WORLD-famous Jamaican tourist attraction Dunn's River Falls could be placed under private management, Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced.

The plan comes under the move to divest non-core assets held by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which the Government is hoping, over time, to garner upwards of $3.3 billion for the State's coffers.

Golding made the announcement during yesterday's meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament, in response to questions raised by Dr Omar Davies, the Opposition spokesman on finance, about the divestment plans for UDC assets.

Dunn's River Falls, which is owned by the UDC, is run by the St Ann Development Company, a local auxiliary of the corporation. The attraction is one of the most outstanding in Ocho Rios, drawing thousands of tourists and locals yearly.

The prime minister made it clear, however, that while Dunn's River was included on the list for divestment, it was not the intention to sell.

"There are negotiations that are taking place now with regard to the management of Dunn's River and there is the possibility that the actual management of it could be privatised in a negotiation that would involve significant investment in new attractions, but the ownership of an asset like that will never leave the people of Jamaica," Golding told parliamentarians.