Is it just me

[Sickko]

Or is the JHTA acting like a bunch of uncle toms and kiss-ups, first they argued against the US' policy of insisting Americans travelling herehave valid passports to get back home, they feared the lazy assed Yankees wont bother to go get the passport and wil go elsewhere where they wont require passports.

Now maybe I have missed the point here but if you can plunk out $2500 for a vacation, and I want to be in jamaica badly, surely $150 and stading in line for maybe 15 minuts cant be that bad.

I heard that uncle tom Horace Peterkin talking about how the JHTA should buy the passports for the Americans travelling here.

Now the JHTA is bitching about how the imposition of the CARICOM visa will affect theirbottom line, what a crock.

Maybe if they finally pulled their heads out of their asses and see what other countries around the world, and even Cuba,are doing to atract tourist and get the act together they wont have to worry about decline in tourist arrivals over pasports or CARICOM visa.

Once they do that three million a year might be a bad year.

[Mosiah]

RE: Is it just me

<DIV>It's a pre-emptive strike. If tourism arrivals fall this year, they will cite these issues, looking past the fact that maybe crime has eventually taken its toll, or that they screwed up somewhere else.</DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>It has already been shown that only a few Americans don't have passports to travel, and many others don't have a problem getting it.</DIV>

[Hortical]

RE: Is it just me

I've heard of Ads where hotels are poviding $100US rebates to American visitors, which is about the cost of a passport. It actually takes about 4-weeks for a new passport.

[Muadib]

RE: Is it just me

Those with their heads furthest up their a$$, namely the Goverment needs to demonstrate that they are serious about tourism.

Lee Chin took some of them across the caribbean to see what Tourist Towns are supposed to look like.

He is wasting his time with this bunch.

Cannot finish airport or North Coast highway before World Cup Cricket.. much less alternate route to Mount Diablo death trap... effing joke govt.. Jamaicans need to get serious about their country... or let some other serious people tek it over.. don't know why dem fight fi independece suh hard if dem cyaan manage it.. waste of a Godbless island.

[Exile]

RE: Is it just me

"or let some other serious people tek it over". Are you serious? We are not talking about a company here or a bank.

As usual, ALL the problems of Jamaica is a result of Government - this Government.

[Lazie]

RE: Is it just me

Firstly, this isn't something that I've followed up. That said, I've heard on the news where hotels have lost bookings ... (if my memory serves me right, I thought I heard bookings for $150,000 was cancelled). Now, if this is true, how yuh gonna call the man dem uncle Tom? Aren't these people in the industry? Don't you think they have an idea what they're talking about?

When unuh fully understand what hotels in Jamaica have to do to compete with other destinations, then unuh may have to think twice before calling people Uncle Tom? I know they were at Port Authority in NY on a campaign to get people to apply for their passports.

Finally, I can understand their grouse with the passport issue as people going on cruise do not need a passport now.

[Sickko]

RE: Is it just me

ben is forgetting that when his governmnet was in power including a period when they had no 'official' opposition, they did nothing about the infrastructure...yes the damn highway is taking waaay too long (can you imagine one hour to Falmouth from MoBay) but at least some one realises the importance of a proper road system to improve commerce etc..

I am still trying to find evidence of actual work being done while Bruce Golding was minister of contruction, maybe Lazie or Ben can help me out...

[Lazie]

RE: Is it just me

Sickko (2/3/2007)ben is forgetting that when his governmnet was in power including a period when they had no 'official' opposition, they did nothing about the infrastructure...yes the damn highway is taking waaay too long (can you imagine one hour to Falmouth from MoBay) but at least some one realises the importance of a proper road system to improve commerce etc..

I am still trying to find evidence of actual work being done while Bruce Golding was minister of contruction, maybe Lazie or Ben can help me out...

You are sounding petty now Sickko. If you want, you can find evidence that it took the JLP gov't 6 years to turn around Manley's mess of the 70's. 3 years after that they were removed from office. This gov't has been in office for almost 2 decades, and 2005 may be their best performance since.

A proper road system? The JLP is in a position of damn if you do, damn if you don't. They saw the importance of improving the state of the economy, putting people back to work, improving the health care system. Unuh simply nuh know unuh priorities. No wonder we at the bottom of the ladder with Haiti.

Is that the reason yuh attacking the JHTA? Because they question the moves of the government? Is hegemony the order of the day?

[Sickko]

RE: Is it just me

JHTA is not attacking the government Lazie,I am sure you would love to add one more entity to your ranks but not so this time, since you forgot both Aloun and Delano Franklin were also a part of the hue and cry about the US making the decision to put in the p[assport regime.

So are you admitting that Bruce did nothing to build even a few public facilities (I could say some thing else but the post might get deleted)in his constituency where he was for a very long time?(Clap)(Clap)(Clap)

[Lazie]

RE: Is it just me

Stop acting like Jawge bredren. Where did I indicate the JHTA was attacking the gov't? You should be more concerned about what is being proposed by the JLP. I find it strange that after the security minister admitted he has no more ideas, you ppl still jumping behind them.

[Sickko]

RE: Is it just me

Lazie, the issue is simple- The US is trying to tighten up their borders and one of the things they want is that their residents returning from the Caribbean and some parts of Central America to have valid US passports.

In the pastI could travel on my B1-B2 visa to cover the Penn Relays or a Reggae Boyz Game in the US, not anymore, they are issueing 'professional visas' to Journalists and others just so they have a better idea what the people who come into their country are doing.

I have no priblem with that at all.

Now when you come in at Sangsters or Norman Manley and you have aJamaican passport, even if your flight was from the other part of the country you must clear customs and I also understand that as well when it was explained to me. People mix in certain areas of the terminal and it is easy for one person to meet another and give them some thing to take through customs. Not neccessarily illegal but trying to slip paying customs duty.

However if you come in on a US passport or whatever you are ushered through the "nothing to declare' line no matter how many huge bags you have.

I recall having to go over night to Miami and come back with an over night bag and had to join the line to have my stuff declared, simply because I was a Jamaican.

These hoteliers dont care how many of our rights are trampled on as long as their hotels are full and their owners are making money.

Lazie you worked for one of the slave masters and might have been a victim of the gratuity schemes they ran at SuperClubs. WhatI want to hear Horace Peterkin and others addrressing are decent wages for their employees..the tourist will not stop coming, maybe the numbers will go down a but at the outset but it will go back up eventually.

More to the point of the passports however, if an American is travellnig to certain place sin Europe, Asia and Africa or Pan Pacific, dont they need passports? Does that stop them?

If you have spent four or five months planning a vacation to Jamaica and you need a passport, would that deter you from coming to get some great weed, or lay out in the sun in January-February or to go see your grandmother? Think about that for a minute before you respond.

I have travelled extensively for varying reasons and one of the first things you do is find out the requirements and what you need to do, if for example I am going to Central America, you need to go get your shots and malaria tablets etc...

Aser usual however you missed a vital point in the post..what are the attrcations doing to improve the tourism product? We cant use Sand, sea and sun anymore...that is in abundance everywhere these days.

I have been to Cuba, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Mexico and a few caribbean countries andI see things that make me want to go back for more...

[Lazie]

RE: Is it just me

Slave masters? Are you kidding?

I didn't miss anything Sickko. The fact is people flying to certain destinations need a passport, while going on a cruise does not require it. I didn't hear where they were opposing the passports, they were saying steps should be taken to level the playing field with their competitors in the cruise industry.

Yuh need to give people in the JHTA their dues for being proactive, too often Jamaicans end up being reactive.

Again, link one of your contacts in the tourism industry, especially one in sales and ask them exactly what is happening in the sector. Unuh all hyping bout 3 million tourists ... find out what is happening.

If you have spent four or five months planning a vacation to Jamaica and you need a passport, would that deter you from coming to get some great weed, or lay out in the sun in January-February or to go see your grandmother? Think about that for a minute before you respond.

Maybe this will answer your question. I use to listen Fame FM in my office and they were promoting a Road Party or something they were having at Braco. A programmer was in my office listen the music and heard an ad for the party. He started fussing that he wanted to go, after he found out that Braco was a resort and I initally thought he was kidding. Well, he flew down the Thursday and came back the Sunday evening, just for that party.

If there was a passport requirement then, would he have gone to Jamaica?

Again, the people not against the passport, they simply want the same rules to apply for the cruise industry.

[Exile]

RE: Is it just me

[quote]Exile (2/3/2007)"or let some other serious people tek it over". Are you serious? We are not talking about a company here or a bank.

I may have misunderstood his context. Thought he meant a foreign power...well, you never know,can you?

[Muadib]

RE: Is it just me

If people going to have to migrate to Merica, Bermuda, Cayman to mek a living.. what is the point of 'Independence' ?????

If yuh cyaan manage a likkle country like Jamaica with all its strategic geographic and human and natural resources then GIVE IT UP !

Siccko with his stupid comparisons with JLP and PNP. There can be NO DOUBT based on the data at hand that the PNP are POOR managers relative to the JLP.

I don't need to be a labourite to realize this, you would have to be a comrade or a effing idiot NOT TO !

If the there is no alternative to the PNP then GIVE IT UP.. beg hingland to tek us back because it is not fair to the population and future generations to continue effing up the country.

It is friggin embarassing to be in the position we are in relative the the Region considering where we are coming from.

[Muadib]

RE: Is it just me

"Slave Masters.."

You well over the limit bredrin.. that baggage haffi go pon a diffrant flight.

Economic freedom cannot be gained by distribution and 'feel good' politics.. perfected by the PNP since 1972..we got a likkle break in between but then back came in the clowns..

If yuh want freedom from the 'Slave Masters' tell yuh people dem fi get serious about policies that encourage entrepenuership and production.

Good Luck because mi know sem dem not deaf... just have diffrant priorities.