K2
THE GLEANER, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012 | SPECIAL INDEPENDENCE EDITION
“I can recall the days when community tourism was alive in St James ... visitors could be seen in some of the now feared communities such as Granville, Glendevon and Sun Valley road,” said Allen. According to Allen, it is the attitude of industry players who were trying to keep visitors away from locals for selfish reasons that was destroying opportunities for locals to see their Jamaican dream via the tourism route. “Why are we not benefitting?” Allen asked, “We have more than 200 rooms in Montego Bay, if you go to Ironshore and Lilliput there are empty rooms that can
Tourism holds much but ... Mark Titus Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU: ARASSMENT AND crime are said to be two of the main factors negatively impacting Jamaica’s bid to fully maximise its tourism product, which is seen as one of the prerequisites in achieving true economic independence and a route to the Jamaican dream. In fact, the twin scourge of harassment, especially in regards to tourist, and crime, is being blamed in some quarters for the emergence of all-inclusive properties, which primarily keep visitors in the hotels and away from local communities. In dismissing the belief that keeping the visitors in the hotel is a ploy by hotelier to reap all the economic benefits for themselves, businessman and renowned hotelier Godfrey Dyer rubbished the notion. “When you know the facts, you can’t blame the hotels,” said Dyer, while speaking at a recent The Gleaner Editors’ Forum, in Montego Bay.
H
Hotelier Godfrey Dyer.
HARRASSMENT “In fact, Dyer said while the hotel would be only too happy to encourage positive interaction between local and visitors, they are wary of even allowing locals on the hotel beaches for fear of harassment and solicitation. “ “It is not that the hotels do not want to allow Jamaicans to use the beaches, but to open it to the general public will create problems.” While noting that free mingling between locals and visitors is encouraged in countries such as Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Dyer said Jamaica is not ready for such an experience. “Once you do it here, drugs are pushed on the tourist,” Dyer said, “Is not that they (Jamaicans) would use the beach and enjoy it, they would abuse the use of the beach
... it is the attitude of industry players who were trying to keep visitors away from locals for selfish reasons, that was destroying opportunities for locals to see their Jamaican dream via the tourism route. and that is what prevents hotels from allowing Jamaicans generally.” Tourism educator, Margaret Lawrence, a trainer with the Team Jamaica Project which trains persons for employment in the sector, believes there is a need to sensitise locals so that they, too, can cash in on this aspect of the Jamaican dream.
“Our people have a mindset that tourism is a key to eat a meal, and it defies what government wants when they talk about investment,” Lawrence said, “If you don’t educate the people to use what we have, it is not going to work.” According to Lawrence, the training now being offered, for the most part, is
inadequate and in other cases, trainees, who are being prepared to interface with visitors, are not being given sufficient time to absorb the information. However, renowned social activist Dave Allen said there was a time that the now forbidden interaction was common place in Montego Bay.
accommodate tourists but visitors are not going to these places.” “There are retired teachers with rooms who could benefit from such programmes, why is it that TPDCo (Tourism Product Development Company) instead of being a facilitator, is becoming a stumbling block to prevent people from benefiting from tourism?” questioned Allen. “Tourists came to Jamaica for us, and they are excluding us from the tourists.” However, Dyer refused to allow Allen’s characterisation to go unchallenged, again arguing that such a level of interaction cannot be encouraged in a climate of crime and violence. “I was the largest villa operator on this island,” declared Dyer, “In the ‘70s into the ‘80s I managed 80 villas into Ironshore, sometimes I have my own charters coming in ... why it failed? Crime, the people were robbed every other night and it killed the business.”