WESTERN BUREAU:
SEVERAL TOURISTS and other travellers had to be transported to the Sangster International Airport by boat while part of the airstrip was opened to accommodate vehicular traffic after throngs of commuters were stranded in downtown Montego Bay, as a result of the shootings and demonstrations in Flankers yesterday.
This is the second time in less than two weeks that the tourism capital has been placed in a negative spotlight and the impact this will have on the fragile tourism industry is not yet known.
"We had to leave some passengers behind this morning, because they didn't show up for their flights," Air Jamaica's regional manager, Airport Services, Wylie Sweeney, told The Sunday Gleaner .
Both Air Jamaica and Air Jamaica Express had the bulk of their passengers scheduled to depart on some 19 flights in the afternoon and felt this was when their schedules would be mostly affected, as the roads east of the Sangster International Airport remained blocked throughout the day. The flights were, however, able to take off although the airstrip was opened to accommodate tour buses taking passengers to the airport. At least one hotel had to use a boat to get its guests to the airport.
Some 10 hotels, including the island's five-star resort, all-inclusives, convention-type hotels, several villas and guest houses, combine to make up more than 3,000 rooms located east of Flankers.
While the residents demonstrated by burning tyres and placing debris in the roads, tourism officials were locked in meetings at the Half Moon Beach Resort at a Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) Council retreat.
COMMERCE
In the meantime, commerce in the second city was badly affected; the usually thriving City Centre Shopping Complex was a virtual ghost town as tourists stayed away in the safety of their hotels.
"I am very concerned about the situation and the effect this will have on the community and the tourism product," said Kumar Samtani, president of the Inbond Merchants Association, who also operates a business in the City Centre complex.
According to him, the staff had turned up for work, the shops were opened but not many visitors were in sight.
Inside the stores of downtown Montego Bay there was a significant difference to the kind of business usually done on a Saturday.
"Sales are considerably down, throughout the morning hours we haven't seen many customers," said Anthony Pearson of Lloyd's of Montego Bay.
- Janet Silvera
