Jamaica's 17th-Century Port Royal Gains World Heritage Status

On 12 July 2025, the World Heritage Committee inscribed The Archaeological Landscape of 17th Century Port Royal, Jamaica on the World Heritage List. This decision marks a key milestone for Jamaica and the wider English-speaking Caribbean, coming a decade after the inscription of the Blue and John Crow Mountains as the country’s first World Heritage site.

The Committee is one of the two governing bodies of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage. Comprising representatives from 21 States Parties, the Committee is tasked with implementing the Convention and, among other responsibilities, reviewing nominations for inscription on the World Heritage List.

With regard to cultural heritage, the Convention defines it as monuments, buildings, or sites of outstanding universal value—whether from a historical, artistic, or scientific perspective, or from an aesthetic, ethnological, or anthropological point of view. The World Heritage List includes properties recognized as part of either the cultural or natural heritage.

Port Royal, at the mouth of Kingston Harbor in Jamaica, was the most important English settlement in the Western Hemisphere. In four decades, it grew into a hub for regional and transatlantic trade, including the trade in goods and enslaved Africans. An earthquake submerged much of the town, but its remains still reflect a major colonial outpost.

The property is already protected under two national laws: the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act of 1985 and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act of 1991. Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honorable Olivia Grange, expressed pride in the successful nomination of this unique terrestrial and submerged site.

Remarkably, 330 years on, it is a well-preserved site that captures life as it was lived at the time. The nomination allowed us to reveal the site’s attributes and showcase its global value, and this inscription supports our national efforts to preserve this heritage for all humanity.

The Hon. Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport of Jamaica

In countries like Jamaica, where tourism accounts for nearly a quarter of the national GDP, World Heritage sites significantly enrich the tourism offering, attracting visitors and generating meaningful benefits. According to Yuri Peshkov, Head of the Culture Program at the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, this potential has already been recognized.

The successful inscription of Port Royal on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List brings significant attention to the rich history and heritage of this remarkable part of Jamaica. We anticipate that this global recognition will also serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, education, and economic opportunities that directly benefit the local community.

Yuri Peshkov, Head of the Culture Program at the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean