Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

More than J$200 million is lying idle in government coffers, as bureaucrats are apparently refusing to release the funds to undertake tourism enhancement projects.

This was disclosed by former Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) president Horace Peterkin during the official opening of Outameni Experience in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, yesterday.

"There are projects that have been approved, but are now languishing despite the money being available," he said. "If we really have the interest of our country at heart, then we must ensure that those who are serious about developing our product get the necessary support," he said.

Legal basis

The Tourism Enhancement Act was passed by Parliament in December 2004 to provide the legal basis for the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture to establish a mechanism for the collection of a fee of US$10.00 to be charged to incoming airline passengers and US$2.00 to be charged to cruise passengers. The money collected is paid into a dedicated Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

The fund was established on May 1, 2005 for the sole purpose of implementing the recommendations emanating from the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development 2002.

The Tourism Master Plan provides the framework in which TEF will fulfil its mandate of promoting growth and develop-ment in the tourism sector, encouraging better management of environmental resources in the island, enhancing the overall tourist experience in the island, and providing for the sustainable development of the tourism sector.

The vision of the TEF is to see Jamaica as the most sought after tourist destination, through heritage tourism, resort enhancement, community-based tourism, sports and entertainment, environ-mental management and culture.