JLP welcomes US$900m tourism investment, but gives PNP no credit

The opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) says while it welcomes yesterday’s announcement of a US$900 million investment in Jamaica’s tourism product, it does not believe the government should be given any credit for the development.

The JLP says the investment by Karisma Hotels and Resorts will go a far way in enhancing Jamaica’s room stock, product diversity and competitiveness. 

However, opposition Spokesperson on Tourism & Cruise Shipping, Shahine Robinson, is cautioning the government against becoming complacent.

Robinson says she does not get the sense that the government is working to improve on the 3.6 per cent growth out-turn seen in the tourism sector last year. 

Robinson says positive developments come more as a result of the foresight, resilience and creativity of players in the private sector, than from any action on the part of the government.

She says the government is doing them a grave disservice by failing to employ targeted strategies for expanding the product and making it more competitive.

She says the government has failed to act on several suggestions, such as for it to ramp up marketing and other promotional activities during the 2013/14 winter tourist season and for it to establish a working group to assess and devise strategies to deal with the opening of the Cuban market.