Business View Caribbean | May 2019

30 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN MAY 2019 their group. He also had a love of training animals and, as a result, he became the benefactor for the national zoo of Jamaica. He actually took it over around 2011, and since that time has transformed it into the beautiful Hope Zoo Jamaica.” Heron’s first project as part of the team was the redevelopment of an existing attraction at Ocho Rios into Konoko Falls and Gardens. The iconic property was extensively renovated and marketed, and last year, took the award for the Jamaica Tourism Best Attraction for 2018/19. Visitor numbers have almost doubled each year since 2014, which might account for the significant amount of applause in feedback on TripAdvisor. Development of Puerto Seco Beach began in 2016. Once a renowned public facility owned by the Jamaican Bauxite interests, the 10- acre property (buildings and a thousand feet of beach) had deteriorated over the years. So, Guardsman Hospitality saw it as a major opportunity to develop a beach attraction from scratch. The project started in January 2016, and was completed in March 2018. Among the new inclusions were food and beverage facilities, state- of-the-art washrooms, a comprehensive water sports facility, an aqua park that floats on the ocean, and Dolphin Cove will soon be part of the ocean offering, as well. Heron acknowledges, “It’s a lot more than a beach – we installed a 150-ft.-long swimming pool and provided what, I believe, are upscale amenities, not only for the general public, but we also reached out to the international market through cruise lines and smaller hotels and villas that do not have beach facilities. So far, we’ve been tremendously successful in our marketing. In fact, during the summer – even before our grand opening – we were enjoying an average of 500 people per day. There is a cover charge to come in, which we’ve kept affordable, just to cover basic maintenance of the property; all of our other amenities are an upsell. That’s to attract a wider cross-section of patronage. Along with our higher- end restaurants, there is our Jerk Shack that is a little more affordable. We’ve tried to reach out to as many clients as we can, because the market is so varied in Jamaica and internationally. For cruise ship passengers, we do packages that will appeal to all.” Guardsman Hospitality has contracts with some of the major cruise lines that sell attraction packages for Puerto Seco – some include food; some include the aqua park; some include water sports like kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkelling - tailor- made packages to suit different needs. Many tour companies and some hotels also sell the packages. Small hotels and villas with clientele coming throughout the year are offered an annual membership that allows their guests to go to Puerto Seco during their stay. The Airbnb market is growing fast in Jamaica and they also participate