Jamaica Looking to Add 20,000 Hotel Rooms

[ECO]

According to industry sources, Jamaica could support 50,000 hotel rooms, some 20,000 more than the current total inventory. Bartlett agreed with the figure, but said without double-digit growth in stopover visitors, such an ambitious offering could not be supported. Bartlett said the goal his ministry was pursuing was to reach five million stopover visitors and US$5 billion in foreign exchange earnings from the sector by 2020. Current growth levels would only result in three million tourist visits by 2015, however, he noted, only a million more than current annual visits.

But the US and UK stand in the way;

Chief among the obstacles that prevent more tourists from reaching Jamaican shores are the US transit visa, already assessed on all travellers passing through US airports, and the UK's air passenger duty (APD). The APD - an excise duty charged on the carriage, from a UK airport, of chargeable passengers on chargeable aircraft - will be increased by at least 10 per cent this November and double in some cases by 2010.

First introduced by the UK Government in 1994, the APD was a measure introduced to tax the airline industry's carbon emissions. Since its implementation it has been a flat rate tax on all passengers, but on November 1 the rate will increase by 25 per cent for travellers departing to the Caribbean, with an 87 per cent increased scheduled for November 1, 2010 for Caribbean-bound travellers in economy class. Caribbean stakeholders have vehemently opposed the increase, which is based on somewhat arbitrary bands that assign a higher rate to the Caribbean than other destinations which are actually further from the UK, including many areas of the US.

Bartlett said the US transit visa, which costs US$150 per person, is onerous, especially for families, and can easily make potential visitors veer elsewhere for their vacations in the case where other transit options not routed through the US favour competing markets. Asked whether there had been any lobbying efforts made to seek redress from US authorities on the matter, Bartlett said it was a diplomatic issue that would need to be approached at a diplomatic level in coordination with other Caribbean nations. source& full story at source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazine ... ESTION.asp

[ECO]

A question for the UK people here, in the US we can call our congressmen to complain about stuff, can you do the same over there? If so does it do any good?

[Rose21]

My goodness where in Ochie or Negril are they going to put 20,000 more hotel rooms?
I don't know jack about ether resort area --just wondering if they have the land space to add more hotels that can accomodate that much rooms.

Are they going to chace locals of their land?
Thank goodness for Country living!
I won't see them anytime soon in my parish cuting down trees to build hotels

[ECO]

There is plenty of land still on the coast and since the big hotel companies have plenty of money they can buy up all of the land that they need.

Lol, don't hold your breath Rose, they could build some nice ones up in the hills and install those "zip lines" so people can zip their butts down to the beach for a tan and a swim

[Rose21]

Lol, don't hold your breath Rose, they could build some nice ones up in the hills and install those "zip lines" so people can zip their butts down to the beach for a tan and a swim

[/quote]

I hope not! I like it the way it is no tourist.
The beaches may turn them of...not too nice at all.

[Wahoo]

I'm being selfish, I know, but I just hope I get to visit the unspoiled south coast of Jamaica (Little Bay, Savannah-la-Mar, Bluefields Bay, Treasure Beach) before it's overdeveloped. I'm seriously researching the south coast for my next stay in Jamaica.

[Wahoo]

GG, I'd be honored to share a lifestyle vacation with you in Jamaica's unspoiled south coast. I'm thinking we could spend our days beach combing and sunbathing hand in hand au naturel and passing the Dutchie. Except that they got crocodiles there, or so I've heard, and I'd hate for some crocodile to snap off my pride and joy while I'm snoozing on the beach under the midday sun.

[ECO]

Oooops, I was about to say let me know when you are going as I would love to see the south coast but I'm not into being the third wheel in a lifestyle vacation to Jamaica!

[Dancing Susan]

If they end up adding the 20,000 rooms it might lower the cost of hotels?

[damswell]

doubt it...would be nice though

[Wahoo]

I'll give GhettoGurl another 24 hours to respond to my offer of a lifestyle vacation in Jamaica's unspoiled south coast...after that I'm pitching it to Tanya Harding.

[faith]

How many more Lucia Palisades tragedies do they need?

[ECO]

How many more Lucia Palisades tragedies do they need?

Can you give some details? I even Googled it and did not find anything.

[faith]

That's odd, the pallisades is completely gone from the web and trip advisor. This is the fancy AI resort in Lucia, on your way to Negril, opened about a year ago, that was a complete disaster. It was supposed to be 5 star, built by Italian or Spanish investors, all of the reviews were one star. Rats in the rooms, spoiled food, crappy beach, rude staff. Rooms were priced a year ago at $50-100/night (this was supposed to be a $300-500/night hotel), but they must have closed it down. It was the talk of Negril for all the jobs it would provide. Even putting an upscale hotel in a town like Lucia makes no sense. Lucia is the last town you pass before you get to Negril, where you should stop and get your fruits and veggies (cheaper and more selection).

[damswell]

The only big new hotel in Lucea is the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, it is a beautiful looking hotel, perhaps thats the one your thinking of

[Wahoo]

Faith, are you talking about the Grand Palladium? It was under construction on my first stay in Negril 2 years ago, and my bus from the airport stopped there to discharge guests on my way to Negril last April. Actually, the bus made two stops there because it's like three super-sized hotels in one sprawling mega-complex. It looked nice, but that grandiose faux European architecture doesn't appeal to me. Yeah, it's billed as a 5-star and priced accordingly, but not my cup of tea.

[ECO]

That's odd, the pallisades is completely gone from the web and trip advisor. This is the fancy AI resort in Lucia, on your way to Negril, opened about a year ago, that was a complete disaster. It was supposed to be 5 star, built by Italian or Spanish investors, all of the reviews were one star. Rats in the rooms, spoiled food, crappy beach, rude staff. Rooms were priced a year ago at $50-100/night (this was supposed to be a $300-500/night hotel), but they must have closed it down. It was the talk of Negril for all the jobs it would provide. Even putting an upscale hotel in a town like Lucia makes no sense. Lucia is the last town you pass before you get to Negril, where you should stop and get your fruits and veggies (cheaper and more selection).

If you know what it was next to let me know maybe Google maps will show who owns it now assuming it changed names. I was in downtown Lucia this spring and IMO there is not a bunch to do there for tourists even though it's a nice place to walk around without getting bothered.

[damswell]

the grand palladium is not near anything either...its really in the middle of no where...a hotel where you really stay on the resort kind of like Grand Lido Braco

[faith]

Yes, the Grand Palladium, my memory is not what it used to be, and it's not the ganja. Gotta love JA's self-reviews on trip advisor, they have managed to bump themselves up to #12, although there seem to be some good legit reviews. It's listed under Mobay, looks like things have improved since they have first opened, but it is nowhere near a 5-star and last time I looked at prices rooms were dirt cheap for a brand-new AI.