Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

SMITH

WESTERN BUREAU:

Poised on the cusp of a tourism boom, Jamaica continues to enjoy unparalleled tourist arrivals and it is expected that before year-end, three million stopover and cruise visitors would have come to the island.

Addressing the commercial and industrial sector at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) annual awards banquet at the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club last Saturday night, newly-appointed Director of Tourism, Basil Smith, revealed the projections.

Smith, who was making his maiden speech since taking up the position on November 1, said the island was at the top of its game, experiencing a huge show of consumer confidence evidenced by the massive increase in arrivals, particularly by United States travellers who, in a recent survey, selected Jamaica as fourth among their most popular international travel destinations.

Lack of Vision

Anticipating that this unprecedented, robust trend will continue well into the 2006/2007 winter tourist season, the tourism director said airlines servicing the island had committed approximately 1.1 million air seats.

"And there are good prospects for new lift out of Europe and Latin America," he added.

While he spoke of the many positives in the industry, the tourism director criticised the entertainment sector for its lack of vision in responding to the development and slow reaction to the opportunities afforded by the windfall in the industry.

"More options are needed to give a more vibrant nightlife," he noted, revealing the number of complaints made by tourists who had nothing to do in the evenings.

"We need to diversify our entertainment package. Clubs could do well to include acts such as stand-up comedians, string musicians or other options that will be appreciated by persons from different cultures."

The service sector did not escape his scrutiny either, as he noted the paradigm shift that needs to be accomplished in a few areas regarding human resource development.

More jobs in sector

"I believe that the attitude still persists that resources directed at human resource develop-ment is more an expense than it is an invest-ment. Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

Placing all the elements impacting the industry on the table, Smith said what this means is that more Jamaicans would be directly employed in tourism.

Using a ratio of 1:4 jobs per hotel room, he said the island can expect the 7,000 new rooms coming into service over the next five years to directly produce 11,200 new jobs for Jamaicans. "Indirectly, we can expect these rooms to generate an additional 14,500 jobs," the new director added.

He said when the 7,000 rooms are all on stream, and if they are operated at an occupancy level of 80 per cent, the country can expect them to generate an additional J$584 million per year, at current rates.