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.”