An Australian human rights lawyer’s long swim to shore in Montego Bay has drawn renewed attention to a growing campaign in Jamaica for free public access to beaches, a contested issue tied to the country’s colonial-era laws and tourism industry.

Eva Buzo completed a nearly 11-hour swim to One Man Beach on Sunday, where she was greeted by supporters chanting “free beach” amid celebrations. The event highlighted efforts led by the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (Jabbem) to challenge restrictions on beach access imposed under the 1956 Beach Control Act. The legislation grants the state ownership of the island’s foreshore and seabed and has allowed governments to limit public entry and lease beach areas to private resorts.

Earlier in October, Jabbem secured a preliminary legal victory when a Jamaican court issued an injunction barring the government from limiting access to Little Dunn’s River Beach in St Ann parish while ongoing litigation proceeds. The injunction was hailed by campaigners as a significant step toward dismantling barriers that have excluded local communities from coastal areas for decades.

Dr. Devon Taylor, founder of Jabbem, said the ruling demonstrates the strength of their case and emphasized that beach closures violate fundamental public rights. Wilbourn Carr, a community leader involved in a parallel case in Portland parish, described the decision as a hopeful sign that the judiciary acknowledges the right to beach access.

The Jamaican government has signaled its intention to appeal the ruling. Environment Minister Matthew Samuda defended the restrictions, citing concerns over protecting tourism investments and safeguarding communities from crime. Samuda referenced a recent murder at Little Dunn’s River as justification for limiting access, and underscored tourism’s economic importance, noting it employs roughly 200,000 Jamaicans and provides a critical source of foreign exchange. He criticized activists for framing tourism as an adversary to local interests.

Opponents of the government’s approach counter that crime prevention has been misused as a pretext to perpetuate exclusionary policies rooted in colonial-era laws. Taylor called the restrictions an unlawful “collective punishment” unrelated to public safety. Paul Roberts, Jabbem’s community coordinator in St Ann and a British resident, dismissed claims of widespread criminal activity affecting beachgoers, stating he has experienced no security issues in 15 years living in Jamaica.

Campaigners clarified they do not oppose hotels or tourism itself but criticize what they describe as a “plantation tourism” model that marginalizes local Jamaicans through low wages, environmental degradation, and restricted access to natural resources. They advocate for an equitable balance that respects both the community’s rights and the industry’s economic role.

Buzo framed public beach access as a fundamental human rights matter, citing examples from countries like Australia and Barbados where tourism thrives alongside open beaches. She argued that exclusive beachfront properties need not exclude the public and called for an end to segregation.

Jabbem’s continued activism seeks full, unrestricted access to Jamaica’s beaches, emphasizing that the island’s true appeal lies in its people and culture rather than private resorts alone. Monique Christie, Jabbem’s western Jamaica coordinator, asserted that tourists lose out when isolated from local communities, reinforcing the perspective that the essence of Jamaica’s tourism strength is “our warmth and the desire of everyone to just come and meet us.”