Optimism at Montego Bay.

OPTIMISM AT MONTEGO BAY. U.S. Embassy staff met recently with business people from Montego Bay and sensed "a certain bullishness and optimism, which was refreshing, given the many reports of problems faced by Jamaican business people in general and those from Kingston in particular." Details

Montego Bay is miles away from the hustle and bustle of the nation's capital city Kingston. As Jamaica as a whole struggles to come out of a long period of anemic overall economic growth, business people in Montego Bay are bubbling with optimism and see that city as being capable of playing a pivotal role in leading Jamaica out of the doldrums;

After Kingston, Montego Bay is the second largest city in Jamaica. Located on the coast in northwestern Jamaica, Mo Bay is a 3 to 4 hour drive or a 30-minute flight from Jamaica's capital city of Kingston (located in the south east). The city has the greatest number of hotel rooms in Jamaica and there are projections for some major hotel developments in the next few years. For Jamaica as a whole, the year 2003 saw record tourist arrivals. Last year, there were 1.35 million stopover visitors, surpassing the previous record of 1.32 million recorded in 2000. Indications are that this will continue to grow. Cruise shipping is also up. In recent weeks, Montego Bay welcomed back the 3,450-capacity Caribbean Princess. The vessel will be making regular visits to that city;

Another sector, which has been enjoying quiet success in Montego Bay has been the growth of firms offering information technology and related services. The Montego Bay Free Zone is particularly conducive to investments in the information technology sector due to the presence of Jamaica Digiport International (JDI), which holds powerful data transfer facilities for international exchanges as well as sophisticated imaging, voice and related services;

Closely tied to the tourism developments in Montego Bay, have been the improvements in infrastructure. In a 1998 study, the U.S. Department of Commerce referred to the road congestion in Montego Bay proper and its negative effect on business and investment. Since then, a fair amount of improvements and new construction have taken place and this has been a tremendous positive for the city. Other important road construction has been the completed stretch from Montego Bay going westwards to Negril and the continuing work on the Northern Coastal Highway Improvement Project going easterly from Montego Bay;

One of Montego Bay's newest large-scale commercial developments at Fairview is set for a further expansion. This will increase the commercial activity in and around Montego Bay. There are plans to put up a shopping mall, a medical center, bakeries, food outlets, restaurants as well as office space;

Waterfront developments are also planned for the Rose Hall area. Likely to be upscale developments, the properties lie in close proximity to the Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort and other acclaimed properties. The Urban Development Corp. (UDC) is in the process of identifying funds for the construction of a US$50 million convention center in the Rose Hall area. This has come about as a result of growing demand for convention and meeting services. From preliminary plans, the center is to be constructed on 13 hectares of land between Half Moon Golf Course and the Rose Hall Great House. There will be over 8,000 square meters of space to accommodate an exhibition hall, ballroom and meeting rooms;

Major improvement work is under way at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. In its first year of operation, MBJ Airports Ltd has completed (on schedule and within budget) 6 new loading bridges and an expansion of the arrival hall, customs hall and baggage claim area. The next phase of development will see the completion of a new concourse for arrivals and departures, 12 additional gates with loading bridges and a new commercial area. Details: E.A. Finlay, U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Embassy--Kingston. 2 Oxford Rd., Kingston 5, Jamaica. Tel: (876) 926-8115. Fax: (876) 920-2580. Email: Kingston.office.box@mail.doc.gov