Above: the Blue Mountains in Jamaica

By Dana Niland

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has unanimously agreed to designate Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains as a World Heritage Site.

The designation, which was made at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee Meeting currently underway in Bonn, Germany, is the first for Jamaica and also the first “mixed” (cultural and natural) site for the Caribbean.

“We are pleased to learn that the Blue and John Crow Mountains is now recognized as a World Heritage Site,” said Paul Pennicook, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. “It will enhance the appeal to visitors from around the world who travel for culture and heritage.”

The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park is now one of just 32 mixed sites in the world, and joins the ranks of the Taj Mahal, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China.

The Jamaica Tourist Board credits a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment and its agencies, and the Ministry of Youth and Culture, funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), for their efforts towards the inscription.