Dr Wykeham McNeill—-
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr Wykeham McNeill, says the winter tourist season, now in its second month, is “performing well”, with an increase in arrivals over last year.
Dr McNeill, during a tour of Trench Town, St Andrew Thursday as part of activities to mark the 69th birthday of reggae icon, Bob Marley, said that the preliminary figure is showing an increase of 4.7 per cent over last year.
He argued that the arrivals could have been better if weather conditions in the United States had not severely affected flights coming to Jamaica.
“…There is nothing to really worry or panic about, but the big picture is that Jamaica continues to do very well in its tourist arrivals,” said Dr McNeill.
Tourists in craft market in Ocho Rios.
Meanwhile the minister lauded the effort of groups and individuals as well as agencies, for keeping the Bob Marley celebrations going on his birthday, and for focusing on Kingston.
“We market Kingston as the cultural capital of the Caribbean, but there is so much more we have to offer, and what we want to do is to determine how we can develop this into a more formal tour,” he said.
According to Dr McNeill people who visit Kingston “want to see what it is we have to offer, and we have to ensure that we package it in a way where it is saleable to the maximum.”
