Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer

HENZELL

St. Elizabeth:

St. Elizabeth-based hotelier Jason Henzell has said that a significant number of guest houses in Treasure Beach are not licensed with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), insisting that such practice cannot be good for the tourism industry.

Mr. Henzell made this dis-closure one day after the official start of the 2006/2007 winter tourist season while speaking at the annual general meeting of the citizens alert group of Treasure Beach, at the Sandy Bank Primary School on Saturday, December 16.

"We are trying to build a positive image in the tourism industry on the south coast, but at the same time there were a number of small properties in Treasure Beach that are not licensed with the JTB" Mr. Henzell said.

While admitting that things cannot continue like this, Mr. Henzell who is also a member of the JTB board said that in addition to this, a number of tourism-related properties in the area pay over very little of what is due to Government in taxes.

TPDCo help

In the meantime, Mr. Henzell said that with help from the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), some 20 fishermen are in the process of becoming licensed operators of their trade.

Turning to the matter of a central sewage system for Treasure Beach and the south coast in general, Mr. Henzell said that the time has come from the development of the area to be taken seriously. He said that if more guest houses and other properties are allowed to be erected without a mechanism to deal with the regulation of sewage, a major public health crisis could be looming for the south coast.

The citizens alert group of Treasure Beach despite being only one year old, was instrumental in getting the National Works Agency (NWA) to design a canal leading from the various ponds in Treasure Beach to the sea. A move many hope would address the problem of flooding in the community whenever it rains heavily.