THE OCHO Rios business sector, already reeling from the effects of the temporary closure of the Jamaica Grande Hotel, is up in arms over the planned pullout of a cruise vessel from that resort town to Montego Bay.
According to information reaching The Gleaner, Mariner of the Seas -a Royal Caribbean mega liner, which makes fortnightly calls to Ocho Rios- will quit doing so in the coming weeks. In addition, two more of the cruise line's luxury vessels which had been originally scheduled to call on Ocho Rios, will also be redeployed to Montego Bay. The Jamaica Grande has been closed since last year for refurbishing.
"If what I am hearing is true, then this is bad news for Ocho Rios," explained businessman Michael Belnavis. "With what has been happening with Jamaica Grande, this is hardly the news we want to hear."
Mr. Belnavis, who is also the head of the town's cruise shipping council a private watchdog group which monitors cruise shipping and tourism activities in Ocho Rios said the cruise shipping season hasn't "been particularly wonderful" for the town's business interests, adding that it would be a big blow to many small business owners if the rumoured redeployments were true.
A DONE DEAL
One tourism official who spoke last night with The Gleaner on the condition of anonymity said the pulling out of the Mariner of the Seas from Ocho Rios for Montego Bay was a done deal, adding that the plan had been in the works "for sometime now."
"In fairness, Ocho Rios has been getting the lion's share of the market for quite a while and it's about time Montego Bay gets some of the action," he said. He, however, wouldn't confirmed whether there would be any more redeployments of vessels from Ocho Rios to Montego Bay. Efforts to reach Minister of Tourism Aloun Assamba last night were unsuccessful.
The news has also not been sitting well with local craft traders and taxi operators. Some have openly been crying sabotage, saying preferential treatment is being given to Montego Bay solely on the basis of politics.
"What is sad is that the people stay in their air condition offices in Kingston and are making decisions that affect this town," said an irate Patrick Brown, taxi operator. "We have nobody to speak on our behalf...everybody is in bed with somebody and this is not right. How can persons who have no allegiance to this town be asked to make decisions for us. As far as I am concerned, this town has been abandoned by those who are supposed to be speaking on our behalf."
