BARTLETT
OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN on Tourism Edmund Bartlett has raised concerns about the $1.3 billion he said the Government intends to spend on advertising Jamaica for Cricket World Cup 2007.
Citing a number of hindrances leading up to the Cricket World Cup, Mr. Bartlett told his colleagues in the Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Tuesday, that he was not convinced Jamaica's advertising warranted such a large budget.
He also criticised the Jamaica Tourist Board for being tardy in relation to other Caribbean countries, such as Barbados and St. Lucia, whose advertising campaigns were under way.
Turning to the availability of rooms for visitors attending the Cricket World Cup in Jamaica, the Shadow Minister on Tourism said based on the number being constructed, the country would be short of some 5,000 rooms in Kingston and 3,000 in Montego Bay and Trelawny.
He also called for the Government to state how it intended to address this problem.
Mr. Bartlett proposed that the Portia Simpson Miller administration adopt Barbados' strategy and lease cruise lines in addition to providing funding for small hoteliers and private home owners to upgrade their properties to accommodate the visitors.
He also recommended that during the games, Air Jamaica be positioned as the largest carrier of people in Jamaica and the Caribbean. "It is an opportunity that Government and Air Jamaica cannot afford to miss," he told the House.
CLEAN UP
Commenting further on the country's state of readiness for Cricket World Cup, which is set to begin in March 2007, Mr. Bartlett said there was no attempt to clean up the cities in preparation for the major event.
"What are Government's plans to deal with downtown Kingston, cleaning our cities and preparing us as a country ready to accommodate thousands of visitors on a daily basis?" Mr. Bartlett questioned.
