Harassment

[Patricia]

My husband & I (both) have barbed wire tattoos, vendors always ask if we work in a prison or, have ever been "in" prison...

[Babalew]

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP Smith BRAVO!!!!Well said! Act a fool! LOL! Oh and I called 119 1 morning when i felt slightly threatened and no one answered the phone. In fact the phone hung itself up after so many rings. What are you suppose to do then?

[halfwaytree]

I have always thought of carrying a stack of fake life insurance policies in my back pack and when they stop me I would pull them out and try to sell them a policy, Just to mess with them.

Seriously though, the enntire scene is just over the top. I like walking the beach early in the morning when it's quiet. The afternoons are better spent in the west end.

[Prism]

When we were there in Feb I tried a new different approach. I had a couple of bags of lollipops that I had brought with me and when a beach person would ask if we wanted to buy something I said no thank you but here is a lollipop. It almost always made them laugh and no one ever gave us a problem.

[tfw73]

Love the lollipop idea!

[original spanky]

I sometimes say I am a big meth dealer in the states looking for a Jamaican partner. Don't think Netflix is popularr there yet so I can get away with it

[Kahuna3]

I stay for longer periods of time and I still get approached several times each day. I don't feel threatened (with a few exceptions, lately) but it's the tedium of having to constantly deal with it that wears me down. It's aggravating.

It is a problem and I totally get why some people never return after their 1st visit.

[Slightly Stoopid]

Sadly ... some find it ..overbearing
I enjoy MOST of the interaction & enjoy my time on da rock
I don't purchase many trinkets ...
I DO always look for something that I consider ..one of a kind ..or of superior craftsmanship

[VVHT]

So far this week it hasn't been an issue, of course Diane's son is 6'5" and worksout 5 days a week!

But seriously, it hasn't been an issue so far.

[Hussyband]

It seems the focus of the article deals with tourist harassment at the ports - Montego Bay and Ocho Rios - where the tourists pour off the ships and are immediately set upon by vendors. The beach vendors we encounter in Negril are tame compared to the swarms of vultures that prey on the cruise ships. Having been to Negril nearly 2 dozen times since 1999, I can't say that many of the beach vendors remember me (although some do) but I've been able to fend off those I don't wish to deal with using a simple "no thank you."

While I've never been to Jamaica by cruise ship, I have been to several other ports in the Caribbean by ship and can attest to the uncomfortable feeling you get when the locals and tourists meet.

This is so true. We've stayed in Ochoa Rios a few times, and I always comment on how much more often you are approached there than in Negril. It's really a very different vibe.