Jamaica Sharing int he Chinese Travel Market

Caribbean Net News reports that Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett is moving full speed ahead to get a piece of the fast growing Chinese Travel Market. He states, "Although last year, we had only a little over 1,000 Chinese visitors to Jamaica, this year, we are looking at improvements in this area."

In 2005, the Governments of Jamaica and the Peoples Republic of China signed a memorandum of understanding, which sets the framework for the movement of group travel between both countries.

The Minister, in his address, noted that the outstanding performance of the Jamaican athletes in the Beijing Olympics has had a tremendous impact on Jamaica's presence in the Chinese market.

Chinese culture has long been a part of the Jamaican way of life, from its food to its clothing. I think it is about time that the various cultures that inhabit Jamaica are now being recognized as a not only a viable commodity but for the benefits they contribute to the island.

It is so important that the Chinese know we are more then "Usain Bolt."

Financial Experts Mislead Jamaica on Financial Crisis

Unless you have been under a rock for the last few weeks, you are aware that the financial crisis has globally the world. Recently, Financial analyst Ralston Hyman, speaking on the state of the Jamaican economy, chastise Jamid the government for being slow to inform the nation about the serious issue that has become global.

He was quoted as saying, ", "With no disrespect, but for the Finance Minister Audley Shaw to be telling us that nothing will happen to Jamaica is ridiculous," at a forum at the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) Headquarters. Hyman added that the US financial crisis was already affecting living conditions in Jamaica in terms of oil and food prices."

Growing up in Jamaica in the 70's and 80's, I remember the effect of the then "oil crisis" that had hit the United States. This affected the product import into the island. Currently with the recent "bailout" of the banks by the government. Their are two ways this can hurt Jamaica, through Tourism and remittance.

Jamaica has long depended on people sending money from the United States, Canada and the U.K. and other countries by Western Union and Money grams. It is said that this amounts to over 1.5 billion US dollars per year. The US tourism market also provides billions of dollars to the Jamaican economy. What Jamaica needs to do is produce more of the food we eat and cut down spending on luxurious foreign items and this will offset any reduction in foreign exchange.

Jamaicans have become over the years too dependent on Foreign Exchange (my own opinion). What happened to the days when man actually farmed and worked the land for profit and to feed his family. Nowadays the focus is on having two cell phones in your house while your children don't have anything to eat. Greed is what is killing Jamaica, not the gunman.


Source: Caribbean Net News

Jamaica Sights

When one visits Jamaica, there is a sense of excitement when that tropical breeze hits your face. You know you are about to be in for an adventure. There are so many wonderful places in Jamaica to visit that I really can't list them all.

Here are some Sites to visit:

Lacovia

Lacovia is the longest village in Jamaica, laid out for more than five miles on either side of the South Coast highway and the Black River, both of which divide the community into East and West Lacovia. Throughout the 18th century, Black River and Lacovia alternated as the capital of the parish of St Elizabeth. At one point in time, the river was the main transportation route for the parish, as road travel through the dense and humid mangrove swamps was treacherous at worst, miserable at best. > Learn More

Fire Fly

The historic home of playwright Noel Coward offers a nice tour. Named for the luminous insects seen in the warm evenings, this house has certainly entertained its share of luminaries from both the political and entertainment worlds, including Queen Elizabeth II, Laurence Olivier, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Alec Guiness, Peter O'Toole, and Richard Burton. > Learn More

Lime Cay

Fifteen minutes by boat from Port Royal is a small, low-lying island cay with one of the most beautiful beaches in Jamaica. The largest of the many small cays off the coast of Port Royal, Lime Cay is uninhabitable by humans because it is occasionally submerged when the tide comes in. Lime Cay has been the source of many scams and hoaxes whereby the cay is “sold” to unsuspecting buyers as a potential location for a private resort. > Learn More

Runaway Bay

Runaway Bay is certainly one of the most scenic areas in Jamaica, Since the early 1960s, when the old Cardiff Hall Estate was converted to a combination of luxury hotels, golf courses and private villas, the town has developed its own character and persona as an elegant yet lively getaway. Over the years, there has been much debate about the name of this small coastal town. > Learn More

New Kingston

If your travels bring you to the city of Kingston, you will, at some point, probably end up in New Kingston, the fast-growing commercial district that is increasingly becoming the business centre of the country. Built on lands formerly part of the Knutsford Park Race Track, major construction projects in New Kingston began in the late 1950s, and still continue today. The result – most of Jamaica’s modern multi-storeyed office blocks, the visible representation of the high-flying financial service industry, are clustered here. > Learn More

Traveling in Jamaica-Do You Feel Safe?

I haven't traveled to Jamaica in quite sometime, however I have friends and family who have. I have been reading about the concerns of many people who are planning to spend their holidays in Jamaica. The funny thing is that when many tourist come to the island, they go to resorts where their is high security. So if you seclude yourself behind high iron gates, why would you say you are "scared" of the crime rate?

Tourist are commodities for Jamaica. This simply means the Minister of Tourism is going to do everything to ensure the safety of many that visit the island. Jamaica is like anywhere, there are places you should go and places you shouldn't. The logic would be to travel in groups of two or more and not travel alone at night.

Here are some routine tourist spots.



Coyaba River Gardens
and Museum Offers the serenity of a genuine water garden fed by streams that rise on the property, exquisite Jamaican-Spanish architecture and natural aquarium. Available for functions and weddings.




MoBay Undersea Tours
Explore the underwater world of the Montego Bay Marine Park; Jamaica's first marine sanctuary, aboard the semi-submarine the "Coral See".



Caliche Whitewater Rafting
offers and exciting variety of river excursions and rainforest exploration tours. Enjoy the beautiful rainforest in the cool mountains of Jamaica. whether and expert or beginner, we have two river sections to suit the beginner or experienced white water rafter.

"Hilton High Day Tour"
Spend the day on a private estate in the hilly interior. Meet the country people, enjoy the foods, learn about the history during a guided nature walk. Dressmaking

...and of course you can always go to Jamaican Attractions to find some fun things to do on the island.

I know what the papers say, but for many that live on the island, that is a day to day occurrence. I hope that the reports don't stop people from coming an visiting a wonderful place and people.

Onelove...

Rose Hall's White Witch

Below is an article I did last year, but I am reposting it because so many people visit Jamaica each year but sometimes just get things from a tourist perspective. Every Jamaican child growing up has heard about Annie Palmer. Below is an overview of who she was as well as the estate she lived in for so many years

The White Witch of Jamaica

MENTION ROSE HALL and one name comes to mind, the mistress of the mansion, the white witch, Annie Palmer.

http://www.scaryplace.com/WhiteWitch.html

Annie Palmer was not what you would call a sweet person, even though she owned a vast sugar plantation in Jamaica.

In the 1700s, a woman's route to wealth and power was usually via marriage, and Annie Palmer was no exception. Born in France, Annie was a petite woman (barely 4 feet tall, it is said) who moved to the beautiful island of Jamaica to be the wife of a powerful man who owned Rose Hall and thousands of acres of sugar plantation. Little is known of her early days at Rose Hall. We do not know if she came to the island already imbued with a streak of cruelty, or if she cultivated it under the demands of her husband and her duties as the mistress of The Great House. It is said that she pined greatly for the bright lights of Paris, and found life on the island to be a hardship.

Whatever the cause, Annie was feared by the slaves who lived on and worked the plantation. She ruled with an iron fist, and defiance, or even perceived insolence, was answered with public whippings, torture in the dungeon, or even death. Annie started her day by stepping to the small balcony shown in the picture below, and issuing the orders of the day to the assembled slaves in the yard. (This is the rear of the building.) Her orders often included punishments and executions.

Perhaps out of boredom, or sheer wantonness, Annie started taking slaves to her bed. When the Mistress of the House lavished her attentions on a slave, that man's days were numbered. When Annie tired of her lover, she would murder him and have him buried in an unmarked grave. We know little of her first husband, John Palmer, except to say that she murdered him in his bed as well. Perhaps he caught her in the act, or maybe she just tired of him too.

These were rather lawless times, and the sudden death of the master of the estate seemed not to cause any investigation. Regardless, Annie cultivated the image of being a tough and merciless mistress, at least in part to keep her from appearing to be easy prey. These were difficult times to be a woman, particularly a rich widow in a country frequented by pirates and the like. Annie found another way to remain independent and in control... Voodoo.

Many of the slaves were practitioners of the art, and in order to curry favor and live longer, they taught Annie everything they knew about magic, particularly Voodoo. This was to include human sacrifice, particularly of infants, whose bones she used in practicing the black magic. Soon Annie was known far and wide as "The White Witch of Jamaica". Her reputation for ruthlessness and magic powers served to keep her safe from those who would normally consider her a target. Even so, Annie found time and reason to marry two more husbands, which she eventually dispatched in a similar manner, acquiring their wealth in the process. One has to assume they were foreigners, unacquainted with Annie's reputation on the island.

Annie's Overseer was a slave known to be quite a powerful Voodoo practitioner, a fact he managed to conceal from Annie, at risk to his own life. The Overseer had a daughter who was engaged to marry another handsome young slave on the plantation. Unfortunately, Annie's lustful eye fell upon the young man, and he was soon called upon to pleasure the mistress of the house. The Overseer knew what to expect, and began to make preparations to protect the young man from Annie's "disposable lover" policy.

However, Annie did not follow her usual pattern, and she killed the young man that same night, instead of playing with him for a week or so. Perhaps he objected to her attentions and declared his love for another. Whatever the reason, the young man was dead, the Overseer's daughter grief-stricken, and the Overseer was filled with helpless rage. Annie must die, at all costs.

A special grave was prepared in the woods, within sight of the Great House, using Voodoo ritual and markings. The Overseer then entered the house, confronting the White Witch, and engaged her in magical and physical battle. He succeeded in killing her, sacrificing his own life in the process. Slaves who were privy to the Overseer's plan entombed the body of the White Witch in the specially prepared grave... a grave designed to keep her from rising and walking the plantation again. But they failed to complete the ritual properly, and the White Witch is said to roam the Great House to this day.

ScaryPlace Home

Other links to the White Witch of Rose Hall are:

Scuttles' trip to Rose Hall

Minion Damon's visit to Rose Hall

Minion Olivia's visit to Rose Hall

Minion Tom's visit to Rose Hall

An alternate account of Annie's death

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at one of Jamaican's Historical places.

Rent a Rasta or Rent a Dread

I wrote about this before but someone emailed me and asked me to write another piece. So since Summer is coming up, I decided to do this. I don' t know how I feel about rich, women (and previously it stated white women, but other women do it as well) coming to the island and renting the rasta men (an other men for sex).




In a 3rd world, tourism is generally what sustains the country. Sex Tourism is nothing news It has been going on in the Caribbean and many other countries for years. I find that people who exploit other people due to their situation is wrong. The dread is gonna take their money. However, the RASTA, the true RASTA won't have anything to do with them. It does wreck havoc on the Jamaican Culture.

Wayne Cummings, president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce and first vice president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), told the Sunday Herald that sex tourism is not condoned by the organizations that he represents. He pointed out that although many visitors to exotic locations such as Jamaica often arrive with hope of finding an “escort”, the country has made efforts to move away from this image. “It still happens, but we categorise it as tourist harassment. We invite tourists here for sun, sea, sand and Jamaican hospitality, which does not necessarily include sexual favors,” said Cummings


Watch the video below and get educated.



and

RentaRasta.com

Love this Jamaican Tourist Commercial Mon

Stop the Killings

Marlon Hurd (top left), Shaneta Smith and their daughter Lorna Hurd


Usually I don't report on the violent activities in Jamaica, but this story so touched my heart I had to write about it. On October 4th in Rockport, located in East Kingston a brutal rampage of killings took place. The dead included,a four-month-old Lorna J Hurd; her 18-year-old mother, Shaneta Smith, and her father, 27-year-old Marlon Hurd; 19-year old Christina Brian and her mother, Violet Williams; 70-year-old Joanne Richardson and her nine-year-old grandson, Mutumbo Thomas.a four month old baby girl, her nine year old brother, an elderly woman.

This is by no means the worst killing in this often volatile section of Kingston, but the most heartless, in my opinion. The baby was sleeping right next to its mother. Suspicions of gang related activity in the killings are what the police are now concentrating on.

Jamaica is very dependent on tourism for its economic growth. I wonder after seeing all the violent tides that are increasing over the years on the island, how this in turn will affect the growth of Jamaica. Well, I know it won't affect it because the sections where the tourist are located are very highly sanctioned.

What is happening to the consciousness of so many people that one can put a gun to a four-month old's head and pull the trigger.


STOP THE BLOODSHED!!

Should people migrate or stay?

This is a question that many young professionals face at some time in their career while living in Jamaica. Some simply say, "I am sick of living in Jamaica." Well, a sentiment that can be stated by anyone in any country that they have lived in their whole life.

I believe that many times the feelings of desertion are felt when relatives or friends return from (Foreign) aboard and bring back stories of streets paved with gold or suitcases bearing so many gifts they can barely close. This leads so many Jamaicans to believe that they will be so much better off living in the United States, Canada or England. What they fail to mention is the transitional stage when entering any of these countries.

First there is the acclimation process. This happens when you migrate to any new place. You have to adapt yourself to the lifestyle and various cultures. I know many that can tell you the "opposite" story to the streets of gold and the wonderful life a foreign. They can tell of the prejudice, how hard it is to find a place to live, a place of employment and sometimes even social acceptance. There are times sponsors that bring people from Jamaica to these countries abandon them. So they are in a foreign country with little to sometime no resources.

If they entered the country illegally, they are at the mercies of folks who "wheel and deal" to get them documents that allow them to stay in the United States. Often times these documents are not legal.

My own personal thought is that if Jamaica starts having large migrations to other countries that it will hurt the local economy and way of life.

The solution hopefully lies in the new government. It is so important to make life better for it current residents. Providing employment and adequate wages is vital. A feat that will indeed be a challenge. Years of corruption has changed Jamaica immensely.

A professional who moves to the US without understanding whether or not their training and education will be accepted is also not planning properly. Sometimes a man leaves the frying pan and jumps right in the fire.