Nurse Josie Centre recognised as tourist spot
(CNS Local Life): The Nurse Josie Centre in Bodden Town will be officially designated and developed as a key tourist attraction after an agreement reached between three of that district’s MLAs and Minister for Tourism Moses Kirkconnell. The centre, located in Harry McCoy Park, showcases one of the largest collection of artefacts and items capturing the culture, history and development of the Cayman Islands.
Many of the items preserved and exhibited at the centre were donated by Caymanians or collected over the years by the district’s Heritage Committee, stated a press release.
The agreement, which was finalised at a 28 February meeting, initially includes assistance with the production of marketing material such as brochures and signage, assistance from the Tourism Attractions Board with developing the centre, and funding from the Ministry of Tourism to effect improvements.
MLAs Anthony Eden, Alva Suckoo and Christopher Saunders attended the meeting on the agreement with the minister, along with Ministry and Department of Tourism officials and Heritage Committee members.
Suckoo welcomed the agreement, explaining that developing the facility as a heritage centre had been an ambition of his since 2013. “This site has huge potential and will be integral to the eastern district’s tourism product,” he said. “Our development needs are unique and quite different from other areas of the island, and with less that 500 beds available in the district of Bodden Town, we have not yet begun to tap into this potential. This step takes us closer to the goal of Bodden Towners being able to live and work in their district.”
In thanking the tourism minister, Eden noted the centre’s extensive collection of artefacts might be the largest in the Cayman Islands, adding he envisaged “the centre would become one of the highlights of the Bodden Town tourism experience”.
He also thanked Heritage Committee members for their “hard work and dedication in taking such good care of the centre”, the press release stated. “We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude,” Eden said.
Saunders pointed out that within the next five to seven years tourism will become the main driver of economic growth, and referred to studies showing that the next generation of tourists will have a greater demand than their parents for cultural, heritage and historical sites.
Noting that the Bodden Town facility encompasses all three facets, Saunders said, “It is therefore imperative that we prepare and position Bodden Town and other areas across the Islands for the next generation of tourists.”
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