The Nexus Luxury Collection’s Harmony Cove venture, in collaboration with the Government of Jamaica, located in Trelawny, 25 miles east of Montego Bay, has had a stuttering and protracted attempt to get off the ground

This US$1.3-billion tourism project centres around a 2,300 acre compound that includes resorts, restaurants, residences, golf courses, shopping parades, sporting facilities and a marina.

It aims to take Jamaica’s tourism product to another level and elevate it beyond the usual all-inclusive mid-tier model that characterises Jamaica’s offerings.

A project of this magnitude takes Jamaica closer to Monte Carlo, The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. It ups the ante considerably.

Harmony signals that Jamaica is able to attract top class international investors which in turn help to spur the economy.

An agreement between the Government entity Harmonisation Limited and Joe Lewis’s Tavistock Group was signed in September 2006.

The green light was expected to be given speedily and the project to be off to a good start.

Then came the financial crisis in 2008 and a degree of hesitation by successive Jamaican administrations. The Tavistock Group remained patient and understanding but for how long?

This partnership would see the Government putting down an initial investment stake of US$25 million with the Nexus Luxury Collection expected to spearhead the constructing and marketing of the project.

Over the years there has been plenty of talk but no action then came COVID-19 and another three years were lost.

The Holness administration, keen to upgrade the country’s tourism product, has resuscitated the Harmony Cove project and is looking to get things back on track.

Jamaica Producers’ Jeffrey Hall has been brought on to shepherd the project. He is a man of high integrity and a proven record and has given much impetus to Kingston Wharves.

The CEO of Nexus Luxury Collection Christopher Anand will be playing a lead role on Harmony Cove. He has closer connections with the Tavistock Group and made early contributions to the project dating back to the initial concept and plans. He is credited with doing a fantastic job on the Albany Resort in The Bahamas and will be looking to replicate his magic on Trelawny’s Harmony Cove.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Reading peninsula’s The Pinnacle project last Saturday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness made it clear that Jamaica’s tourism product must evolve from the model that has served it well for fifty years. It must enter the top-end category with the accompanying amenities.

Harmony Cove will include casino gaming which is expected to be ”grandfathered” in .

Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett would no doubt like to see ground broken on Harmony Cove sometime this year after the Government gets all its ducks in a row.

The Harmony Cove project spells jobs for Jamaicans across many industries. It will also help to enliven the surrounding tourism enclaves.

Speaking in Parliament on the Harmony Cove, Project in June 2022, Minister of Finance Nigel Clarke said: “ The investment of each tranche will new linked to the fulfilment of practical and reasonable milestones that ultimately lead to third-party private financing commitments being in place for the development of the project.”