Jamaica, through a cooperation between The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), will be spending approximately US$11 million over one year to beautify resort areas in six parishes as part of phase two of the 'Spruce up Jamaica' programme.

The two agencies signed the agreement on November 5 which will ensure the initial cleaning of areas in St. James, Westmoreland, Trelawny, St. Ann, Portland and Kingston.

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett has said that the beautification is not just for tourists but for Jamaicans as well.  He said that all Jamaicans should embrace this endeavour and strive to keep it an ongoing individual effort.

"Unless we ourselves want Jamaica to look good and participate in keeping it looking good, then all the expenditure that we are talking about here would be wasted because we will create these beautiful corridors and within a few months they would be destroyed," he added.

The joint agreement between the two entities has been structured to coincide with the start of the 2008/09 winter season.

The areas to be maintained and beautified under the programme include Milford Road, Runaway Bay and Discovery Bay in St. Ann; Sunset Boulevard, Queen's Drive, Alice Eldemire Drive, Sangster International Airport, Greenwood, Barrett Town, and Rose Hall in St. James; Norman Manley Boulevard, West End Road and Non Pariel Road in Negril; Glistening Waters, Water Square, Salt Marsh Road, Duke Street, Wakefield Road to Water Square in Trelawny; Port Antonio, Foreshore Road to Folly, Neville Antonio Park, and Harbour Street in Portland; and the Palisadoes Strip, Michael Manley Boulevard, Constant Spring Road to Six Miles, Marcus Garvey Drive, South Camp Road and Knutsford Boulevard in Kingston.