Garwin Davis, Sunday Gleaner Writer

A scenic view of Navy Island in Port Antonio from the ruins of Titchfield Hotel. - Photo by Nagra Plunkett

While the rest of the country is busy preparing for Christmas, residents of Port Antonio say the indefinite closure of the town's main attractions has "all but killed our holiday spirit."

"Santa Claus certainly will not be passing through Port Antonio, at least not this year," commented Howie Cover, owner of the First and Last Bar and Restaurant, located just outside the resort town.

"Several of what I would consider the main tourism earners - The Ken Jones Aerodrome, Navy Island, Blue Lagoon, Reach Falls, Dragon Bay and quite a number of guest houses - are all closed, forcing many people out of work." (The Urban Development Corporation is currently interviewing staff to operate the recently refurbished Reach Falls).

Added Zebediah Bicknell, manager for several guest houses in the San San area: "The powers that be don't want to see Port Antonio developed. They want to keep it this way where they can come in on weekends and have their private getaways with friends. This town is now the private playground of the rich and famous."

The Ken Jones airstrip in St. Margaret's Bay, residents say, has been closed now for over a year. This, they note, has dealt the town a severe body blow, considering that the aerodrome was Port Antonio's best hope to cash in on some of the tourism boom being experienced by the other resort towns.

"Visitors are reluctant to take that long drive from the Montego Bay airport to Port Antonio," said Lloyd McPherson, resident. "The condition of the roads doesn't help the situation either, so the safest bet was to fly into Ken Jones which would take roughly twenty minutes."

Scores out of work

The closure of the Dragon Bay Hotel is also a main point of concern. This, residents say, has not only left scores of persons out of work but has all but guaranteed that Port Antonio will not have a winter tourist season.

"The Dragon Bay Hotel was Port Antonio's main shining light," said Patrick Lewis, a former worker at the resort. "Even when occupancy levels were low elsewhere, Dragon Bay was the one place that used to get its fair share of visitors."

The Dragon Bay Hotel is owned by Gordon 'Butch' Stewart. It was closed several years ago for refurbishing work, but has not been reopened since. Mr. Stewart has said that his plans for the hotel have been hampered by a number of factors, including bad roads and poor infrastructure. He could not be reached for a comment.

Others though, say the town's business leaders are to be blamed for the economic woes, accusing them of "waiting for handouts".

"I am glad that people like Butch Stewart and Michael Lee Chin have expressed interest in this town," commented Horace Brown businessman. "It is a pity though, that the business leaders are not giving them the support. We cannot just sit back and blame government. what is it that we are doing to make the situation better? The aerodrome is closed because the town couldn't come up with a measly $6 million to put lights at the facility," Brown added.

Businessman Michael Gray agreed. "I keep my business open because I believe one day we will turn the corner," he said. "This is our town; we can't just throw our arms up in despair."