Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorCRAFT VENDORS took over the main entrance to the popular Dunn's River Falls attraction in St. Ann yesterday as they protested against what they charged were instruction given to cruise passengers not to visit their market adjacent to the entrance to the falls.
They blocked the main gate, forcing a shutting down of ticket sales and costing management millions of dollars in revenue.
Scores of visitors who turned up at the falls were allowed by the vendors to enter the premises through a side entrance without having to pay the US$10 fee. Many, however, clearly rattled by the protest, opted not to take up the offer and returned to the confines of their waiting tour buses.
"We are saying that if we can't make any money then nobody else should," said Devon Mitchell, president of the Dunn's River Craft Market. "It is quite clear that they have no interest in our welfare. First they built an exit and a huge wall to shut us out if that was not bad enough they are now instructing the guests not to visit the craft market; it is quite simple, they want to shut us out of Dunn's River."
Mr. Mitchell said previously visitors, when leaving the falls, had to make a mandatory exit through the craft market. He said that the management of Dunn's River had informed vendors last year that they would be building another exit where visitors would have an option in deciding if they wanted to visit the craft market.
"We were opposed to it from the start," he said. "The last time we had a meeting regarding this other exit we all walked out because we know it was not designed to be in our best interest. They went ahead and built it anyway. I am here to tell you that we will not stay here and suffer."
But according to the St. Ann Development Company (SADCo.), a subsidiary of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and operators of Dunn's River Falls, the optional exit which was part of a $300 million refurbishing job at the attraction, was built out of necessity.
SADCo said it became necessary because of frequent complaints from cruise officials, hoteliers and tour operators about their guests being harassed while exiting through the craft market and not having an optional gate to go through. "What we have done is to give the guests an option," explained Leon Gordon, chairman of SADCo.
"We have had people who because of the mandatory exit through the craft market refuse to come back to Dunn's River. We are not doing anything to exclude our craft vendors as we do realise that they are an important part of what we are doing. As a part of our refurbishing efforts, we have spent $3 million to replace all the roofs on the craft shops and to give the entire market a facelift," said Mr. Gordon.
Up to late last night, the vendors were still holding a vigil at the main entrance awaiting a meeting with Wykeham McNeill, Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism. Dr. McNeill told The Gleaner yesterday that he would meet with the vendors to try and end the impasse.
