Row over hotel jobs
THE MINISTRY of Tourism has, seemingly, sided with Sandals Resorts International in the ongoing saga involving the hiring of foreigners to provide entertainment at the hotels.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said that information being circulated on social media presents “misleading and erroneous” claims about the hiring of foreigners.
“Sandals Resorts International, a truly Jamaican resort company, pointed out quite forthrightly that 80 per cent of their entertainers are Jamaican, with the remaining 20 per cent used to execute circus shows, mainly, as the local groups capable of doing so are fully booked.”
Yesterday, Dr Wykeham McNeill, the shadow minister of tourism, called on tourism minister Edmund Bartlett to address concerns regarding the increased marginalisation of Jamaicans in the tourism industry.
“While I acknowledge and understand that we currently exist in a global environment, it is also for this reason that we must ensure that space is created for the small and medium players in Jamaica to benefit from tourism,” McNeill said.
McNeill said that the minister must act as a bridge between the local sectors and hoteliers to facilitate open dialogue between the two.
“The cry from our entertainment sector must not go unheard, and there must be a coordinated effort to find a solution so that our talented musicians from the land of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Dennis Brown can continue to play their role in the local sector,” McNeill asserted.
The tourism ministry says that it is working very closely with the entertainment and culture ministry to meet with all relevant stakeholders to dissect and address all concerns.