Bruce Golding, Leader of the Opposition. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Opposition Leader Bruce Golding says Jamaica needs to enhance its tourism product in order to remain competitive as a destination.

"I believe we need to introduce some new novelty into our tourism product. We need to build new attractions with the same energy that we are building hotels, there is this vacuum in terms of the kind of attraction that would excite people," the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader said.

"We are now competing with Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba is now on a new threshold; so there are options available," said Mr. Golding.

He was speaking at the SuperClubs Long Service Awards ceremony for 309 at Starfish Trelawny on Monday.

Considered to be the innovators of the all-inclusive concept in the Caribbean, the hotel chain operates 18 hotels in six countries, with two new resorts under construction in Panama.

Likening the government's Tourism Master Plan to a crossroads without clear signposts, he called on the authorities to create a more aggressive marketing strategy.

"While I welcome the building of new hotel rooms, I am disappointed that the same aggressiveness and careful planning is not done in marketing our product," Mr. Golding contended.

"If we were spending $100 to market 50 rooms, we cannot expect to use $150 to market 100 rooms.

Disappointment

He also stated his disappointment with the inability to secure the necessary funding to build the promised Montego Bay Conference Centre; a failure which, he says, has cost the country a number of potential investments.

On the matter of crime, the JLP leader says the police need to be pre-emptive rather than reactive.

"The police need to nip the crime problem in the bud, because if we can get to the market out there that we are on top of our crime problem, we would see occupancies beyond our imagination," he said.