A different perspective... Good or bad for Jamaica

An interesting article from Travel Pulse yesterday presents from travel agent's point of marketing Jamaica.

Do you think that they have it accurate or are they missing the boat?

Here is the Jamaica section of the article:

Negril, Jamaica is among locales that have made great strides.

“You’ve come a long way, baby!” That old advertising slogan can also be applied to many destinations, resorts, hotels and other tourism businesses that might have stumbled on the way to their current successes.
TravelPulse asked travel agents to tell us about the travel entities that they think have made great strides in the industry.

Jamaica

Since 1992, Tom Carr of Preferred Vacations in Georgetown, Kentucky, has been traveling to Jamaica and he remembers when it was once dubbed “the murder capital of the world.” It also had other major issues.

“The island's infrastructure needed major investment,” said Carr. “Back in the 1990s, if you went to Negril, the road was horrendous. It was so bad that Air Jamaica Express operated several daily flights over to Negril, in addition to the smaller companies, such as Tim Air and Jamaica AirLink, which were flourishing as a result.”
He noted that the road to Ocho Rios was narrow and took forever and that the Sangster International Airport was in shambles.

Today, it’s quite obvious that the situation is much improved and Jamaica has become a very popular tourist spot.
“Through increased police patrols and anti-gang efforts, the country has stemmed the violence, and I no longer hear the objections from customers when Jamaica is mentioned as a possible destination for their vacations,” said Carr.

Carr said that new highways connecting Negril, Kingston and Ocho Rios have made a big difference in the destination.
“Jamaica privatized the airport leading to massive improvement,” Carr added.
Carr was always told that Jamaica needed to fear the opening of Cuba to U.S. citizens.
“Around 2001, a hotelier told me that Jamaica didn't have the hotel inventory and quality to compete and that nothing was being done to prepare for it,” he said. “Then came the 'Spanish Invasion.'”

Carr noted that Jamaica's hotel product needed a refresh or an influx of new blood. With the entry of major Spanish chains like RIU, Iberostar and Palladium, Jamaica became a hot destination.

“That drove American and Mexican chains to acquire properties and land for new builds. The investment has put thousands of new rooms into the island's inventory and more are coming,” he said.

Here is the link to the full article:

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/feat...t-strides.html

What do you think about this take on Jamaica?

With our limited experience in Negril (10 trips since 1991) it seems pretty accurate.

Pretty sad I think. I think he is missing the key point. We come to Jamaica to be with the people, to live with them, relax with them, enjoy the music, enjoy a snippet of what it is to live Jamaican. All the big chains offering top notch amenities can't offer the most special thing, living with the Jamaican people, not just "visiting" Jamaica. The travelling masses will never understand. Those of us who have experienced the privilege these people have afforded us to come and live with them, it's so hard for me to put it into words, how grateful I am to have met them and have them open their hearts and homes to us. On one of my first trips I overheard a man referring to the old road as the as*hole filter. Well to some degree that was probably true. So now it's more complex. maybe we need to keep this relationship ongoing by advocating being with the Jamaican people instead of just visiting the country, I know I do it every chance I get. In future days Rob this board of yours may play an even more important part than your initial dream encompassed. It may end up being the last link to the way it was and a guide to those who have heard about living with the people and wanting to learn how. You should be proud, what a great idea, and look at how much your hard work has accomplished. Enclosed in all the blogs on your board, in the back ground, is the message. Anyone who spends anytime here will eventually hear it. But you won't hear it at any of the grand resorts. OK, my rants over.

A touch of irony in that question given the opening line of the article. Which of course hails from an advertising campaign that for years generated a similar "good or bad" question? As is the case with "home", locations we like to visit are always going to change. And we're always going to feel wistful for the past.

On balance, the changes in tourism are good for Jamaica. More jobs and greater economic impact. Only those who went to Negril in the 70s will ever experience Negril in the 70s and from all reports the changes in that period are huge. But although great change has occurred, Jamaica has not become endless rows of giant AIs. A much more organic experience remains available for those who desire it. Although everyone can point to their least favorite mega resort of exclaim "that should never have been allowed." I think Jamaica has maintained a relatively balanced type of growth that works better than can be seen in many other tourist spots. Change is inevitable and managing change is not easy. Given the resources available, I think JA has managed to growth relatively well.

I think the article was just meant to appeal to the AI masses. I do agree that the buildup of the road network was a much needed fix for the tourist industry but all the foreign investment has been detrimental to the charm of Jamaica (especially Negril) that we all luv about the place.

Lately my trips to Jamaica have started in Treasure Beach and ended in Negril. The ride from Negril to MoBay for the flight home has changed so much since my first visit in 2002. I'm not a fan of all the new AI's along the road. The people staying there could be anywhere in the Caribbean. I hope they are providing living wage jobs for Jamaicans, that would be the only plus IMO.

I guess I default to a different question... is it bad or good for me? I know that sounds selfish and trite. But what I mean by "me" is the bulk of us here on this board.

Perhaps we can agree that we are a different breed of Jamaican visitor... we get it. Unfortunately, we don't pay the freight... the "Spanish Invasion" does. That's the price of progress.

Time will tell if this will be best for Jamaicans, or just marginally better for them. My personal take is that Jamaicans need to keep more of their own skin in the tourism game... and that doesn't seem to be happening. It's very difficult to do that when outside interests bring such large chunks of investment.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris B

I guess I default to a different question... is it bad or good for me? I know that sounds selfish and trite. But what I mean by "me" is the bulk of us here on this board.

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the article is pro Jamaica at a time when things are not very good here..as for me....mi grown eyes in the back of mi head so nuthin happens to mi.....
the local roads here are a nightmare and no better now than 10 years ago.....sure the highways are a great addition but after coming back from Sav today...
mi was shaking mi head how bad the road has gotten is such a short period of time after the recent road improvements.......sad mon

the multi daily patrols up and down mi lane is something mi didn't even see 10 years ago....there was virtually no police presence cause der was no need

the Jamaicans are complaining more than ever about low pay and no jobs......country really needs work programs to get the country going again...
mi fortunate mi retired and don't have to work here for a living......the ones that do really earn every dollar dem make.....and then some

mi touched on a few things and mi don't want to bash a place mi love......it just saddens mi that things are getting a lot worse than better here for mi....

Cool Runnings, Marko

You know I live in Ohio . Last week my mother and I took a trip north to what we refer to as Amish country. I haven't been there for 9 yrs. the last time I was there this one little town was a small village with Amish shops . 1 hotel and lots of bed and breakfasts . Wow how it's changed. Holiday Inns, hampton inns,, high rises going up. I was disappointed. The Amish works in these places so it brings them jobs. I guess everything changes with time.tourism does this. I still drove out and found my small uncrowded villages. When I go to jamaica I don't want those big places. Hopefully negril doesn't change much more. This is also why I don't take bus transportation to Negril. Go local , buy local. Build friendships. If I want brick and mortar I'll go to Florida.

I think as visitors we certainly long for the " good old days" and get lost in the nostalgia thing. The old road was bad for the commerce of Jamaicans from Montego to Negril. The building and development of roads..hotels and schools and hospitals is a good thing for Jamaicans. They have better wages and opportunities do to the growth and I think about the positives that it creates for them versus somebody such as myself who comes twice a year and my concerns which are different from Jamaican concerns.