EDITORIAL - Resurrecting resort boards

Whatever may be their new names, and even if the concept is undergoing a bit of a tweak, we are glad to know that Mr Ed Bartlett is bringing back resort boards, as he reaffirmed in his statement on Wednesday.

These boards used to operate in the major resorts of Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, as well as in the parishes of Portland and Kingston/St Andrew. Another covered the south coast. They allowed stakeholders a forum for addressing issues and reviewing problems relevant to the areas they serve, proffer solutions, and then lobby for solutions. The fact that they were associated with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) gave them leverage in pursuing projects, while their independence afforded greater transparency in the development and implementation of their projects.

Mr Bartlett, after what he said were "extensive discussions" with stakeholders, dismantled these boards in favour of what he calls "resort development committees", which are to be established in each parish.

Interim measures inadequate

The actual launch of these committees, Mr Bartlett has reported, is being held up by the government public-sector transformation review, which has recommended structural changes to his ministry.

"In the interim, TPDCo has assigned regional coordinators for resort areas, including Ocho Rios and the south coast," according to the minister.

These coordinators, it seems, are not doing too good a job. Or, not nearly as good a job as the resort boards, judging by the sentiments by private-sector leaders and civic officials in Ocho Rios, whose concerns have been reported by this newspaper.

That town is in crisis. It is grimy. Its cruise-passenger arrival numbers are in free fall. Businesses are closing. Ocho Rios lacks leadership.

But, at least, in the past, when its resort board was in place, business people say, they were sure that at least some of Ocho Rios' infrastructural problems would get attention. It wouldn't have required the minister to go to the town, meet with officials and then promise $80 million for a clean-up programme.

Of course, resort boards, or resort development committees, are not substitutes for either community or parish leadership, which, erected straw men notwithstanding, was never a claim of this newspaper.

Leadership deficit

Indeed, it was our concern, to which we drew attention, that Mrs Vinnette Robb-Oddman, the current chairman of the St Ann Parish Council, and her predecessor, Mr Ivan Anderson, appeared not to have recognised the problems of the parish's most economically important town and had no plan to address them. Worse, the mayors current and previous appear to have been missing in action.

Indeed, we repeat our previous observation that Ocho Rios is in need of a champion and for the parish council to assume its responsibility of leadership and to partner with the private sector to fix the town's problems.

Hopefully, yesterday's colloquium, convened by the St Ann Chamber of Commerce, represented the beginning of new efforts to seriously look at the problems facing the town and to craft solutions. We expect that they will think creatively and not be straitjacketed by the past.

All this, however, does not presume that Mr Bartlett should not proceed with urgency to resurrect the resort boards, whatever he may call them.