Mr. and Mrs. Stafford Burrowes, owners of Dolphin Cove, on the site of the marine attraction in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on Friday, September 8. - Roger Robinson/Freelance Photographer

Adjacent to the village, Burrowes is building a 'fort' to house offices for the trainers and staff of the Dolphin Cove and a research lab affiliated with the University of the West Indies, for research on marine mammals.

Burrowes had initially projected that the expansion would have been wrapped up two years ago, but told the Financial Gleaner that his timetable was thrown off by delays in the processing of his plans by respective government agencies.

He anticipates a "30 to 40 per cent increase in patronage from the expansion", and hopes to recoup his investment within two to three years.

new capacity

"Our new capacity will be three times as much as it is now," said the attraction owner.

Dolphin Cove gets about 250,000 visitors per year, 75 per cent of who are from North America, said Burrowes.

At entrance fees ranging between US$110 and US$231 for visitors - US$46 and US$89.50 for locals - the attraction would generate revenues of US$20.6 million or $1.36 billion from North Americans just interacting with the animals.

Gift shop purchases, food, and video taping which incurs a fee of US$35 to US$49 would boost those earnings further.

But Burrowes anticipates that new business will flow to his attraction as developments in the tourism sector take hold and the multimillion-dollar North Coast Highway is finally completed, linking Ocho Rios to Montego Bay.