amjamin

South Florida Jamaicans keep wary eye on unrest By Georgia East, Sun Sentinel SUNRISE:  With images of soldiers under attack, police standoffs and gang violence erupting in pockets of west Kingston, Jamaica, some South Florida Jamaicans are reconsidering travel plans and expressing concern about loved ones on the island. Airlines that carry passengers between South Florida and Kingston were canceling or rescheduling flights Tuesday. Flights into and out of Montego Bay were unaffected. The unrest stems from the planned extradition to the U.S. of alleged drug lord Christopher "Dudus'' Coke, who has some popular support in Kingston. On Tuesday masked gunmen tried to block security forces from raiding a Coke stronghold, leading to a bloody confrontation. The latest report is that 26 civilians are dead and 25 have been injured, according to Amitabh Sharma , a journalist speaking from Kingston. Jamaican authorities declared a state of emergency in parts of the capi

- Kingston hotels seek to capitalize on city based events -   - Roll out aggressive marketing spree to match opportunities - Published, May 12, 2010 Hospitality Jamaica As the mercury is shooting, so are the efforts by Kingston based hotel and hospitality industry to make the best of the summer. To get the maximum mileage in the season, the Kingston chapter of Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) has stepped up the marketing campaigns to target new markets. “While Kingston does not have the typical seasonality as the North Coast, we are looking towards decent travel from now until September,” said Nicola Madden Greig, chairman, Kingston chapter of the JHTA. This projection, she said, is bolstered by numerous special events as well as the Emancipation/Independence week; “this is when we see a lot of returning Jamaicans.” Charting the past trends, the increase in occupancy and visitor traffic to Kingston has been correlated to events that are held in the cap