Progress made in upgrade work on Cave

The Operator of the popular Harrison’s Cave attraction is reporting significant progress on the promised multi-million dollar upgrades of the facility, some of which were scheduled to be completed this month.

Andrea Franklin, Country Manager of CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures (Barbados) Ltd., said some elements of the estimated $9 million improvement work on the island’s main attraction were almost 100 per cent complete.

However, she said there were some setbacks due to global shipping challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Initially, work was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we continue to make significant progress despite some delays in shipping of specialized materials needed for areas like the challenge course and the zipline,” Franklin said in response to questions from this newspaper.

“We have, however, been able to conduct the renovations while the attraction continues to be open to the public,” she added.

After about 16 months of closure due to the health pandemic, Harrison’s Cave re-opened to the public in early July last year, welcoming guests on a limited schedule.

The location is now operating six days per week to meet the demands of the 2022 winter season, according to Franklin.

At the time of re-opening, officials had indicated that the new-look Harrison’s Cave Eco-adventure Park would get several exciting features including a suspension bridge, bird aviary, freefall platform, challenge course, children’s play area, a redesigned retail centre, a zipline and an interactive green monkey experience, some of which were to be completed this month.

Providing the update on the St Thomas attraction, Franklin said construction of the redesigned Harrison’s Cave Retail Centre is nearing completion along with the already popular nature trail with its unique spaces and photo spots.

Work on the Challenge Course, Zipline and the bird aviary have also begun and is ongoing, while work on the Rum Experience feature is scheduled to begin in two weeks, she added.

Following a tendering process, CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures (Barbados) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Jamaica-based CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures, was chosen on December 1, 2020 to manage the operations of Harrison’s Cave.

CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures, which was formed in 1983, also operates nature-adventure attractions in its home base of Jamaica as well as Belize, Turk and Caicos and the Dominican Republic.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb