Originally Posted by
wbgonne
I would like to respond to a few points that have been mentioned in several comments.
The competition for Caribbean tourism is becoming more threatening to Jamaica. As someone else noted, the opening of Cuba to U.S. citizens is a serious issue, if only because Cuba is even closer to the U.S. Also, marijuana is being decriminalized throughout the Caribbean and, for better or worse, this challenges one of Jamaica's traditional selling points.
The question is how Jamaica should respond, especially with regard to Negril. I read several comments to the effect that "change and growth are inevtiable." That conflates two separate issues. Change and growth are not synonyms. Everything changes, but not everything grows. When it comes to Negril, yes, change is inevitable there too. Things fall apart, people die, new trees grow, new devices are created. These things happen whether we like it or not. Growth, however, is a choice. Whether Negril "grows" -- as in adding new buildings or taller buildings -- is up to the Jamaican people.
Which brings me to my real point. If I were in charge of Jamaican tourism and considering Negril's future, I would look at what is unique about Jamaica and Negril and I would market that unique identity. For instance, Jamaica has a fabulous musical culture (as does Jamaica's new competitor, Cuba). Jamaica has Rastafarians, who bring world-famous sativa marijuana and organic vegetarian food to the table. Negril has astonishing natural beauty, a fabulously long, protected beach and breathtaking cliffs just a mile away. Negril has a low-key, small-scale charm that is increasingly rare and treasured in this overdeveloped, overgrown, overcrowded world. A lot of people want exactly that on vacation.
In my opinion, if Jamaica succumbs to the lure of quick "growth" it will destroy Negril, both as a tourist destination and literally through reckless overbuilding, further depletion of the essential morrass, further polluting the Negril River (and then the sea), overburdening the already weak infrastructure, and basically ruining what makes Negril so attractive in the first place.
Peace.
