“Gleaner” Slams Jamaica Tourism Development

In a hard-hitting article, Gareth Manning, a “Jamaica Daily Gleaner” reporter writes “It seems the Government has succeeded in convincing many if not most Jamaicans that building more hotels for tourists constitutes development. There are concerns however that this concept of ‘development’ is flawed and may even do more harm in the long run, whatever the immediate short-term gains. Certainly building more hotels will grow the economy and provide much valued short-term benefits for the country, but these benefits will not be sustainable at the proposed rate of development rationed for the Tourism Expansion Programme and there are risks if building does take place as proposed in certain environmentally-vunerable areas.”

Manning says that the Government should be well aware of all this as it commissioned the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to carry out a study on the sustainability of the entire Tourism Expansion Programme and develop a framework for action. The study has been completed since last year but was never released and, apparently, there is no indication that its recommendations will ever be adopted.

The findings of the study were grim. The research team led by Alison Kenning Massa, found that Jamaica was at risk of endangering its natural resources, the very essence of its tourism product, for a few Cancun-style developments on its shorelines. While identifying that there were economic benefits to be derived from the expansion programme, the research team noted that the hotel expansions had implications for spatial and resource planning and for sustainable and equitable improvements in Jamaica’s quality of life.

Examination of the way that the projects have been proposed and reviewed shows numerous failures of communication, participation, execution and enforcement. “Those failures have rendered the legal framework largely ineffective in decision making,” the study noted. “As a result, there is a risk of wasting natural, human, cultural and fiscal resources,” it continued.

According to the study, Jamaica stands to lose significantly if it apes the typical designs of Spanish resorts in the Dominican Republic and Mexico where the same developers applied conventional building designs and development ideas to environmentally-sensitive areas. It also suggested that replication of those designs would lead to ill- treatment of the island’s natural environment, reducing safety as well as biodiversity and beauty.

The researchers were most concerned, however, about the rapid pace proposed for the doubling of hotel rooms. It concluded that at the proposed pace, the projects would bring major and insurmountable challenges in terms of capacity to meet requirements for trained labour, utilities and associated community facilities.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060924/cleisure/cleisure2.html

Valere Tjolle