Convincing travellers that Jamaica is safe

The Editor, Sir:

I was jolted by The Gleaner's banner headline late last week, and I had to read the story twice to absorb the content. Police reports said a newly employed entertainment coordinator at a popular Montego Bay resort climbed over a first floor balcony after dark and allegedly raped two female tourists at gunpoint. During the gunman's multi-tasking, the weapon fell from his custody and ended up in the hands of one of the ladies who shot him twice before he escaped over a balcony, leaving a trail of blood.

By the time the victims got back to their hometown of Detroit, they reported to their local newspapers that they were also robbed by the Jamaican gunman. "

"At night, it really haunts me. All I see is his eyes," one of the victims told the Detroit Free Press, a part of the USA Today network.

I've worked in tourism marketing, promotions, public relations and crisis management for Jamaica and elsewhere for many years and I presumed I'd seen it all.

A part of me refused to believe it. But two days after the story broke, The Gleaner further reported that the suspect was caught, dismissing any hope that it was all a tragicomedy of errors.

Alarm bells went off

The alarm bells started to blare in my head.

Only a few hours before the incident occurred, I had booked long time female friends at Riu Reggae for December. One of them is an American music industry executive who had been talking about re-visiting Jamaica for several months, and she had asked me to assist her with choosing the perfect resort for a vacation in December.

We combed through several resort areas for options, and I settled on Montego Bay's Riu Reggae for several reasons. First, she loves reggae so the entertainment offerings would make the getaway interesting. On my last visit to the resort when I accompanied reggae icon Denroy Morgan and his family to celebrate a birthday there, the hospitality at the resort was warm and welcoming. Green lights on every count, so we booked.

Millions of dollars go into promoting Jamaica worldwide as a dream Caribbean destination.

It would be a dreadful shame to kill parts of the island's allure with the repeat of stupid and senseless acts like the one at Riu Reggae last week.

I am etc.,

Dave Rodney