Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
ASSAMBA
MINISTER OF Tourism Aloun Assamba has promised that work on improving the deplorable state of the resort town of Ocho Rios will begin this week.
Speaking in an interview with The Gleaner, she responded to angry complaints voiced by members of the business community about the state of the resort town's physical infrastructure and amenities.
"I have been working with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and in fact there is a plan being worked on. I hope that by the end of this week or by early next week you will begin to see a roll out of some work to be done," she said.
Mrs. Assamba said all the resort towns have been targeted under this clean-up programme which will be spearheaded by the TPDCo, the National Solid Waste Management Agency and local parish councils.
BUSINESSES' RESPONSIBILITY
"Some work has been done already in Negril, and there will be a focus placed as well on Montego Bay," the Minister pointed out.
She said, however, that while the business people are calling on the Government to clean up the resort town, they too, need to play their role in this effort.
"You know I rarely have to ask the business people to help us maintain it because even if you come and clean it. you are going to have problems if you don't maintain it ... and everybody has a responsibility to keep their surroundings clean," she argued.
In a Gleaner article published last week, members of the business sector in Ocho Rios lashed out against the poor state of the resort town, especially with the December 15 start of 2005/2006 winter tourist season looming.
