A new tourism-focused development initiative is being explored by the government of Antigua and Barbuda, which aims to convert an existing natural pond behind the popular Jolly Beach into a purpose-built recreational lagoon for outdoor water activities including kayaking. Prime Minister Gaston Browne first revealed this conceptual plan during a public appearance on the locally broadcast Browne and Browne Show, where he led a broader discussion on the rehabilitation of underutilized ponds and wetlands across the country and their potential conversion for public recreational use.
During his remarks, Browne highlighted that the Jolly Beach pond was selected as a candidate site for a lagoon facility matching the model of similar recreational water spaces the administration has evaluated for other locations. He laid out the core vision for the project: the pond would undergo dredging to increase its depth, followed by infrastructural upgrades to reshape it into a scenic, activity-friendly lagoon capable of hosting kayaking, casual paddling, and a range of other non-motorized water sports.
If advanced and brought to completion, the development is expected to deliver a significant boost to the Jolly Beach region’s tourism sector. By adding a new unique recreational attraction to the area’s existing offerings, the project would expand the diversity of activities available to both domestic visitors and international tourists, supporting longer stays and greater local economic spillover from tourism activity.
Despite the outline of the concept, however, no key details about the project’s next steps have been released to the public. Prime Minister Browne declined to confirm whether preliminary environmental impact or engineering feasibility studies have already been conducted for the proposal. No public estimates have been shared regarding the total projected construction cost, a timeline for breaking ground and completing work, or any information about potential public or private operators that would manage the lagoon once completed. These omissions confirm the plan remains in its very early conceptual phase, with no formal approval or implementation timeline set as of yet.