JHTA’s Russell rejects negative claim against all-inclusive properties

Western Bureau:

Businessman Robin Russell, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), says the claim that all-inclusive properties in Jamaica are preventing their guests from experiencing the ‘true Jamaican culture’, under the guise of shielding them from crime, is not true.

“Right now, Jamaica has done more than it has ever done, and it has spread across the gamut of the industry, and a large part of the industry growth is through homestays,” said Russell. “The year 2019 has been our best year, and we are just above those 2019 numbers presently. And it is a spread across the industry, 25 per cent of that business is homestays.”

Russell was responding to the claim made by popular US-based YouTuber Chris Rodriguez on his TikTok channel ‘Travelwithchris’.Rodriguez’s claim was reportedly based on a complaint from a viewer of having had to sneak out of the property where they were staying to get a community experience of the island.While Rodriguez is known to have praised the infrastructure of the all-inclusive properties, he is also known for championing the use of Airbnb and European Plan (EP)-style hotels, which allow guests greater freedom to leave the vacation properties.An EP hotel rate does not include meals or beverages, with guests often resorting to going off property to patronise restaurants and sports bars. Guests at all-inclusive hotels are offered a package deal. The deal includes accommodation, meals, beverages, and even entertainment, which, at times, rival that which is offered off the property.

But Russell maintains that guests are not restricted. “I saw the video and his (Rodriguez’s) comments do not reflect the sentiments of the sector players,” said Russell. “It is a short-sighted narrative, and it is not a part of our hotel partners’ policy, because we have realised that the true experience is what our guests desire. And as an association, we continue to have such discussions with all the hotel chains to make sure that this happens.”

During her State of the Nation address in 2021, Janice Allen, the Opposition’s spokesperson on tourism, called for progressive taxation to be imposed on the tourism industry to protect small-scale stakeholders, who are at a competitive disadvantage from “deep-pocketed” operators of all-inclusive hotels.

Allen argued that Jamaica’s boutique offerings and all-inclusives (AI) must operate on a level playing field if sustainable development is to be achieved, noting that European Plan hotels provide the best opportunities for tourism revenue to trickle down from visitors to taxi drivers, restaurants, retailers, and others.

“This may require a lower taxation regime for the EP than that of the AI concepts,” said Allen, who noted that the small-hotel sector is owned and operated primarily by Jamaicans.

Rodriguez contends further that Jamaica’s crime situation was not impacting visitors in any significant way, as most of the issues are between locals.

“All you need to worry about is eating too much jerk chicken and drinking too much Red Stripe [beer],” said Rodriquez, seemingly making light of the crime concern in the second of two videos in which he addressed the issue.