By Denise Clarke, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
SOME HOTELS in Negril are shying away from reporting the low occupancy levels being experienced to the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the island's premiere marketing agency.
One month into the winter tourist season, JTB representatives in Negril are unable to get a clear picture of the current occupancy levels in the resort town. "It's hard to give a percentage but things are low... the hotels are not to willing to give figures," said Volney Williams, the JTB representative in Negril. "If I were to guess, I would say some all-inclusives are holding their own; some EP (European Plan) hotels might just be breaking even."
The inadequate data is making it difficult for the JTB to measure the extent of the downturn in occupancy levels being experienced by the hotels. "There is definitely a fall off, it's difficult to say how much," Mr. Williams said. "It certainly won't be a bumper year in Negril... but from what I hear, the February bookings aren't looking too bad." Mr. Williams expressed hope that the Spring Break season, which usually brings thousands of college students flocking to the resort town, will bring a turn around in business for the hotels. Checks with the JTB office in Montego Bay revealed that the average occupancy level in the tourism capital is between 50-55 per cent.
The winter tourist season, which began on December 15, is usually a time when most hotels enjoy a peak in occupancy levels, some up to 100 per cent. However, top industry players have predicted this season to be the worst ever, due to low bookings, and the crisis in the travel industry as a direct result of last September's terrorist attacks in the United States.a
