All-inclusive hotels discourage guests from going outside – Negril small hoteliers

Small and medium hoteliers in Negril have rubbished claims by Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) president Robin Russell that all-inclusive players are allowing their guests to experience life outside of their properties.

Richard Wallace, immediate past president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce and operator of the BoardWalk Village Hotel, said the practice is still rife in the popular resort town.

“While I will agree that things have gotten better over the years, there is a lot of truth to the video that the gentleman posted on TikTok, and it is still happening,” explained Wallace, “It is not a good thing because the local economy does not benefit if they continue such a trend and the visitors do not get the real taste of Jamaica.”

The difference in views stemmed from an assertion on the TikTok channel, travelwithchris, hosted by YouTuber Chris Rodriguez, in which he claimed that viewers to his channel had complained that they were being prevented from experiencing the true Jamaican culture by all-inclusive properties, under the guise of shielding them from crime.

Russell recently told The Gleaner that he saw the video and it did not correctly reflect the reality of what is happening in Jamaica.

SHORT-SIGHTED NARRATIVE

“I saw the video and his (Rodriguez’s) comments do not reflect the sentiments of the sector players,” said Russell, “It is a short-sighted narrative, and it is not a part of our hotel partners’ policy, because we have realised that the true experience is what our guests desire.”

While hotel properties along the north coast have private beaches, Negril is home to one of the top 10 beaches in the world, stretching for seven miles and shared by hotels of all sizes along the coastline.

“The practice is there where all-inclusive scare the guest into believing that it is unsafe among the locals and that they must book with their tours,” another small hotel operator, who asked not to be identified, told The Gleaner. “I don’t believe the future of tourism in Jamaica is to build more all-inclusive hotels, which is not sustainable, we need to get more people involved, and that way the local economy can benefit more people.”

“We retain only 30 per cent of the tourist dollar because most of our hotels are foreign-owned, so 70 per cent goes out of the country and that is ridiculous,” the hotelier said.

While all-inclusive hotels offer package deals that include accommodation, meals, beverages, and even entertainment, which limits the need for guests to venture off property, Russell still thinks the sector is heading into the right direction.

“Right now, Jamaica has done more than it has ever done, and it has spread across the gamut of the industry, and a large part of the industry growth is through homestays,” said Russell.

With Negril having the largest collection of small hotel operations in Jamaica, with the majority being operated by Jamaicans, it is understandable why Negril hoteliers and Russell do not see eye-to-eye, albeit they are contributing approximately 30 per cent of the tourism revenue earned by Jamaica.

“Given the role that Negril plays in the economy of this country, in contributing to the GDP of Jamaica, what is being reinvested in this town is woefully inadequate and is a travesty,” the hotelier said, “It is a travesty that we can have a cash cow, a goldmine, a golden goose like Negril, and have it here languishing with problems that can be fixed.”

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, till press time, did not comment on the concerns expressed in the video.