Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer
Famous adventurer and chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, Sir Richard Branson (centre), is flanked by Jamaican models and members of his flight crew as he poses on the wing of the Boeing 747 aircraft following its inaugural flight from London to Montego Bay at the Sangster International Airport on July 3, 2006. - Noel Thompson/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Spanish Invasion
Five hundred years ago they came in the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria. Today their mode of transportation is A300s and 747s. The Spanish are back in droves, and this time their pockets contain wads of investment money.
Spanish hotel chains Grupo Piñero and Fiesta Resorts dominated the news in 2006, as environmentalists combed and criticised their building practices, while the Government praised the unprecedented opportunity that their arrival in Jamaica had prompted.
The controversy started two years ago when Grupo Piñero announced plans to erect the US$200 million 1,918-room Bahía Principe hotel, the island's single largest resort currently under construction at Pear Tree Bottom in St. Ann. The hotel was rocked with demonstrations, death visited its doorsteps on three occasions, and a fire and the collapse of two sections of the building during construction were among the problems that plagued the resort.
In no time Bahía Principe became known as the haunted hotel, as tales by workers related a woman on a white horse roaming the property at nights. Its numerous calamities were compounded after environmentalists took the owners to court and had their environmental permit revoked. However, Grupo Piñero stood its ground, won its day in court and welcomed its first set of European visitors this winter tourist season.
Bahía Principe was not alone in the world of controversy, as Fiesta Resorts Grand Palladium in Point Hanover's ground-breaking was delayed until that chain could prove to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) that it would conform to best practices and the island's ecological thrust. Two months ago ground was broken for a 'Green Holiday Resort' by owner, Abel Matutes.
Fire onboard Star Princess
In March, just before the close of the 2005/2006 winter season Princess Cruise Lines had its share of tragedy after a fire broke out onboard its ship, Star Princess, en route to Montego Bay from Grand Cayman. The mishap resulted in the death of one passenger, the hospitalisation of three others and the destruction of 150 cabins. The ship was carrying 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members at the time.
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
The entire region received a devastating blow as news spread that the U.S. Congress had granted cruise lines a two-year extension to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which requires all Americans returning to the United States to have a valid passport by January 23, 2007, while passengers travelling by air would not enjoy the same privilege. Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Secretary General Vincent Vanderpool Wallace likened the ruling to a Category Six hurricane and Caribbean Hotel Association President Peter Odle called it "catastrophic".
Reports are that thousands of tourism workers would lose their jobs and land-based operators would suffer the consequence. The U.S. Homeland Security department was called on to level the playing field between cruise and land-based businesses. The major U.S. carriers did not support the lobbying efforts.
The Government of Jamaica has since opted for a number of initiatives designed to sensitise consumers to the need to obtain a passport and - in partnership with various private sector interests - even provided incentives for doing so. At the same time immigration statistics show that a substantially high number of U.S. visitors have been arriving with passports.
Jamaica at top of its game
Jamaica, as a resort destination, is on top of its game. For every month of 2006, the island received record numbers of visitors and closed the year on a high, and estimates suggest that three million stopover and cruise visitors had come to Jamaica - unprecedented in the history of Jamaica's tourist industry.
In September, Jamaica received the honour of being The World's Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean's Leading Cruise Destination and the Caribbean's Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards. The 2006 Travel Trends Survey placed Jamaica as fourth among the most popular international travel destinations for U.S. travellers.
The Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship which was docked at the Montego Bay Freeport Terminal on Monday, November 27, 2006. - Photo by Mark Titus
