THE EDITOR, Sir:PLEASE PERMIT me to direct an open letter to the Honourable Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Aloun Assamba.
Dear Minister Assamba:
I am writing in the interest of the social/political environment of the Marketing of Craft in the Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew, as it relates to tourism.
I am referring to the need to develop the Corporate Area into a prime tourist attraction and destination. Such development is absolutely necessary to give the assurance of a livelihood to craft producers and vendors in the Corporate Area and Spanish Town.
Our view is that a committee should be put in place to study whatever development is necessary to create the appropriate attraction that would induce cruise ship operators and other players in the marketing of the tourist industry, to market the Corporate Area, and to choose Kingston as a port of call on a more regular basis, and to bring greater number of visitors into the port of Kingston.
My humble opinion is that any such development would necessarily have to take into account the brightening up of the city of Kingston: refurbishing rundown buildings, floral beautification of the waterfront, and I would recommend the setting up of a national directory of historical sites to be located, perhaps, in the Emancipation Park in New Kingston complete with paintings and a caption of their historical importance.
At another appropriate location, maybe there could be a listing of the location of natural tourist attractions and entertainment centres islandwide.
These ideas are intended to inform visitors who may have missed any aspects of our tourism promotion and to highlight the importance of a stop-over in Kingston, for visitors to the island.
We are depending upon you, Madame Minister, to use your good office to secure Cabinet approval for a study of such a development and for the speedy implementation of whatever recommendations emanating from it.
I am, etc.,
JUNOR A. WILSON
President
Jamaica Craft Promotion Association
