Gerald Miller, Gleaner Writer
THE NEGRIL Chamber of Commerce has invited the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Trenton African-American Chamber of Commerce in the United States to Jamaica, and in particular Negril, to deepen the relationship between itself and the two American bodies.
Speaking at a luncheon on Tuesday at Sandals Negril, where the members of the foreign chambers were introduced to chamber members in Jamaica, John Harmon, President and CEO, Metropolitan Trenton African-American Chamber of Commerce, said that the purpose of their visit is to foster a better relationship between the Negril Chamber and his Chamber.
"The purpose of our visit is a fact-finding mission. We are trying to identify some of the opportunities for businesses in Negril to do business with New Jersey. Firstly, we have to identify where the opportunities are, be it tourism, raw material, be it clothing so that, at the end of the day, we want to create a meaningful partnership between our members and the Negril Chamber," said Harmon.
Harmon said he is very bullish about the synergy between his chamber and the Negril Chamber of Commerce.
VERY POSITIVE ONE
"My impression is a very positive one. I am very optimistic about this relationship. Once we have an opportunity to get more information, in terms of the population, the amount of tourists that come here, the number of different business opportunities, the number of businesses in the chamber, everything will be on the table for evaluation," said John Harmond.
Kenric Davis, President of the Negril Chamber of Commerce, said Negril stands to benefit in a remarkable way from this partnership. "One of the areas we are looking at is to resuscitate the African-American tourism market in Jamaica. We are also looking at them assisting us with marketing to the Diaspora," said Davis.
According to him, the move is significant because the President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce is a household name in the White House in Washington, and as a result he should be able to open opportunities for his members.
The Negril Chamber President also said that the marketing of Negril as a tourist destination will be further enhanced by this new synergy.
"Right now we are looking at improving our marketing and linking to their Web site but, most importantly, we will be having a summit in November which will be held in Negril," said Davis. According to him some of the issues that will be on the agenda for serious discussion is the Free Trade Area of the Americas, with a view of looking at its implications for small businesses in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries.
According to Harry Alford, President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, he will be seeking resolutions from the Negril Chamber of Commerce, which will be directed to certain committees of the Free Trade of the Americas Act.
"We want to formulate resolutions that we feel the Free Trade Areas of the Americas Act should include, these resolutions will be directed to certain committees of the Free Trade of the Americas Act," said Alford.
