‘Lickle’ Ras Natango tops the world

WESTERN BUREAU:

A small, family-run attraction tucked away in the hills above Montego Bay has emerged at the top of a global ranking of tourist attractions, outperforming celebrated sites across North America, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Middle East.

Ahhh Ras Natango Gallery and Garden, long regarded as one of western Jamaica’s best-kept tourism secrets, topped a list of 10 attractions earning the highest praise from travellers around the world.

The ranking was highlighted by AAA Club Alliance in a July 24 article, based on an analysis by ChicksX of Tripadvisor reviews. The study examined the frequency of positive and negative words used by visitors in describing attractions.

At Ahhh Ras Natango, reviewers used positive descriptions such as “beautiful”, “amazing” and “must-see” at a higher rate than for any other attraction included in the study.

For co-owner Tamika Williams, the international recognition is still difficult to comprehend.

“I thought we would have been somewhere on a list, or it was just off the beaten path,” she told The Gleaner. “But when you look at the top 10 in the world of people who have received these glowing reviews, and Jamaica is at the top of the list, and it is a small business that is at the top of the list, I think it’s time for us to pay a little bit more attention to what people are doing.”

The attraction, located in Camrose in the hills overlooking Montego Bay, sits approximately 2,000 feet above sea level and combines tropical gardens, Jamaican art, birdlife, sweeping views and, perhaps most importantly, intimate interaction with the Williams family.

Williams operates the attraction with her husband, artist Ian ‘Ras Natango’ Williams, and their son, Ayale.

Unlike many of Jamaica’s large commercial attractions, Ahhh Ras Natango offers visitors an intensely personal encounter with the family behind it.

EXTRAORDINARY APPEAL

Williams believes that authenticity may explain its extraordinary appeal.

“People come away for vacation, and yes, the sea and the excitement is what they want. But there are those who want an experience, and want to experience what it is about Jamaica that makes Jamaicans special,” she said.

“They get a chance to meet our people, not just people who are working in our tourism entities, but owners of the business; and they get a chance to see the flora, fauna and the view, the art. Everything is here, but it’s more than that.”

The international recognition is particularly remarkable because Ahhh Ras Natango has been quietly dominating Tripadvisor’s Montego Bay rankings for years.

It is currently rated 4.9 out of five from 389 reviews and ranks number one among 57 things to do in Montego Bay.

Williams said the attraction has held Tripadvisor’s top Montego Bay position since 2013.

“We just keep working quietly because we just do what we have to do, because it’s something that we are passionate about,” she said.

The AAA Club Alliance article placed Ireland’s Irish National Stud & Gardens second, while the global list also included Al Noor Island in the United Arab Emirates; Canada’s Cabot Trail and Stone Hall Castle; Stetson Mansion in Florida; Kiambethu Tea Farm in Kenya; Australia’s Newcastle Memorial Walk and SkyPoint Climb; and The Rooms in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

For Williams, being ranked alongside attractions from some of the world’s major tourism destinations sends an important message about the potential of Jamaican community tourism.

“It tells you that community tourism is what people want,” she argued.

The recognition was not based on a visit by the AAA writer, she stressed. Instead, it emerged from what travellers had consistently written about their experiences.

“When you are recognised outside of your country, and it’s people who don’t know you, they’re just recognising you based on the merit and based on specific criteria. When you are at the top, it says a lot,” Williams said.

And for a woman who admits that she remains almost speechless over the recognition, Williams eventually found the words to sum up what the achievement means.

“Lickle, lickle this place,” she said.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com