Not being a resident I'm hesitant to state my opinions on such a local issue. I do however have several concerns with the possibility of larger highrise hotels being built in Negril. First and foremost is the ability for the environment and other natural resources to handle increasing capacity. My second concern is the possibility of "walling off" the residents from their beach and obstructing views from the surrounding countryside. Of course we all love the quaintness of Negril as it is today otherwise many of us would be staying in other more developed resort towns in and out of Jamaica. However, It would be pretty selfish of one to say that progress should not come to Negril just so we can continue to enjoy the Negril we know today.
I am not convinced that larger hotels would create more jobs and be an economic plus. This is the same promise made by walmart whenever they wanted to build a new store in a small town. At first new low wage jobs were created. Slowly but surely the smaller businesses that serviced the community closed their doors because they were not able to compete. Businesses that once provided a comfortable living to families for generations were gone. In the end more jobs were lost then gained. I would hate to see this happen in Negril as larger hotels were build that offered everything one needs, and more, under one air conditioned roof.
