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MONTEGO BAY, St James - Spanish Ambassador Jesus Silva on Friday opened the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry's 13th annual trade expo with a stinging criticism of Montego Bay Mayor Charles Sinclair's handling of tourist harassment in the island's premier resort.
In a frank keynote address that exposed a sharp ideological divide between himself and the St James Parish Council over the correct approach to be taken towards the hundreds of hustlers who have been fingered as one of the main factors hurting the tourism industry, Silva warned about the dangers of complacency on the part of those in charge, and criminality.
"Criminality kills tourism... <span style="font-style: italic">some of the things that I am seeing should never be allowed to happen... </span><span style="font-weight: bold">illegal jet skis, accidents without insurance, vendors offering ganja to the young kids on the beaches,</span>" he said.
"You have to look after tourism," added the Spanish envoy. "There is much more you can do. You have to prepare for the future, you have to keep on investing in the infrastructure... if you stay content you are going to die. It's a pity Mayor Sinclair is not here, <span style="font-weight: bold">because I have been fighting with him... he saying people have to make a living</span>... It is a wrong approach, it is going to do you a lot of harm."
The landscape of Jamaica's north coast has changed dramatically in recent years with the proliferation of Spanish hotels.
Dubbed the "Spanish Invasion" by some, this has resulted in several conflicts over market share, the latest being last week's <span style="font-weight: bold">protest by craft vendors who converged in front of the Spanish-owned Iberostar hotel to press for the right to continue hustling on the nearby beach.</span>
The noisy protest forced the police to intervene as vendors threw debris on the highway, disrupting traffic in the vicinity of the hotel.
According to community activist Owen Allen, although <span style="font-weight: bold">the 70-odd vendors initially used the beach without permission - a process known as 'capturing' </span>- the vendors, who have formed an association, were willing to engage the government in dialogue with an aim to arrive at a solution which would allow them to remain in occupation.
<span style="font-weight: bold">"Even though the vendors initially occupied the land without permission and due process, an industry has emerged and livelihoods are now at risk," Allen wrote in a letter,</span> dated June 18, 2009, to Prime Minister Bruce Golding. "There is clearly a correlation with the earnings from this venture and the sustenance of families... This matter must be addressed as a matter of urgency, as a proper village must be constructed to house the vendors. This must be done to better organise the activities and provide security for both vendors and visitors.
"The Iberostar hotel will be happy to find a speedy solution as the vendors, who are all members of the community in which it sits, would start benefiting from the hotel, while providing a service to the many guests who visit the property annually. This would also go a long way in establishing concrete relationships with the community by extending a philanthropic hand at this time," Allen wrote.
After the opening of the trade expo, Deputy Mayor Cecil Davis, who filled in for Sinclair, told the Observer that while the parish council was not supportive of illegality, concern had to be given to the welfare of the vendors.
"<span style="font-weight: bold">It's a delicate issue," said Davis, in reference to Silva's speech. "The mayor wants to make sure that all the rules and regulations are kept, but you can't displace them entirely, and while we are concerned about illegal activity, they have to make a living. We are willing to work together on this issue because you must also remember that if these vendors have no way of earning a living, that will also drive up the crime rate."</span>
<span style="font-style: italic">Lloyd B Smith, president of the Chamber of Commerce, thanked Silva for his speech</span>, which also highlighted the positives of the so-called Spanish Invasion in forcing local competitors to modernise their operations and become more efficient in order to cope with the competition.
"<span style="font-weight: bold">Now here's an ambassador who is not afraid to tell it like it is," </span>said Smith. <span style="font-weight: bold">"We have to appreciate the candidness, <span style="font-style: italic">because it is to our greater benefit</span></span>."