Negril needs help
Published:Monday | November 21, 2011 | 12:00 AM
- Hoteliers say the resort town is being neglected
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Dogged by overgrown verges, horses galloping on the beaches and an increase in tourist harassment, Negril hoteliers say the current state of the resort town is untenable.
"It seems clear that Negril has been put on the back burner with scant regard for its citizens and visitors," said Carolyn Wright, operator of Rondel Village.
Wright, who is also area chapter chair of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), say calls made to the authorities as well as the minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, have resulted in no action.
According to Wright, the last time the verges were cut was prior to the Appleton Temptation Isle weekend in July.
Her concerns are heightened by the fact that the country is weeks away from the start of the winter tourist season and the annual Reggae Marathon.
"The annual Reggae Marathon will be held on the weekend of December 2-4, and the state of the road at the roundabout in particular remains in a deplorable condition with many potholes evident, a sure way for visitors to Negril to break a leg or receive more serious injury," said Wright.
Disgraceful situation
Her concerns were echoed by president of the JHTA, Evelyn Smith and Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Dr Wykeham McNeill.
According to Smith the situation is disgraceful as there has been an absolute lack of attention to the continued care and maintenance of the verges.
Pointing to the attention being paid to the unofficial tourism capital, Montego Bay, Smith said, "It's beyond me to understand why Negril cannot be maintained at the same standard as MoBay".
In the past there has been a programme financed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to ensure that the verges were maintained on a consistent basis. The programme was being implemented by the Tourism Product Development Company, under the supervision of the Chamber of Commerce and the now defunct Resort Board.
However, this partnership was discontinued when the National Solid Waste Management Authority was put in charge in 2008. "Conditions have deteriorated dramatically since then and cleaning seems to be done on a sporadic basis," laments McNeill.
He said the maintenance of the verges seems to be almost non-existent, and are in the worse state ever.
Hoping to get some type of redress for the resort town, McNeill has written to Bartlett demanding that something be done to correct the situation immediately.
"The people and resort of Negril deserve better treatment, particularly as the TEF monies were meant to ensure that our resort areas are properly maintained among other things," he said in the letter.
According to McNeill the condition of the road from Negril to Sheffield is also unacceptable. "We were promised publicly that this road was to have been fixed, however, it has not been addressed and the surface has deteriorated and is sinking in some areas."