Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced plans to make Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee the key driver of economic growth and experiential tourism product, according to a press release.
The plan includes the creation of a Coffee Innovation Town in St. Andrew or Portland, that would serve as a hub for showcasing the benefits of the product.
“We want to tap into this very large, elongated, wide, and deep coffee value chain, every link of which has potential for economic growth, development, and enhancement of individuals and communities,” Bartlett said. “We could build a coffee innovation town in the hills of St. Andrew and possibly Buff Bay, where we could utilize the various attributes of coffee to bring economic well-being to people and also to bring pleasure, joy, and satisfaction.”
Bartlett made the announcement on Saturday, March 25, during the sixth annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, emphasizing the importance of coffee to the Jamaican economy as well as the country’s cultural identity.
“In tourism, we have found that consumption is why we travel. And the consumption patterns are created by the cultural offerings of the various destinations that we go to. And so for Jamaica to be able to attract a very wide demographic of all types of people from all over the world, we must increase the offerings of experiences that we offer in Jamaica,” said Bartlett.
“And a key area that we can maximize this experiential tourism is coffee because of its diversity and its whole broad application. Its capacity to be utilized in so many areas,” he added.
The event, which took place at the Newcastle Parade Grounds in St. Andrew, displayed an array of coffee by-products, from aromatic candles to food creations. Over 35 businesses from around the country presented their diverse coffee-inspired products at the event.
Minister of Industry, Investment, and Commerce, Senator Aubyn Hill said: “I’m very happy to be here because clearly agriculture is alive and well, and the cultural investment is alive and well. I see all the shops down here, and I’ve already tasted some of the products. But as a Minister of Industry, Investment, and Commerce, wherever I go, I am there asking for investment to come into this industry because we have something very special here in Jamaica that we must continue to build.”
