Jamaican minister highlights developments in tourism
Minister Assamba
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaica's Industry and
Tourism Minister, Aloun Ndombet Assamba recently met with Jamaicans in
Leicester, England, where she informed them of the positive developments
taking place in the country, including the unprecedented levels of investment
in tourism. “We have been able as a country,
to attract a level of investment at this particular time in our history that
is unprecedented. We have a number of hotel products that are being built in
Jamaica, some have opened in the last three years and some are just off the
ground and as such, the industry and the growth of the industry have created
many jobs”, she informed. She pointed out,
that sectors such as agriculture, transport and construction, stood to benefit
from the expansion in tourism.
Minister Assamba, who is leading Jamaica’s
delegation at the World Travel Market in the United Kingdom, also pointed out
that the expansion and redevelopment of Montego Bay had attracted more
airlines into the country. This development, she said, would lead to further
growth in tourism. Turning to other sectors,
the Industry and Tourism Minister mentioned major infrastructure work to
develop the highways and road network, electricity and water supplies as other
growth areas. In education, Mrs. Assamba
informed that $5 billion had been identified to develop an education plan. “We
recognise that for a country like ours, an educated population is the only way
that we are going to create wealth for the people of Jamaica. The government
has committed to a plan, there is an education taskforce and the Prime
Minister has identified $5 billion to put into the plan to make sure that we
are able to deliver the kind of education required to move us forward,” she
stated. She noted however, that the country
still faced serious challenges, with crime being the major issue, but informed
that government had put programmes in place to address the scourge, including
forming partnerships with private sector and international organizations.
The Minister and the team, which included
the High Commissioner, Gail Mathurin; Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board
Dennis Morrison; and Director General Carol Guntley, also answered a range of
questions dealing with the restart of the rail service, the awarding of
contracts, and the slow pace of development in eastern parishes.
The community meeting was organised by the High Commission through the
community relation’s office in conjunction with the Leicester Society of
Jamaicans.
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