Ocho Rios, and Boston for pleasure would also travel to Falmouth or some other favorite
spot in Trelawny.
How will visitors know where and what the attractions are ?
Falmouth, being the Parish Capital can/should take it upon itself to play a leading role for tourism throughout the Parish.
Any building (but preferably a historic one) could serve as a Museum/Visitor Center with historical artifacts and
accompanying literature from around the Parish, as well as brochures for the designated, or officially recognized,
tourist attractions that the Parish has to offer. Well placed signs and just about every resident of Falmouth can simply
point visitors (local or otherwise) to the Visitor Center. From there, a person can see all that the Parish has to offer
and decide where to go from there. Tour bus and taxi information will also be available at the center.
What might some of these attractions be, and what does Trelawny have to offer for potential investors to develop ?
One area for development/preservation that come to mind is the historical heritage of the Parish. There are a lots of
"Great Houses" throughout the Parish that are in various states of disrepair and neglect. We are in danger of losing some
of these structures to father time and the story that goes along with them. These structures can be restored and be part
of a historical tour with storytelling, souvenir/gift shops, and restaurant services. Not to mention "first world"
amenities... nothing turns off a visitor more than lack of water, electricity, and sanitary conveniences. There are lots of
Great Houses in Trelawny... Harmony Hall, Vale Royal, Florence Hall, Georgia, Samuel Prospect, and Pantry Pan .... and
I'm sure I don't know them all.
Complementing the Great House tour could be a tour of at least one of the sugar estates, Long Pond or Hampden. I would
love to see these estates offer a factory production line tour with visitor/gift shop services with souvenir samples of
that "pungent" alcohol (it's initials are JB) and byproducts available for purchase. Many visitors to Jamaica are aware of
the J. Wray & Nephew products, but The estates in Trelawny are a lot closer to Montego Bay and Ocho Rios and more
accessible to these tourists than J. Wray & Nephew. Besides, Trelawny makes the best rum in the country anyway
(my expert opinion)...just telling it like it is.
We also have the Martha Brae as a natural resource that has not seen any development since Rafters Village. Complementing
the rafting on the Martha Brae could be canoeing, paddle boating, jet-skiing, and just about any recreational
watercraft all the way from the "water wheel" down to the mouth of the river at "big bridge". This opens up the whole
sea front for recreation, from Salt Marsh all the way up to Burrwood and even beyond. This could be an attractive offering
for both the locals and foreigners alike, just like Dunn's River Falls in St. Ann.
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C. Paul Earle
PEarle@PeoplePC.com
Of course, there would be Jamaican cuisine (ie. Jerk Pork and Red Stripe) available at various strategic points along the
river and the coastline. The glowing "phosphorescent" water at the Oyster Bay Lagoon (ie. Fisherman's Inn and Glistening
Water) is well documented and will also add to the appeal of the local waterfront at night.
Way upstream the Martha Brae River at its watershed is the Windsor cave, which already offers guided tours to visitors,
but there needs to be more investment from the public sector to make it more attractive to private investors. There is
already one private investor (The Last Resort) offering overnight stay and rock climbing in the vicinity of Windsor cave,
but simple things like running water and electricity, not to mention telephone service (cell or otherwise) are huge
challenges to overcome but must be addressed if this area is to realize its full potential and attract the kind of numbers
to make any investment viable.
Orange Valley is another place that comes to mind. In my childhood days, Orange Valley was famous not only for its orange
orchard but also as a stud farm for championship thoroughbred horse breeding. Not sure if horses are still bred there but
I'm told that they now have a papaya orchard as well to add to their export crop. Maybe horseback riding through designated
areas of the orchard could be an attraction there.
I'm sure if we put our heads together we can come up with a much longer list of potential areas that can be developed.
I have not even touched on the Southern/Upper Trelawny areas but I would imagine that adequate running water and
electricity would be challenges there as well for the kind of development that would be attract visitors.
Modern Conveniences.
I mentioned this before but I cannot underscore enough how important it is to have modern conveniences as an integral part
of any development plan. It is one thing to invite people to travel for long distances deep inland and have a beer or two,
but it's quite another thing not to have "modern amenities" so that people can relieve themselves in a respectable fashion
when nature calls. The public sector must take the lead in providing the infrastructure for these amenities so that
private investors can follow. In case you weren't paying attention, I'll say it one more time, strategic "rest areas"
along the way must be an integral part of any development plan for the inland. However breathtaking the Cockpit Country
might be, it will be a turn-off without basic facilities and people will simply stay away.
Trelawny is ripe for development, but it will take a good deal of investment in roads and utilities from the public sector
to facilitate development and investment from the private sector. The time is right, so let's make it happen.
Sincerely,
C. Paul Earle, Editor
May 2005
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the Mayor of Falmouth, Mr. Jonathan Bartley, for assisting me in compiling the list of Great Houses and some
other untapped resources in the Parish. Thanks also, to Jacqueline Green for putting me in contact with the owner of The
Last Resort (Mr. Ivor Conolley) in Windsor, Trelawny.
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