Kingston, Jamaica (ap) PROMOTERS of one of Jamaica's leading reggae festivals in Montego Bay warned Tuesday the show could be killed because of lack of support from hotels.
"Without their support there will be no Reggae Sumfest," Johnny Gourzong, a director of Summerfest Ltd. which promotes the festival, said in an interview.
He said hoteliers in Montego Bay, Jamaica's tourist capital, have not provided rooms for many of the musicians expected to perform at the July 30 to Aug. 6 festival. Among those expected are Haitian-American Wycliffe Jean, R and B star Joe and local rap singer Beenie Man.
But the chairman of the Montego Bay chapter of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Josef Forstmayr, blamed the organizers.
"We all support it, but the requests from the Sumfest people come in late," said Forstmayr.Reggae Sumfest was first staged in 1994 by a group of Montego Bay businessmen.
Montego Bay hoteliers have had an indifferent relationship with music festivals over the years. In 1992, promoters of Reggae Sunsplash left the city after 15 years, complaining of lack of backing from hotels. In 1998, the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival moved to nearby Ocho Rios, citing similar problems.
