Reading Time: 4 minutes

Those pushing the notion that Jamaicans are unable to get access to beaches in their own country are gaining traction and garnering attention overseas.

European documentary makers have made content with a particular slant that does not paint the country in a good light. The way they see it, the Government, major hoteliers and business leaders are doing their utmost to prevent Jamaicans from enjoying the beaches and trying to make them the sole preserve for tourists from abroad.

This is not true, and the Government has not adopted such a policy. In fact tt welcomes Jamaicans enjoying beach facilities and sees this as a way of life in Jamaica.

There are 70 beaches that have public access, far more than many other Caribbean countries.  For some of those, a charge is required so that those sums can be used to maintain facilities. The sums charged are nominal.  There are beaches which the government lease out to private businesses, and of course there are beaches which are owned and operated by hoteliers. Tourism is a major pillar of the Jamaican economy. Jamaica’s room count is growing, and major hotel players will be looking to invest in Jamaica under the proviso that the beaches they acquire are for their guests.

Tourism is a major earner of foreign exchange for Jamaica and one of its leading employers. It remains one of the top destinations in the Caribbean. Hurricane Melissa last year saw many hotels have to shutter their operations as they undergo refurbishments. Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett will be on a drive to bring back visitors and get to 5 million visitors a year, which will reap US$5 billion.

For the country to prosper, tourism has to be at the centre of growth and foreign exchange earnings. If tourists are not getting a cosseted experience, they will opt for other destinations where they are unlikely to be harassed. 

Some disgruntled Jamaicans have joined with woke Europeans to condemn the government, saying Jamaicans have no access to their beaches and that tourists are favoured. That’s not true and never was. There are plenty of beaches Jamaicans can go to and enjoy themselves. It is important that this is communicated to the people of Jamaica and false narratives from abroad are not allowed to take hold. 

It is disconcerting for the Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, to go abroad to drum up business and be told Jamaica bans its people from going onto the beaches there and takes a draconian approach to this.

Earlier this week, Minister Bartlett said: “We have 70 public beaches in Jamaica and of that 70 only 10  of them are paid beaches.  Only five of those you would pay decent money to go to.And yet some of us, when you hear what is said to the international media… you would believe that every beach in Jamaica is just locked off and that’s not fair to Jamaica.

“You know as Minister of Tourism how much trouble I get from international press having to explain to them that it is not true. Then we have to spend money with advertising agents….to tell them that it is not true.”.

This sets Jamaica back in that rather than selling the destination and bringing visitors to its shores, it has to fight a rear guard action defending Jamaica from untruths and an image that people are not welcome on its own beaches. 

Below is a list of public beaches as published by NEPA.

PARISH	BEACH NAMES	BEACH TYPE
ST.       ELIZABETH (9)	Great Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Calabash Bay	Public Bathing
	Fort Charles	Public Bathing
	Parottee	Public Bathing
	Crane Road/Fullerswood	Public Bathing
	Galleon Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Frenchman Bay	Public Bathing
	Billy’s Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Font Hill	Public Bathing
WESTMORELAND (5)	Community Beach/ Norman Manley Beach Park	Public Bathing
	Whitehouse	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Bluefields Beach	Public Recreational
	Long Bay Beach 1	Public Recreational
	Little Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
HANOVER (5)	Orchard/Old Steamer	Public Bathing
	Tryall Beach	Public Bathing
	Bulls Bay	Public Bathing
	Lances Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Watson Taylor Park	Public Bathing

PARISH	BEACH NAMES	BEACH TYPE
ST. JAMES (8)	Harmony Beach Park	Public Recreational
	Walter Fletcher	Public Recreational
	Sunset Beach	Public Bathing
	Dead End	Public Bathing
	Coral Gardens	Public Bathing
	Success	Public Bathing
	Greenwood	Public Bathing
	Barrett Hall	Public Bathing & Fishing
TRELAWNY (5)	Rio Bueno	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Flamingo	Public Bathing & Seaside Park
	Burwood	Public Recreational
	Halfmoon Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Jacob Taylor/Silver Sands	Public Bathing & Fishing
ST. ANN (8)	Priory Beach/Fantasy	Public Bathing
	Puerto Seco	Public Recreational
	Bengal Beach	Public Bathing
	Cardiff  Hall Beach/Flavours	Public Bathing
	Salem/Sharkies	Public Bathing
	Dunns River Falls and Park	Public Recreational
	Turtle Bay/Ocho Rios Bay	Public Recreational
	Roxborough	Public Bathing
ST. MARY (4)	Pagee/Frontier	Public Bathing
	Annotto Bay Beach/Marking Stone	Public Bathing
	Rio Nuevo	Public Bathing/Fishing
	Murdock	Public Bathing/Fishing
PORTLAND (9)	Hope Bay	Public Bathing & Fishing
	St. Margaret’s Bay	Public Bathing
	Innis Bay	Public Bathing
	Bryan’s Bay	Public Bathing Beach/Seaside Park
	Boston Beach	Public Recreational
	Long Bay	Public Bathing
PARISH	BEACH NAMES	BEACH TYPE
	Blue Hole	Public Bathing
	Drapers	Public Bathing
	Winnifred	Public Bathing
ST. THOMAS (7)	Lyssons	Public Bathing
	Prospect	Public Bathing
	Retreat	Public Bathing
	Rocky Point	Public Bathing/Fishing
	Mezgars Run	Public Bathing
	South Haven	Public Bathing
	Coopers Pen	Public Bathing/Fishing
ST.       CATHERINE (3)	Fort Clarence	Public Recreational
	Port Henderson	Public Bathing
	Marine Terminal	Public Bathing
CLARENDON (3)	Jackson Bay	Public Bathing
	Farquhar’s	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Welcome	Public Bathing
MANCHESTER (3)	Alligator Pond	Public Bathing & Fishing
	Hudson     Bay      Beach/Guts River	Public Bathing
	Wards Bay	Public Bathing
KINGSTON & ST. ANDREW  (1)	Copacabana	Public Bathing