The battle for Jamaica’s beaches
For many international travellers, Jamaica is synonymous with white-sand beaches and swaying palm trees. In 2024, a record 4.3 million tourists flocked to the island, and while many came to splash in its gin-clear waters, these same beaches are increasingly inaccessible to Jamaicans themselves. Of the island’s 1,022km of shoreline, just 0.6% is public and freely accessible to local residents, according to JaBBEM.
“Our cultural ties to spaces have been decimated,” Taylor said. “They’re transferring our natural resources to foreign entities.”
The privatisation of Jamaica’s beaches has been unfolding for the past seven decades, but as the number of gated resorts and foreign-owned developments have multiplied in the past five years, the closure of locally beloved places like Mammee Bay has accelerated.
Today, only 40% of Jamaica’s $4.3bn (£3.2m) tourist revenue stays in Jamaica, and all-inclusive beach resorts are booming. By 2030, 10,000 new rooms are expected across the island, many of which – including a 1,000-room Hard Rock Hotel and the 1,350-room Moon Palace The Grand in Montego Bay – are located on the coast and will further restrict Jamaicans’ access to their own shoreline.
AlamyJamaica is filled with all-inclusive beach resorts that only allow access to the beach for paying guests (Credit: Alamy)
