Simpson MillerDenise Clarke, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
MINISTER OF Tourism and Sports Portia Simpson Miller says she will not comment on the debate concerning the amount of money allocated to that Ministry in the 2002/2003 budget.
"I will not get involved in any public cass-cass...," Mrs. Simpson Miller said in an interview with The Gleaner on Thursday. "Some people have been saying this and saying that and I am not going to join in it."
The Minister went on to accuse those she termed as 'special interest persons' who, she said, were only looking to their own benefit. Tourism is more than just hotels, she pointed out, noting that it involves a number of things and persons at the lower end of the industry.
"There are a number of special interest people who are looking after their own interest. We at the Ministry have a responsibility not to look at particular interests but to put destination Jamaica in front of us at all times," the Minister said.
Since the 2002/2003 budget was tabled in Parliament, key persons within the tourism sector have called on the Govern-ment to allocate more resources to the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), in order for it to sustain its aggressive advertising campaign launched after the terrorist attacks on the United States last September.
President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Josef Fortsmayr, and Opposition spokesman on tourism Ed Bartlett are among those pressing the Government to provide additional funds.
Mrs. Simpson Miller stressed that she was not opposed to the view that more money might be needed as the tourism industry is one that will always need money to move forward. She added, however, that the tourism sector is well represented on the board of the JTB, and that key players have an opportunity to raise their concerns there.
"I am not responsible for the day-to-day running of the Tourist Board... and the tourism industry is already represented on the JTB board, including the president of the JHTA and others...," Mrs. Simpson Miller pointed out.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports was allocated $1.3 billion in the 2002/2003 budget, a reduction of $450 million from the previous financial year. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson allotted an additional $200 million after cries from tourism players that the tourism budget was inadequate.
