Susan Cobb, United States Ambassador. - File UNITED STATES Ambassador Sue M. Cobb has some strong advice for Jamaica if it hopes to maximise on its potential as a preferred tourism destination.
Recognising that the US$1.3 billion industry which accounts for one-fifth of the country's GDP is the undisputed locomotive of the economy, Ambassador Cobb said much has to be done to bring more tourists to the island.
The US envoy was the keynote speaker at Saturday night's awards banquet to close the annual general meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association at the Wyndham Golf and Beach Resort in Montego Bay.
Ambassador Cobb spoke with the authority of having been the chief executive officer of Cobb Partners business operations, which included several major resort companies in the United States.
While opting to avoid getting in the middle of "the little spat" among key industry players over the correct budget levels for advertising, Mrs. Cobb said crime, environmental degradation and regulatory burdens posed some challenges.
She said marketing was not the only area that needed to be addressed. "To be continuously successful, transportation and related infrastructure must be world class. Regulatory and tariff regimes must encourage modernisation and investment. Investment regimes must be transparent and fair. Civil aviation is to be encouraged. The island's fragile eco-system must be protected. And of course, Jamaica's nagging crime problem must be addressed."
Ambassador Cobb spoke of areas of co-operation between the US and Jamaican governments, adding that "increased airport and airline security measures will prevent air piracy, help stop the flow of drugs and weapons, and keep undesirables out of Jamaica."
But while the US Government has set as a priority goal, the facilitation of travel between the two countries, Ambassador Cobb was very frank in telling hoteliers that, "if I were in your shoes, I'd be very unhappy about the comparatively high airfares between the United States and Jamaica."
Underscoring the need to bring down airfares through competition among airlines on more routes, Ambassador Cobb noted that American tourists were flying to France or Germany for half the cost of flying to Jamaica.
She expressed the view that "Jamaica should begin discussions of an Open Skies civil aviation agreement with the United States," adding that, "such an accord would afford Air Jamaica unfettered access to airports in all 50 states."
And even as all-inclusive hotels dominate the landscape with lower end tourism, and cruise ship mega-liners become an integral part of the picture, Ambassador Cobb is encouraging Jamaica to once again target wealthier, long-term guests who demand quality and service. "I believe you should think long and hard about vacation and retirement home buyers who will have a lifetime commitment to return and who will likely spend upwards of a million dollars during their lifetime of trips to Jamaica," she said.
On the issue of the environment, Mrs. Cobb pointed to the fact that over 80 percent of the coral reefs in Negril and Montego Bay were damaged and their existence threatened. Also, reports of water quality degradation in rivers and on the coasts, as well as deforestation in the Blue Mountain and in the Cockpit Country were disturbing signs.
