By Denise Clarke, Staff Reporter
These visitors have a great time playing the slot machines at the Coral Cliff Gaming Lounge, in Montego Bay. Casino-style gaming is quite popular in a number of north coast hotels. - Contributed
WESTERN BUREAU:
KENRIC DAVIS, the president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce, sees casino gambling and convention facilities as two avenues through which the resort town of Negril could significantly boost it tourism earnings.
According to Mr. Davis, many properties in the resort town have been struggling to operate since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, a situation which could be exacerbated by the new taxation measures implemented last week.
"What we in Negril are clamou-ring for is to legalise casino gambling," Mr. Davis told The Gleaner in an interview earlier this week. "We would like to have a stand-alone casino, which can be doubled as a convention centre, because we are losing out on the business and convention market."
CONVENTION FACILITIES
Mr. Davis noted that although some hotels have small meeting rooms, major convention facilities are needed in Negril to enable organisations in the town to capitalise on the business and conventions market. A convention centre that can accommodate 2000 or more persons will boost earnings for all players in the tourism sector, he said.
"If we could have a conference room that could seat, say, 2,000 people, we could go after some small groups," Mr. Davis said. "If we have 2,000 people in Negril at one time, the small hotels, the large hotels, the restaurants, the taxis, and the shopping, everybody will benefit."
Mr. Davis also suggested that a new marketing thrust in continental Europe, could have a big pay-off for the local industry. According to him, the spending power of visitors from North America, where more than 70 per cent of Jamaica's tourists come from, has been reduced due to economic woes in the United States. He said Jamaica should now focus on continental Europe where tourists usually stay longer and spend more than North American tourists.
"The tourists we are getting now don't have the type of disposable income to spend a lot of money when they come to Jamaica, because the American economy is soft too," Mr. Davis said. "But whatever we do is going to need some governmental assistance in terms of jump-starting the business, especially for the smaller properties."
