SOE scare hurts Canadian travel market

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I N MAY, I submitted to this paper that a state of emergency (SOE) is like putting your finger in a hole in a dam. I went on to state that an SOE is, in effect, a siege on a community, further asking, as we prepare for the summer tourist season, will this regional siege (St James, Hanover, Westmoreland), which covers our major resort areas, communicate safety or invoke fear in the minds of potential tourists?

The answer, according to the Ministry of Tourism’s Monthly Statistics on Tourist Stopovers, should put Minister Bartlett on the first flight to Canada to salvage Brand Jamaica, as it is proof that our crime situation is negatively affecting our ability to sustain growth in the sector.

In July 2019, the Canadian market recorded a decrease in arrivals as high as 31 per cent from some provinces compared to 2018 stopover figures. The overall decrease saw 25,124 stopovers, compared to 26,225 in July 2018.

It is important to note that as early as January 2019, Canada issued a travel advisory to its residents cautioning them on travel to Jamaica. The release said, “Violent crime, including armed robbery and murder, is a problem in large cities despite the presence of police to counter criminal activity. The availability of firearms is widespread, and most violent drug- and gang-related crimes, especially murder, involve firearms. There is a risk of becoming the victim of crossfire in these areas.” It is clear that Canadians listened! AN SOE inspires no one who wants to spend their money with us. Thankfully, the Opposition PNP pushed back in Parliament two weeks ago against the unreasonable closing times for businesses so they could earn while the Government attempts to find criminals.

To add further injury, Montego Bay ports saw a decline of 59 per cent in cruise ship arrivals compared to 2018, with the total decline in the sector over the three months of summer reaching 32.2 per cent.

These figures are proof of the urgent need for the Government to go back to the drawing board and find an actual strategic plan with clear outcomes, intelligent commitment of resources, and an empowering legislative framework that facilitates strong cases being built that can be properly and quickly tried in the court of law.

To quote Dr Peter Phillips during his presentation at the annual conference, “We expect arrests!” I’ll go further to add: “And lengthy convictions, too!”

The tourists are watching. JANIEL MCEWAN Chairman, PNPYO Visions (UWI, WJC) janielmcewan17@gmail.com