Beach Access - Balancing the Needs of Guests and Vendors

[Tropicana]

How does one have open access to beaches but ensure that people who want to relax aren't constantly hounded by hustlers? It's areal problem.

I stayed at RIU and it was a 3 ring circus. Every morning there would be a battle between the people wanting to come on the beach to sell and the security guards. It was actually quite an ugly and uncomfortable scene.

I liked it when they set up a market 3 nights for the week and people could come in from the local markets and set up on the first floor of the hotel. We always made sure to buy something. Everyone wore blouses or shirts with the same pattern. The men work black pants and the ladies wore black skirts or pants. The Rastas had their heads tied in colours matching the shirts and blouses. Everyone looked really nice. I wish I could find a photo.

This was done on the beach a couple of times. A special area was set up on the beach at the hotel. It was controlled. More of this should been encouraged.

Got to know people so well that when we did go to the market even some out of the way markets, people recognized us. I found the markets less intimidating after that.

Now I wonder how affordable it was to participate and if it was worth people's while.

[Tropicana]

Craft sector jobs in decline

Over 4,600 jobs has been lost among craft and related trade workers over the past year.At the same time, more persons were employed by the tourism sector in April than a year before.
Mikey Senior is not surprised by the statistics.
The secretary of the Jamaica Indigenous Artisan Cooperative Society (JAMIA) said that the sector has become less lucrative over the years.
"It is just not viable for all these people and as such many of them have either moved on or [have] gone out of business," he told the Business Observer during a telephone interview. "To make it worst, the sector lacks structure and as such there is no support for the people who make their living from it."
According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin), the number of people employed employed by the craft and related trades industry declined from 139,000 in April 2013 to 134,700 in April 2014.
This 3.3 per cent fall-off in employment rate for the craft sector represents the only case of decline for any sector in the latest labour force report.
The hotel and restaurant group, which is largely dependent on tourism, like the craft sector, had different results.
"The largest increase in the number of employed persons by industry occurred in the hotel and restaurant services [group]," said the report.
The number of persons employed in the hotel and restaurant services is reported to have grown by over 9,000 persons, which represents a 13.4 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2013.
Research and statistics manger at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Antoinette Lynn, said that the the upturn in the employment figures for hotel and restaurant services correlates with the increase in the tourist arrival numbers and the reopening of major hotel chains along the north coast.
JTB statistics show that stopover arrivals rose by 1.4 per cent year on year during the first half of 2014. Cruise passenger arrivals increased by five per cent over year-earlier levels during the six-month period.
Senior figures that many large hotels are crowding out small artisans.
"Most of them have even diversified from their core business of providing accommodation and restaurant services to providing tours, and thus controlling where the tourists goes," Senior Added. "They take the tourist to the big attractions and bypass the small craft markets."
The JAMIA secretary believes that the sector needs more support and representation, and that the craft markets need greater promotion among visiting tourists.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busin...cline_17343620