No visionaries required

BY Gordon Robinson

Persistent reports of Ocho Rios' cruise ship arrivals decline evoke memories.

Wykeham McNeill says projected arrivals are 490,000, down from a 2006 "high" of 800,000. There's much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth (and digs at the Falmouth pier), but nothing is actually done to revive Ocho Rios' fortunes.

We were warned. In 2000, then MP, Danny Melville, a maverick who insisted on representing constituents rather than party, made a visionary Sectoral Debate contribution.

He began:

"As MP for North East St Ann ... it's my duty to mobilise every initiative and resource necessary to help power the tourism engine that must drive our economy and progress. I'm excited and only too willing to provide new ideas; plan strategies and execute them."

He bemoaned his failure as a traditional politician:

"It's obvious I've failed to be what constituents traditionally expect an MP to be. Further, I've failed to cope with a system of representational politics that I [thought] capable of delivering opportunity to all, but which I now realise involves more ingrained and stubborn complexities and obstacles than I ever imagined. For this ... I ... offer my constituents my most sincere, humble and unreserved apology."

His farewell message was timely and timeless:

"Before I leave politics, I bequeath this to the people of North East St Ann ... . Let's go back in time 30 years ... to a sleepy [landlocked] community in central Florida [measuring 3,985 square miles] ... it's quiet existence driven by agriculture ... .

"I'm speaking of the Orlando area population, at the time, about 250,000. ... Then, along came Disney. He started with The Magic Kingdom. ... People came from far and wide. In the '80s, Disney added more [unique] attractions. ... Epcot; Pleasure Island; MGM Studios and many others. As tourists flooded the community, the attractions multiplied ... . Water parks and museums dotted the landscape.

"Dinner attractions in Orlando evolved far beyond just an eating into a themed dining experience ... . I could go on and on ... .

"What was the result ... ? There are now over 80,000 hotel rooms in the metro area ... . The [1998] population was 1.4 million. Metro Orlando is the world's number one tourist destination [and] the catalyst for spin-offs in technology, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, construction, business, financial and professional services. ... Each week, 462 new jobs are created; 268 new businesses start; 750,000 visitors arrive; 308 residential building permits are issued; 1,463 new adult residents move in; and US$321 million changes hands in retail sales.

"A similar experience has taken place in Las Vegas ... . This transformation ... of Orlando and Las Vegas was driven exclusively by ... the variety and promotion of [tourist] attractions. All of this in less than ... 40 years ... ."

Continuing his theme of prioritising attractions, Melville said:

"We need to learn from ... . Orlando/Las Vegas. We must promote the attractions we have and develop new, exciting ones ... . During 1997-1999, of [Jamaica's] 2.1 million cruise passengers, 76.8 per cent, or 1.6 million, came to ... Ocho Rios. Only 461,944 went to Montego Bay. Why? The harassment of tourists proceeds at both destinations with equal intensity. So, of course, it's the attractions. Apart from water sports, Ocho Rios offers 27 additional attractions ... ."

Wild new ideas

Melville warned against complacency, recommending the development of new attractions. He suggested restructuring the Seville Great House "to create an illusion built around the rich cultural heritage of the meeting point of our indigenous Taino, gate-crashing European and imported African cultures ... ." He suggested smaller hotels develop their own attractions and make pre-booking, point-of-sale arrangements with cruise lines.

He introduced wild new ideas (e.g., "Why not lift the 48-hour residency requirement for getting married in Jamaica?"). He warned Ocho Rios to start thinking outside the box or lose its cruise industry.

Danny Melville's warning came when 1.6 million cruise passengers docked at Ocho Rios that year. Now, 'Ochi' hangs on to 30 per cent of that "high" and cries about a Falmouth pier that followed Melville's advice. The phased plans for Falmouth involve a state-of-the-art facility, including a terminal building housing customs, immigration and port security; restaurants; retail shops; a transportation centre; on-site attractions, cultural experiences, hotel and residential developments.

Danny Melville could've been the Steve Jobs of Jamaican tourism. Instead, his visionary approach was rewarded with political banishment and he began to feel unwelcome in his native land. He now resides in Canada but his seminal contribution remains in parliamentary archives. It should be required reading.

Peace and love.

PS: Last week, relying on a previous Gleaner report, instead of personal knowledge, I called Stephen Chung 'Uncle Ken'. Don't ask me why. I don't know that to be his nickname. Turns out, it isn't. All I can say is, "Oops." One fool makes many.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.