EFFORTS ARE to be made to strengthen the linkages between Atlanta and its sister city of Montego Bay.
This was agreed to between Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta. The Prime Minister who is in Atlanta on a official visit, visited with Mayor Franklin yesterday.
Mr. Patterson pointed to the many synergies which exist between Atlanta and Jamaica including the presence of a large Jamaica community and the fact that many corporate entities have established businesses in Jamaica, among them the Mirant Corporation which operates the Jamaica Public Service Company.
Mayor Franklin said there were many opportunities for tourism between Jamaica, Atlanta and other cities in the United States which engaged in tourism. She said this was an issue she would place before a meeting of the US Congress of Mayors.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Patterson said that in view of the fallout in tourism following the terrorist attacks in the US, Jamaica had implemented several measures to ensure it retained its share of the travel industry and that visitors to the island received the benefit of a good Jamaican vacation.
The Prime Minister said Jamaica had been engaged in an aggressive strategy to ensure it not only retained its share of the market, but that the country would be able to satisfy an increase in visitor arrivals once the sector begins to recover from the fallout of September 11.
"We are seeking in the first instance to ensure that we retain our share of the market and that when the recovery takes place we can get the increment which we believe we are capable of satisfying," the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Patterson said that while visitor arrivals declined in the immediate period following the terrorist attacks, the situation had improved significantly.
He said Montego Bay and Atlanta were fortunate that there were air linkages between the cities which allowed for easier access.
