WESTERN BUREAU:

If the $190 million spent by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) on projects in Falmouth, Trelawny, in recent times is anything to go by, then the popular seaside Georgian town could well be on its way to becoming the premier Caribbean tourism destination local tourism stakeholders want it to be.

According to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Falmouth has many good things going for it, which gives him great hope that the town has the potential to be the leading tourist destination in the Caribbean.

“Falmouth’s rich history, Georgian architecture and many other attractions make it a major asset that we can leverage to increase the number of heritage visitors to our shores,” Bartlett said, in highlighting Falmouth’s rich potential.

While Bartlett believes that the newly constructed $700-million Falmouth Artisan Village, which should see its first business when the Falmouth Pier resumes operations in October, will add an important dimension to the town’s tourism offering, others feel another attraction could have been squeezed out of the old Falmouth Wharf, where the artisan village is located.

In fact, Garth Wilkinson, a former mayor of the resort town and the current councillor for Falmouth division in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, said he wanted to see an amphitheatre alongside the artisan village.

“I have over the years advocated that the sugar storehouse at the old Hampden Wharf be transformed into an amphitheatre. This has not been done and I am renewing the call,” said Wilkinson, who believes such a facility would appeal to locals and visitors alike.

“It would be an opportunity to showcase our cultural heritage through plays. It would give our actors an opportunity to find extra employment. There would also be spin-offs for locals,” said Wilkinson.

According to TEF Chairman Carey Wallace, their area of focus has not been on attractions only, as they have also contributed in other areas.

“The Vanier Lands housing development and the drag line have had investment to improve on their conditions. Those projects are ongoing; they are not at an end,” said Wallace. “We are also putting plans in place to improve the sewage system, among others.

Falmouth, which is just above sea level, has had a long-standing sewage problem, especially when the large ships come into its port and raise the water level around the town.