Mayor of Kingston, Senator Delroy Williams met with the newly appointed Spanish Ambassador Josep Mari Bosch Bessa, on Monday at the Kingston & St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) to congratulate him on his appointment as well as discuss projects which will involve both bodies.
The ambassador, who has been in office for just over a month, expressed his affection for the city of Kingston and spoke of the similarities between the potential that exists on the Waterfront of downtown Kingston and Barcelona, his hometown, a few decades ago.
Bessa highlighted that he was confident that tourism interest from Spanish tourists will considerably improve tiwards Kingston, should closer ties be formed. He further stated that he was pleased to see that the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival theme for 2017 was "Caribbean" where a tribute to Jamaican culture was featured alongside other Caribbean countries.
Following further discussions it was agreed that the embassy would also aid the office of the Mayor in attracting cruise ships to Kingston as they are aware of interested cruise lines in Spain.
The suggestion was also made to strengthen the ties between Kingston and Spain through the twinning of cities. Suggestions were made for the twinning ceremony to include Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Mallorca.
Other plans discussed include the opening of a Football Academy in partnership with Real Madrid, Cultural Partnerships and the establishment of a branch of the Cervantes Institute in Jamaica.