JHTA’s Ocho Rios chair: Despite good year, change of attitude needed for 2025
Published:Wednesday | January 1, 2025 | 12:06 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
Citing 2024 as a good year, Vana Taylor, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) second vice president, and area chair for JHTA Ocho Rios Runaway Bay Chapter, is hoping for improvement in the attitudes of persons, in aesthetics and customer service in the new year.
“It was an awesome year and I thank God for the blessings that He bestowed on me, my family, my friends, business associates, and Jamaica land we love,” Taylor said.
“There were lots of good things that the Lord did for us and we must give thanks that we’re alive and well and we made it through 2024 with God’s guidance and help.”
The Jamaican tourism industry started well in 2024, welcoming two million visitors in the first five months of the year. This was a carry-over from 2023, a year which saw 4.1 million people arriving in the island, a 25.5 per cent increase from the previous year.
Severe weather conditions, including a hurricane in July, slowed the growth but industry players are already eyeing a big 2025.
The loss of lives was one of the negatives for the year, Taylor pointed out.
“The biggest thing for me was losing all these people,” Taylor said, as she reflected on the several funerals she had to attend during the year. Unfortunately, the trend has trickled into 2025, as she revealed she has three funerals to attend in January.
Overall, for 2025, Taylor said: “I’d like to see more love and respect from us as a people of this beautiful country, Jamaica. I think that will do a lot for us if each of us, every day, decide that we’re going to make a special effort to show more love and respect to everybody especially the less fortunate; we’ll see a big difference going forward.”
She continued: “I expect to see more activities from the government agencies; the taking responsibility for the areas that they should – the town centres in our parish, keeping them clean, getting rid of illegal activities that should not take place in the towns and for us as citizens to join with them in ensuring that we have a much cleaner and better environment for all of us in 2025.”
Taylor said businesses, especially in the town centres, should take responsibility for their areas, ensuring that they are always kept clean and in order.
“The banks should also take responsibility for their ATMs, ensure that they are cleaned on weekends. If you went to some of them yesterday, or during the weekend, when nobody is cleaning them, such a terrible state. Persons that use them should also do better.”
“I’d like to see businesses take responsibility for ensuring the cleanliness of their areas and also better customer service, in 2025,” Taylor added.