Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE KILLING of prominent Negril hotelier, Luigi Travaini has sparked the ire of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).
The organisation wants the Government to urgently implement measures to reduce crime before it further affects the prospects of the tourist industry.
According to police reports about 12:30 a.m. yesterday, a security guard employed to the Mariposa Hotel, along Norman Manley Boulevard in Negril, was conducting routine checks on the property when he discovered the body of the 61-year-old hotelier at the entrance of the facility.
Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, Horace Peterkin, president of the JHTA, said it was critical that a quick solution to crime be identified.
"We have to find a way to drastically reduce crime," he said, "Every time we think we are making progress we have a flare-up. It is like waving a red flag in front of a bull."
And Mr. Peterkin said the tourist sector was saddened by the killing of Mr. Travaini. "I understand he had a fantastic restaurant (Ristorante da Gino) which was known internationally. The news is sure to hit the international press. We have to find a way to deal with the crime, it is literally out of control."
Mr. Travaini, the owner of the Mariposa Hotel, was last seen about midnight on Sunday.
According to the police, his body was found with what resembled stab wounds to his jaw, abdomen and both hands.
No motive has yet been established for the killing.
