Bartlett says Jamaica will continue upgrading public beaches
Key Points(5)
- Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says the government will continue upgrading public beaches across Jamaica, with a focus on expanding infrastructure and improving environmental management.
- Bartlett said the aim is to ensure Jamaicans have access to well-maintained recreational spaces while protecting the country’s coastal environment.
- 6 at the annual Artisan Village Food Festival in Falmouth, Trelawny.
- Bartlett also sought to push back against what he described as misconceptions about Jamaicans’ access to beaches, saying the country has significantly more publicly accessible coastline than some claims suggest.
- Jamaica has approximately 2,200 kilometers of coastline, but Bartlett said only a portion is suitable for traditional beach and swimming activities.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says the government will continue upgrading public beaches across Jamaica, with a focus on expanding infrastructure and improving environmental management.
Bartlett said the aim is to ensure Jamaicans have access to well-maintained recreational spaces while protecting the country’s coastal environment.
He was speaking Aug. 6 at the annual Artisan Village Food Festival in Falmouth, Trelawny.
Bartlett also sought to push back against what he described as misconceptions about Jamaicans’ access to beaches, saying the country has significantly more publicly accessible coastline than some claims suggest.
Jamaica has approximately 2,200 kilometers of coastline, but Bartlett said only a portion is suitable for traditional beach and swimming activities.
“When … you do the geotechnical work, you will find that only 29 per cent of that represent areas with any sand or anything … [and] only 22 per cent of all of that area, too, is possible for swimming and beach activities,” he said.
According to Bartlett, Jamaica has 70 public beaches, 60 of which have been upgraded in recent years.
He said 10 of the 70 beaches are commercially operated, while only five require visitors to pay an entry fee.
Bartlett also rejected claims that only 1% of Jamaica’s beaches are accessible to the public.
He acknowledged that access problems exist at some individual beaches but cautioned against using those cases to characterize beach access across the entire country.
“We may have issues with an area. We may have an issue with an owner here … we may have an issue with a process there,” Bartlett said.
“However, we must not make the world define Jamaica as a country that denies its population … access, because … it’s not true.”
The minister said the government recognizes that further improvements are needed and called for greater collaboration among stakeholders to address existing challenges and improve public beach facilities.
“Help us with that discussion and help us with the resources so to do, as well, and it will be a contribution that we will be making to the development of our country,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett said continued investment in public beaches would support both recreation for Jamaicans and the sustainable management of Jamaica’s coastal resources.
