By Denise Clarke, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
FORMER TOURISM Minister Francis Tulloch is calling for craft villages to be set up in each of the resort areas, to afford craft vendors an equal opportunity of benefiting from tourism spending.
Speaking in an interview with The Gleaner on Wednesday, Mr. Tulloch expressed disappointment that plans, made before he demitted office in early 2000, to establish craft villages in the resort areas have not yet come to fruition.
"I think it is high time that we have a quality craft village in each of the resort areas, in order to ensure that they get a fair share of the business," said Mr. Tulloch. "Craft traders were promised a craft village for years now and it just will not happen and I see no reason why it will not happen."
Craft vendors have protested frequently, over the past few years, that they were not getting enough benefits from the tourism industry.
The former Tourism Minister warned that tensions between craft traders and other players in the industry would not ease until the craft traders are given equal opportunity to earn tourism dollars. Mr. Tulloch, who is the former Member of Parliament for North Western St. James, urged the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce to use its influence to lobby for a craft village for the city.
"The tension will continue, as long as they are not getting their fair share of the business coming to the resort areas whether by air or by the cruise ship. Tourism belongs to everybody and I hope that the chamber and everyone will work towards making it happen," he remarked.
Mr. Tulloch was appointed Minister of Tourism in 1997, but was forced to resign in early 2000 after being diagnosed with cancer. He resigned as Member of Parliament in August last year.
