Negril needs attention

[airswift]

I agree Miss Honey
The vendors are all part of the local colour and part of the reason I have been going to Negril for over 30 years.

[Accompong]

For all of you people that don’t want vendors on the beach don’t go to Negril go to St.Kitts. We went there last June. It’s beautiful but simply BORING with absolutely no characteristic. All I hear is people don’t want foreigners coming to the US and changing our ways. But it’s now OK to go to Jamaica and change their culture . Wow. Is is safe to take kids. Well I can’t wait to take my granddaughter next yr. she will be 2 yrs old.

I don't see anywhere on here that people don't want vendors on the beach. That is hyperbole. We have to keep it in perspective that it is the Jamaicans who are passing these laws to restrict who doesn't sell and who does sell on the beach and this is not only meant for tourists but locals as well.

Locals don't want outsiders coming in and harassing tourists because that has a negative effect on their pocketbooks. Some here that have been going for decades to Jamaica remember a time when tourists rarely (if ever) were harassed or threatened in anyway. It has mainly become a worse problem with the proliferation of route taxis and robots that make it easy to live elsewhere and come to Negril to "work" the tourists. I believe the only reason that it hasn't gotten completely out of hand is that the locals "police" their numbers making it difficult for them to get a foothold. I further believe that if you open it up to anyone joining the beach scene to sell without some regulation, Negril will become a dangerous place to vacation as well as to live.

Although it is part of the Jamaican culture to become a higgler and colorfully sell and barter with locals as well as tourists, harassing and threatening is not. No one wants to change that culture. That is part of what makes Jamaica; Jamaica. As my departed best friend "Marshall" used to say, "Jamaicans can be very good but, when they are bad, they can be very bad".

Get the "good ones" licensed and regulated so a good standard is maintained going forward. If and when new people want to sell and higgle, make sure they get licensed and live up to that good standard. I don't think that is too much to ask and I think most locals would agree.

Just my opinion.

[Miss Honey]

Accompong you are right. I started to respond this morning. This all just hit me wrong last night. I hate seeing hard working people put in the same category as the hustlers. They do need to get a consistent license program but one these folks can afford. They know who the hustlers are and they need to take care of that. I meant if you want a beach with no vendors you probably oughta go some where else. I sure hope they get this fixed. I hadn’t stayed on the beach since Jan 18. We actually had less interaction with hagglers this year.