The Editor, Sir:

To judge from the syntax of her letter in the September 26th edition of The Gleaner, Vinette Hamilton is an intelligent, educated woman. I am, therefore, all the more absolutely appalled at her comments on Marlon Gardner's perfectly reasonable letter in the previous day's Gleaner.

Perhaps World Tourism Month is a good time to try, yet again, to rebut the myth that persists in the minds of some Jamaicans that tourists abound in Ms Hamilton's implied 'mansions, plus several hired help' and 'luxury SUVs, etc'. In the early days of Jamaican tourism the analogy may have been (only) partly true but for decades now this ridiculous legend has been, quite simply, a lie that merely bedevils the work of thousands of Jamaicans who make their living from our vibrant, successful tourism industry.

Sour grapes about tourism only serves to damage the efforts that all of us in the industry put into it. Tourism is the way to a better life for so many Jamaicans; I vividly recall that in the Bahamas, which depends almost entirely on tourism for its very thriving economy, and where my husband was on a business visit a few years ago, he noticed that at breakfast at his hotel the waitress was wearing a Rolex watch! Think again. Ms. Hamilton

I am, etc.,

CAMILLE NEEDHAM

Executive Director

Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association

E-mail: info@jhta.org