WESTERN BUREAU:

ANXIETY IS now rife in the local hotel and tourism sector following an emergency meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) in Montego Bay yesterday.

President of the JHTA, Godfrey Dyer, has announced that layoffs were to be expected for the remainder of September into October.

According to Mr. Dyer, laying off employees is a usual occurrence during the season's slow period leading up to the winter season and was not a cause for alarm.

"It is a common occurrence in the resort areas. One might not see this happening a lot in Kingston where the hotels there do year-round business," Mr. Dyer told The Gleaner yesterday following the meeting.

"Hurricane Ivan has, in fact, added to the whole mix, but overall the layoffs will be a short-term event," Mr. Dyer added.

The JHTA president has given the assurance that while the sector is experiencing some rough times with Negril and south coast resorts hard-hit by Hurricane Ivan, major players were still confident that the upcoming 2004-2005 winter season will be a good one.

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