WESTERN BUREAU:
DESPITE BEING the island's leading foreign exchange earners, the poor infrastructure and general upkeep of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are becoming a major turn-off for visitors, says the business community.
"It's an utter disgrace," said an angry Mark Kerr-Jarrett in an interview last week. "The money that the city is making for the country, and what is being put back into its development is real mind boggling. It is a farce and very upsetting."
Mr. Kerr-Jarrett noted that the ride from the Sangster International Airport to what is now being called the elegant corridors of Rose Hall was a real eye sore for visitors and warned that the tourism industry could be seriously jeopardised.
"The huge pothole on the road and the hordes of stray cattle are just some of the things our visitors have to see before getting to, say, the Half-Moon or the Ritz Carlton Hotel," he added. "This is bad for the industry."
Lee Bailey, president of the Montego Bay Cruise Shipping Council agreed. "Montego Bay is now surrounded by many inner-city communities and it is becoming very unattractive," he said. "The drive from the airport through town, I must say, is a real turn off."
The concerns ring the same in Ocho Rios, where street vending, lack of proper parking facilities and unattractive billboard and street signs are just a few of the problems local officials in the resort town are faced with.
"It is amazing when you look at what is happening at Ocho Rios," said businesswoman Toni Allen who operates the popular Coyaba Gardens attraction.
"I am of the opinion that despite the money that this town makes for the country, the Government doesn't care about its well-being. Do we have to wait until we see our last tourist, because at this rate they will all soon disappear before we do something."
Miss Allen's concerns are also shared by Eva Myers, former Chamber president. She sees Ocho Rios' problem escalating at what she called a catastrophic rate.
"What we are lacking is the will to get things done," she noted. "Just look at harassment, street vending and other criminal activities that are prevalent in the town. We need to put more teeth into combating these ills and stop using band-aid tactics to cover up what is becoming a huge sore."
Tourism Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in a visit to Ocho Rios several months ago, told some of the town's business leaders that she was disappointed to see the infrastructure looking so bad.
"What struck me when I drove in here today is how dirty the town looked," she said. "Don't clean it up just for tourism's sake as for the industry to work, we must first make it better for ourselves."
Vice president of Operations at Carnival Cruise Line, Brendan Corrigan, whose company is responsible for bringing in nearly 400,000 visitors to the island each year, said that both resort areas needed to work on upgrading their basic infrastructure.
