By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU;
WESTERN JAMAICA is now poised to become a major economic power base as the Negril Chamber of Commerce has finally agreed to join the other chambers in the region to form one regional economic bloc, spanning Negril to St. Ann.
"Our president has been spearheading discussions in that area and the chamber stands behind him," said Wayne Cum-mings, vice-president of the Negril Chamber, in a interview with The Gleaner. "We think it is a very good move since we share a lot in common with other parts of the region."
Winston Dear, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, first proposed the idea in January of this year but at the time, his then Negril counterpart, Kenrick Davis, did not buy into the suggestion. However, with the Negril Chamber now under a new administration led by businessman Cliff Reynolds, it is now signalling that is now ready to support the proposal.
The about-face by the Negril Chamber is welcome news to Mr. Dear, who was quite open in expressing his delight with the new position coming out of Negril. "I am very elated by the news that the Negril Chamber of Commerce is coming on-board," Mr. Dear told The Gleaner on Tuesday. "That means the whole region from Negril to St. Ann can now be marketed as one economic area."
According to Mr. Dear, coupled with the completion of the North Coast Highway, the formation of one economic area would have tremendous impact on the region. "With everybody working together, I can only see the whole region benefiting," he stated.
Some of the areas that Mr. Dear is hoping to see joint collaboration in are the lobbying for casino gambling and the development of the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny. "If the Government introduces casino gaming rules into the laws of the country, there are areas in the region, such as the proposed Harmony Cove, that would serve as ideal locations to site a casino and thereby boost the economy," said Mr. Dear.
The $72-billion Harmony Cove Development, which was recently announced by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, will see the development of four five-star hotels, 11 manor houses, 88 villas, 60 condominiums, three golf courses, shops, and a marina, among other amenities and attraction near Duncans, in Trelawny.
In terms of expected benefits, Mr. Cummings said the formation of a regional body would give Negril the opportunity to share ideas with the various chambers across the region. "It will certainly give us the opportunity to use our intellectual capacity for discussing various ideas and collaborate as one body," he said.
"Each chamber will operate independently but will have a level of management that will be able to deal with the entire region," said Mr. Dear, in noting that the idea is still in its embryonic stage.
Negril to St Ann now new, powerful economic bloc in Western Jamaica
