What about the litter? THE EDITOR, Sir: In May 2000 I was on a Jamaican Tourist Bureau familiarisation trip, and last month I was on a personal vacation, travelling from the airport in Montego Bay to Ocho Rios and then a few days later to Negril, so I covered quite a bit of ground. I was shocked and appalled to see the amount of litter! What is the impression that this gives to tourists? That Jamaicans don't care about living surrounded by debris and/or that they have no pride in their own country? I know this isn't true, but first impressions count, and its pretty hard to refute the evidence when it's all around (literally). What DOES the visitor think as he/she leaves the airport after a long flight and sees styrofoam boxes, juice boxes, cigarette packs, bottles, etc., strewn along the highway or in huge piles as they travel to a resort? As travel agents, we constantly have to overcome client objections to Jamaica not being a desirable location because of poverty, over-zealous merchants/vendors, crime, etc. and now I don't know if I can even stress the beauty of the island in the face of so much litter. Can't the Tourist Board institute some sort of "Keep Jamaica Beautiful" programme? I believe this comes down to education - as tourism is such a large part of your economy, this should be taught in the schools, training sessions at the hotels, in church, as well as articles in the paper. What about fining people who litter and rewarding those that don't? Maybe the Tourist Board could run a contest to see which parish does the best job. The resorts are beautiful and clean and if people are to venture OUT of the resort and spend their dollars with local vendors, they need to feel safe and comfortable. I am, etc., MELODIE KENNEDY A Concerned Travel Agent E-mail: cruisexprt@aol.com Via Go-Jamaica
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