Manchester Wellness

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Manchester As A Health Destination- By Valrie Dixon (MBA)

Contrary to popular belief, tourism in Jamaica started long before 1947 when it is said that Errol Flynn, the acclaimed Hollywood movie star had 'discovered' his very own paradise in Jamaica. It is said that his sailboat was accidentally washed ashore to a quaint fishing town called Port Antonio.

With the arrival of Flynn to Port Antonio, he described the sleepy little town as being "more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen". Soon many of Hollywood's finest followed, along with society magnates from across the globe, including royalty and the prodigiously rich, all of whom came to Port Antonio to bask in the splendour of this halcyon.

However, long before Errol Flynn came to Jamaica, tourism was booming in the centre of the island. To reflect briefly on Jamaica's past, it must be pointed out that when the British took Jamaica away from the Spanish in 1655, the Spanish fled leaving their Moorish slaves behind, these slaves would eventually become the core of the Maroon societies. Very few white inhabitants remained and these were mainly an English garrison of soldiers that was placed on the island for protective purposes. Colonists were badly needed because it was the intention of the British to establish an empire in the west.

Five years later, 1660, the white population numbered only 4,500 and many of these colonists were undesirables who were deported from Britain along with soldiers who were needed to provide internal peace and security, as well as to defend the colony against the expected return of the Spaniards. If the colony was to survive it was realized that the population had to be increased. (The African slaves were not counted as 'population'.) So emigration from Britain was encouraged.

Unfortunately, because of the geography and climate of Jamaica, many of the white settlers succumbed to the climate that was described as 'pestilential'. Many did not survive longer than a year after their arrival and they were mainly the colonists who had decided to become sugar estate owners who also opted to live on their sugar estates, rather than be absentee estate owners. The sugar estates were mainly to be found on the flat plains that were marshy and water-logged. These marshy lands were good for growing sugar-cane and breeding mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were the pests that carried dreaded diseases such as malaria, typhoid and yellow fever.

In time it was noticed that the settlers who lived in the mountains enjoyed better health than those who survived living on the plains. It must be pointed out that the parish of Manchester did not come into existence until 1819. It was carved out of three parishes, St. Elizabeth, Vere and Clarendon. In the sections now called Central and North Manchester, there are very few surface rivers and swamps are still very scarce in numbers. It was to this region that many white settlers came to recuperate from the diseases that were rampant on the plains and swampy regions of Jamaica. It is therefore in this context that it would be fair to say that tourism began in the mountains of Jamaica, especially in the parish of Manchester, when health was a far greater priority than relaxation on a white sandy beach lapped by warm azure waters of the Caribbean Sea - the type of scenery that Errol Flynn and his friends came to admire and love in Port Antonio in 1947.

As a result of the need for this type of tourism many fine hotels were built in and around Mandeville long before 1947. These included: The Brooks Hotel (which later became the Mandeville Hotel), Newleigh Hotel (now Bishop Gibson High School), Wickham Hotel (now Elizabeth House Senior Citizen Home), King Edward Hotel (now deCarteret College), Bloomfield Hotel (now Bloomfield Great House Restaurant), Villa Bella Hotel (which still operates in Christiana), Savoy Hotel (no longer exists), Manchester Hotel (which now is Church Teachers College).

As medical science and services conquered these diseases and as medicines became more readily available, there was a decline in demand for health tourism, but as man continues to make progress scientifically and technologically, he regresses environmentally. As a result, our environment is now being threatened by pollutants which make our air, land and marine quality not as pure as they once were. So we may yet see a resurgence in the demand for health tourism and it will be 'back to the mountains once more'.


		About Manchester About Our Foundation \| Festival & Mission \| Festival Schedule \| About Manchester Manchester As A Health Destination- By Valrie Dixon (MBA) Contrary to popular belief, tourism in Jamaica started long before 1947 when it is said that Errol Flynn, the acclaimed Hollywood movie star had 'discovered' his very own paradise in Jamaica. It is said that his sailboat was accidentally washed ashore to a quaint fishing town called Port Antonio. With the arrival of Flynn to Port Antonio, he described the sleepy little town as being "more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen". Soon many of Hollywood's finest followed, along with society magnates from across the globe, including royalty and the prodigiously rich, all of whom came to Port Antonio to bask in the splendour of this halcyon. However, long before Errol Flynn came to Jamaica, tourism was booming in the centre of the island. To reflect briefly on Jamaica's past, it must be pointed out that when the British took Jamaica away from the Spanish in 1655, the Spanish fled leaving their Moorish slaves behind, these slaves would eventually become the core of the Maroon societies. Very few white inhabitants remained and these were mainly an English garrison of soldiers that was placed on the island for protective purposes. Colonists were badly needed because it was the intention of the British to establish an empire in the west. Five years later, 1660, the white population numbered only 4,500 and many of these colonists were undesirables who were deported from Britain along with soldiers who were needed to provide internal peace and security, as well as to defend the colony against the expected return of the Spaniards. If the colony was to survive it was realized that the population had to be increased. (The African slaves were not counted as 'population'.) So emigration from Britain was encouraged. Unfortunately, because of the geography and climate of Jamaica, many of the white settlers succumbed to the climate that was described as 'pestilential'. Many did not survive longer than a year after their arrival and they were mainly the colonists who had decided to become sugar estate owners who also opted to live on their sugar estates, rather than be absentee estate owners. The sugar estates were mainly to be found on the flat plains that were marshy and water-logged. These marshy lands were good for growing sugar-cane and breeding mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were the pests that carried dreaded diseases such as malaria, typhoid and yellow fever. In time it was noticed that the settlers who lived in the mountains enjoyed better health than those who survived living on the plains. It must be pointed out that the parish of Manchester did not come into existence until 1819. It was carved out of three parishes, St. Elizabeth, Vere and Clarendon. In the sections now called Central and North Manchester, there are very few surface rivers and swamps are still very scarce in numbers. It was to this region that many white settlers came to recuperate from the diseases that were rampant on the plains and swampy regions of Jamaica. It is therefore in this context that it would be fair to say that tourism began in the mountains of Jamaica, especially in the parish of Manchester, when health was a far greater priority than relaxation on a white sandy beach lapped by warm azure waters of the Caribbean Sea - the type of scenery that Errol Flynn and his friends came to admire and love in Port Antonio in 1947. As a result of the need for this type of tourism many fine hotels were built in and around Mandeville long before 1947. These included: The Brooks Hotel (which later became the Mandeville Hotel), Newleigh Hotel (now Bishop Gibson High School), Wickham Hotel (now Elizabeth House Senior Citizen Home), King Edward Hotel (now deCarteret College), Bloomfield Hotel (now Bloomfield Great House Restaurant), Villa Bella Hotel (which still operates in Christiana), Savoy Hotel (no longer exists), Manchester Hotel (which now is Church Teachers College). As medical science and services conquered these diseases and as medicines became more readily available, there was a decline in demand for health tourism, but as man continues to make progress scientifically and technologically, he regresses environmentally. As a result, our environment is now being threatened by pollutants which make our air, land and marine quality not as pure as they once were. So we may yet see a resurgence in the demand for health tourism and it will be 'back to the mountains once more'.
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