BEST OF HOSPITALITY JAMAICA 2011 Kingston on the road to recovery

A year on after the incursion, Jamaica’s capital exudes vibrancy and resilience

Amitabh Sharma
Contributor

On May 1, the streets were filled with a riot of colour, music on the crescendo and a sea of revellers dancing their blues away at the carnival parade that meandered through the streets of Kingston.

This was a welcome and refreshing contrast to 12 months back, when the air in the city was filled with tension, apprehension and fear, as the security forces prepared for intervention in the west Kingston community of Tivoli Gardens.

The incursion, which saw pitched gunfights between the security forces and the supporters of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, left Kingston scarred and bruised, and the city’s tourism and hospitality industry in uncertainty.

“It (the impact) was quite significant, with hotels dropping to as low as 10-15 per cent occupancy [and] attractions, taxi operators, etc, seeing little to no business. It also set back the hard work and progress of the JHTA (Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association) Kingston Chapter in repositioning Kingston as a viable tourist destination for business or leisure,” said Nicola Madden-Greig, chairperson of the JHTA Kingston Chapter.

Restoring faith in and regenerating the image of the city was a daunting task which required meticulous planning.

Several countries and international organisations issued travel advisories to its citizens against travelling to Kingston.

“UN (United Nations) agencies issued advisories, even TripAdvisor put up a warning on their website,” she added. “It took us several months to get these reversed.”

“It has been very challenging,” Madden-Greig admits. “However, I must state that all the major players of the JHTA Kingston Chapter and other private partners, like Norman Manley International Airport, Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, along with the Jamaica Tourist Board came together and worked aggressively to lobby our regional and international partners to ensure the resurgence of both the business and leisure market to Kingston.”

MAJOR STEP

As Jamaica’s capital returned to normalcy, efforts were on to restore confidence in the city and the country.
Another major step in restoring that confidence will be the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean’s 29th Caribbean Conference of Accountants at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel to be held June 23-25.

The conference, which aims to bring together 1,000 persons drawn from the accounting profession is the biggest event being organised since the incursion and is seen as a major morale booster.

“The incursion in west Kingston threatened the staging of the conference in Kingston,” informed Raymond Campbell, partner, advisory services, KPMG, and chairman of the conference planning committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica.


However, he adds, “Holding the conference in Kingston has meant that we have to go the extra mile to market the staging of the conference and communicate its relevance.”

Campbell informed that Kingston was selected for location of the conference primarily “as a result of our belief that a business conference should be held in our nation’s business capital”.

He exuded confidence that the conference would boost attendance and increase the number of persons who are able to share in the experience.

“Kingston is not only our business capital; we believe it is the cultural capital of Jamaica and the Caribbean, with a proud history which is appealing to visitors from across the world.”

Madden-Greig, meanwhile, said that the city is still on the road to recovery.

“We have to continue working hard with our public- and private-sector partners to foster a better perception of Kingston and its potential,” she said.

For its part, the JHTA is planning a series of promotional trips to Canada, Trinidad and Barbados. According to Madden-Greig, Kingston has a lot of untapped potential. “First, there needs to be a greater understanding of the potential,” she said.

POSITIONING KINGSTON

For the long term, the JHTA Kingston Chapter chairperson said: “Going forward, there must be a niche marketing strategy that allows Kingston to be properly positioned as the sports, entertainment and cultural capital of the Caribbean, focusing on the intrepid traveller whose choice for vacation is not purely centred around sun, sea and sand. The nature, culture, adventure market in the United States and United Kingdom is estimated at 5.5 million trips per year, with estimated spend of US$7.2 billion annually.”

As Kingston prepares to welcome accounting professionals from across the Caribbean, the organisers are optimistic that it will have a positive impact on the city, and the entire Jamaica.

“The message is a simple one. Our country and region can progress to First-World [status] in one generation,” Campbell said.


“Kingston currently has just over 220,000 stopover arrivals per annum,” said Madden-Greig. “There has definitely been recognition of the value of Kingston’s contribution to the arrival statistics, and the potential to drive visitors not just to Kingston but to be the gateway city to the east.”

Life 3.2 MP...On the road

Capturing some pics on slow pace and the fast track...

Montego Bay

Along North Coast of Jamaica

North Coast Highway

Along the coast

Caged and scared

Joys, trials and tribulations of fathers

Published December 20, 2011

The Gleaner Positive Parenting

We live in the second decade of the 21^st century, where unfortunately for some men, smart phones, smart cars and smart everything under the sun seem to hold more value than shouldering the responsibility of being a ‘dad’. 

Not these dads who spoke to Positive Parenting.

 

Lloyd Fennell epitomises a man, who played his role as a dad and rose to the occasion when he was left to raise his three children.

Fennell got married in 1979 and the union with his wife blessed them with two daughters and a son. “We had our own little home, things weren’t smooth, but got along fairly well,” recalled Fennell, his eyes seemed to wander into the past as he spoke.

Photo: stock.xchng

“When my youngest daughter was two years old, their mother left,” informed Fennell. He did not shy away or give up but made the best of the frugal resources and strived for the best even when the resources dried up.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Bearing the responsibility of the children was a learning experience. “With two girls, I learnt to guard them, and since I didn’t have sisters or aunts to help me, I also learnt to comb their hair for school.”

The 64-year-old, who born in Kingston, grew up in Retrieve district, St James, Fennell spent most of his time with his great-grandmother. “She taught me to cook, wash my clothes, without that upbringing I wouldn’t have managed,” he said, adding that he cooked for the children. “They used to love my cooking, they still do,” he said with a smile.

His inculcating good habits and being God-fearing as the driving factors, “We always emphasised on church and spirituality and ensured that we went the church regularly,” Fennell said.  

The single father and his children found happiness in the simple pleasures of life and forged a bond in each others company. “We didn’t have a television at home; we spend time playing a lot of games and listening to news on the radio.”

Fennell who attended an All Age school, said that he always strived to educate his children,  however big the sacrifice was. “Education was the most I could give them,” he said “I used to go to my bosses and ask for a loan to pay the school. It was deducted from me over time, schooling was a must.

“At first it was a scary situation,” reminiscences Garfield Richards when his elder daughter was born in 2005.

This ‘scare’ was more of anxiety of a first time father; Richards and his wife were in the United Kingdom pursuing their respective degrees and working. “I used to think how I will adapt, will I be able to do things for her,” Richards said.

The transition was smooth, “Doing everything for not for myself, it was challenging,” he said.

Slowly Richards found bearings and pleasure in bringing up his daughter. “She would wake up at odd times, I used to carry the bottle to bed, feed her and make her fall back asleep, it was tiring but blissful.”

As the young couple celebrated the arrival of the bundle of joy a rude shock struck them, Richards lost his job. He decided to set up his own business when they returned to Jamaica, and started working his life back.

He and his wife were blessed with a son, who is 6 months old now, and Richards is back to waking up to feed and put his son to bed several times in the night.

His wife travels to work from Manchester to Kingston every day, they are up at 3 a.m. and it is his responsibility to make their daughter get ready, feed breakfast and then drop her off to school.  

“Having to get up and see two kids looking at you, come and dive into the bed, they come and play and try and wake you up as I pretend to sleep, I couldn’t ask for more blessings.”

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

Fennell and Richards come from different socio economic backgrounds and been in different circumstances, but they share the same passion, that of placing their children first before themselves.

“I feel it is very important as a father to be there for your child,” said Richards.

Fennell on the other hand lived his set of trials and tribulations, his son died under tragic circumstances in 2000, which left a big void in his life. “It was devastating,” he recalled, his voice trailing. “But he lives with me, there is a picture of him that I keep at all times and at home too…He is there everywhere.” 

Richards is looking forward to bringing up their two children and sharing all the joys of the world with them.

“Joy of seeing Jordan, 6 month old creeping and crawling gives me so much bliss,” he said.

For Fennell, who’s a grandfather now, the journey has been worth it.“I am sure I did a good job under the circumstances, they (his daughters) will attest to that.”

“What really gives me gratification is that they have grown wings and learn to fly,” he said. “They can keep above the waters.”