Adrian Frater, News Editor
Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Noel Donaldson (right), greets the first group of Spring Breakers at the Margaritaville Caribbean welcome reception last month. - Herbert McKenis/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
WITH IMPROVED packaging and marketing, Spring Break could earn the country twice as much as the US$25 million it earned last year, says Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association (JHTA) president Godfrey Dyer.
Mr. Dyer said the 18,000 - 20,000 US college and university students, who comes to Jamaica annually for the designated holiday, which spans the six week period between late February to early March, are here mostly for entertainment.
"We have the potential to do much better," the JHTA president said. "With proper packaging and marketing, we could double the number of 'Spring Breakers' who are coming and that would double our earnings as well."
The holiday is mainly focused on entertainment and not enough is being offered, said Mr. Dyer, who is a noted Montego Bay hotelier. "We need to seriously look at exposing these Spring Breakers to more of Jamaica in terms of the entertainment side of our culture."
Mr. Dyer also sought to dispel the notion that there is no structure to Spring Break and that the youngsters who visit Jamaica are all about partying and drinking. According to him, some Spring Breakers have been known to devote some of their time to working with various service groups.
"While everybody knows about the partying, very few know about the positive side," Mr. Dyer said. "Maybe there is a need to expose more about the positive side of the Spring Break experience."
Like Mr. Dyer, Spring Breaker Tara Francis, a native New Yorker now in the second week of her two-week visit, said her visit to Jamaica is much more than just to have fun. As a sociology student, she said she is getting a chance to experience life in a new cultural setting.
"I think Jamaica is an excellent place ? the people are unbelievably warm and friendly," said Ms. Francis, who has been to Negril and Ocho Rios in her short visit. "There is so much to learn here. It would be a shame if we should see Jamaica just for entertainment."
