Official opening ceremony for Sangster International Airport runway extension
MoBay mayor wants special fund for western city’s development
Published:Friday | May 3, 2024 | 12:16 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Montego Bay’s Mayor Richard Vernon is calling on central Government to create a special fund geared at financing the western city’s continued development and management, particularly in light of the perpetual tourism traffic brought into Jamaica via the city’s Sangster International Airport.
Vernon sounded the call while speaking to journalists yesterday following the official opening ceremony of the runway extension at the Sangster International Airport’s IAM Jet Centre in St James. The expansion, which has extended the runway’s length from 2,652 metres to 3,060 metres, was done between 2019 and 2023 as part of a US$70 million (J$10.9 billion) project encompassing the runway’s extension, public road and utilities relocation, shoreline protection, and coastline restoration.
“The Sangster International Airport is an important feature of Montego Bay, an important structure in our city, and a very important hub for the Caribbean where transportation is concerned. It brings in up to 85 per cent of the tourists, persons travelling for business and leisure, to Jamaica, and because it has that impact on the western end of the island, we have to cope with the increased traffic, we have to provide an improved product, and we have to have enhanced security within the space,” said Vernon.
“To do these things as a local authority, it is virtually impossible to keep up with this kind of development and traction coming from the airport. Therefore, we have to now look at getting a special fund, one that is supported by central Government, a dedicated fund to deal with the further development and management of Montego Bay,” Vernon added.
FUNDING IMPORTANT
While he did not provide a figure as to how much money would be needed for such a fund, Vernon said that Montego Bay’s importance as a tourism hub requires that fund in order for prospective benefits to be reaped.
“Our regular parochial revenue fund cannot sustain the type of development that is coming into our city at this point in time, particularly through the Sangster International Airport. We have to now look at how we can bolster our coffers and keep up with the development, put in the necessary infrastructure, manage traffic, improve aesthetics, and create a holistic experience for visitors and persons doing business in Montego Bay,” Vernon explained.
“It would need central Government to look at Montego Bay, the economic significance and importance of Montego Bay, and create a fund that the local authority can tap into to deal with day-to-day management. Looking at Montego Bay, and looking at us from a standpoint of a city, and what it needs to drive the development needed in our city and to maintain the type of development that is coming, we need a special type of funding for that,” Vernon stressed. “We are calling on the Government to look at that in a special way and have it made available so our city can benefit and leverage the funding that is being generated from our very space here from tourism and from transportation.”
In 2023, approximately 4.17 million visitors came to Jamaica, surpassing September projections by the Ministry of Tourism for 3.88 million stopover and cruise passengers. Concerning Sangster International Airport alone, the number of international terminal passengers for 2023 stood at 5.2 million.