If it were just weekends when the parties were happening then I believe most tourists would schedule their vacation plans around the happenings on the weekends, whether it be to attend or avoid parties. I will say my biggest disappointment in Negril is the lack of big name shows. I will also add that when I've had the chance to see a big name artist, it was entirely too late before they came on or they never showed up. Is govt mule coming on at 1 AM at the AI and does anyone doubt they will show? Most concerts in the US are done by midnight and the younger crowd goes out to a nightclub if they want to continue the party. I think the gap between Jamaican nightlife and the tourists idea of a nightlife is just too big these days.
I always say the key to anything being successful is consistency. The more you repeat the same experience the more those people attracted to that experience will come back and bring others looking for the same experience. Unfortunately Negril, being a tourist destination, doesn't have the option of measuring consistency over months but rather needs to measure consistency over years. This is because visitors only return once or twice a year.
People don't like change. Every time you make a change you risk aliening some of the current group in hopes of attracting a newer larger group to replace it. This is why branding is so important. Branding enables a person to trust what experience a particular brand will give them. When brands change too much, customers flee.
Negril needs to determine what its brand or brands (its large enough to offer multiple experience throughout the town) are going to be and then ensure current businesses aren't tarnishing that brand. New businesses should fit the brand its set out to establish. Then they also need to be consistent in ensuring businesses are delivering those experiences year over year. If you allow businesses to compete with each other for what the "brands" are going to be you risk having businesses trying to establish conflicting brands and conflict rarely produces consistency unless its constant conflict.
Of course this would not be easy and it would take years. Initially there would be winners and losers, just as there have been with recent changes in regulations. But eventually businesses will thrive as they consistently deliver the brand(s) established and tourists seek those experiences out year over year. Whatever it is they want Negril to be, they need to be consistent in trying to delivering it. It's only through consistency that tourists can learn how to tailor their vacations to avoid negative experiences and repeat the good experiences they have had in the past. It's also how businesses determine where best to establish their brand.
There's plenty of room to offer everyone whatever it is they are looking for in Negril today but it can't be done all in one small section of town without it creating conflicts.
