By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorTHE PUBLIC squabbling among leading industry players was counterproductive to the growth of the tourism sector and sent the wrong signals to potential investors, according to Tourism Minister Portia Simpson Miller.
Making her contribution to the 2002-2003 Sectoral debate in Parliament yesterday, a fired up Mrs. Simpson Miller said the tourism industry was in a crisis and that only by coming together would the country be able to remain competitive. And berating those she said who appear fixated on bad mouthing the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the tourism ministry, Mrs. Simpson Miller cautioned nothing can be accomplished by engaging in what she called dialogue meant to be "sensational".
"A lot of talk has been going on which has been very sensational as well as damaging," she said. "I have refused to join in the public quarrel for this very reason."
And in a not so subtle swipe at Opposition spokesperson on tourism Ed Bartlett, Mrs. Simpson Miller continued, "I see some people making statements attacking the ministry and everything we try to do, but as it is he will always remain a shadow ... I will leave the people of St. James to deal with him."
Mr. Bartlett last week described the Ministry of Tourism as having "weak and ineffectual" leadership "which allows the sector to flounder and disintegrate into public feuds".
The tourism minister said that while she agreed the island needed to maintain a presence in critical markets overseas, advertising was not the end all.
"There is a view that we should arbitrarily allocate 50 per cent of the JTB's budget to advertising. But, we can't advertise away the challenges we face abroad and also locally. Furthermore, it is not as simple as closing offices and freeing up the money for advertising," she said.
Mrs. Simpson Miller revealed that she would be establishing a tourism advisory council which would comprise "ministries and agencies that impact directly on tourism as well as industry leaders and stakeholders".
"This high level council will advise the government on all tourism related matters," she said.
