By Denise Clarke, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE GOVERNMENT is finding it difficult to come up with the more than US$200 million needed to implement the long-awaited Tourism Master Plan.
The 10-year plan, which was projected to be implemented from 2000 to 2010, is already behind schedule and has just been sent to the National Development Council for approval.
On Wednesday, Aloun Assamba, Minister of Industry and Tourism, told business interests in Montego Bay that the plan will be presented at a meeting of the Development Council in April, before it is taken to the Cabinet.
"I must tell you that the challenge right now is where do we find the money to finance all the things that the plan has set out to do," Mrs. Assamba said.
The master plan was drafted in 2000 "to move tourism on to a path of long-term sustainability". The bill for the full implementation of the plan was put at US$2 billion over the 10-year period. Seventy-three per cent of the funding is expected to come from the private sector, namely through investment in hotels and attractions, while US$542 million is expected to driven by public sector-led projects.
The slow progress toward implementation of the plan has been criticised in some quarters. However, Mrs. Assamba sought to assure the public that the plan is "well advanced". She said that because of financial constraints, the Ministry was facing a challenge to find ways of breaking the plan down into segments for it to be implemented in stages.
"Once I have Cabinet sign off on it and once I am able to say we have secured funding to start doing this, then we will launch the plan. At that point I will be able to say to the country, 'this is the plan, this is what we have accomplished so far, this is what we are going to do at the next step'," Mrs. Assamba said.
The plan places great emphasis on community and heritage tourism, and calls for increased promotion to boost the country's market share and increase earnings. Specific targets were outlined for achievement by 2010.
Among the targets are for stop-over arrivals to reach 2.2 million at an annual growth of 5.5 per cent per annum; US$2,935 million in visitor expenditure at a rate of 8.4 per cent per annum; 130,000 persons to be employed in the industry at a annual increase of 5.7 per cent, and for the tourism industry to earn US$1,800 million annually in foreign exchange.
Also, the plan proposes the development of heritage sites, with emphasis on entertainment and sports facilities. In addition, a town or village would be selected each year for a contribution of US$2 million for its development as a cultural/heritage centre.
Accompanying all this development, would be a major marketing thrust with co-ordination between the Jamaica Tourist Board and other marketing agencies. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport would be the main co-ordinators, with the JTB, the Tourism Product Development Co. and other agencies, responsible for implementation.
