EDITORIAL: Protecting Brand Jamaica

Increased competition for the tourist dollar among Caribbean destinations has underscored the importance of delivering a good-quality experience to people who visit our island, at the same time protecting this leading money earner for Jamaica.

Marketing experts have identified quality and value as being among the most critical elements in attracting visitors to a destination. In search of the total experience, the visitor is looking for great examples of accommodation, transportation, attraction, dining and entertainment.

By and large, Jamaica tends to receive glowing praise for its delivery in many of those areas, and this explains why some three million tourists visit the island on an annual basis.

However, based on a letter published in this newspaper, it is clear that Herbert Stultz, a Jamaican living in New York, was not impressed with the quality of the service he received on a recent visit to the island. He described the behaviour he encountered at the Sangster International Airport as rude, uncouth and disrespectful, and his detailed letter has provided examples of an unfortunate series of events.

We tend to shrug off problems and some may even regard the letter writer as a grumpy old man. However, we recommend that Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett read this letter, digest its content and take action to encourage the idea that the visitors' first and last impressions are equal and important parts of their Jamaican experience. Often, officials are disconnected from the reality but the information contained in Mr Stultz's letter ought to be treated with seriousness and used as a template for addressing what is clearly an industry weakness.

Promotional team

It must be distressing to the promotional team at the tourism ministry that works so hard to steer traffic towards Jamaica, only to have a few untrained workers ruin the effort. There is a heavy onus on all participants in the industry to maintain certain minimum standards, and this must include those involved in processing visitors at the airport.

Security guards who are poorly paid and uneducated are thrown into a role where they have close daily contact with members of the travelling public. Understandably, in this age of heightened security, we depend on them to do a thorough job. We also expect them to be respectful and civil in carrying out their tasks.

Investment

It most likely boils down to a lack of training, and security companies are not known to make heavy investment in training their staff. But security personnel also need to understand that they are part of a team dedicated to attracting more visitors to the island, and they ought to be adding value to the product.

If we are to treat this industry with the seriousness it deserves and protect the hard-earned gains, the time has come for new and dynamic partnerships to be established with leading hotel chains and the relevant training institutions to develop an industry-approved curriculum, so that all workers in the industry will get the necessary practical and customised training to enable them to do a good job.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.