JAMAICA | Opposition Senator Janice Allen wants to protect Jamaican Tourism Companies

KINGSTON, Jamaica. November 6, 2023: Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism & Linkages, Senator Janice Allen is calling on tourism minister  Edmund Bartlett, to urgently revive the discussions between the Government of Jamaica and the EU to review the terms of the Economic Partnership Agreement under which most of the tourism foreign direct investments fall. 

Senator Allen made the call in her State of the Nation contribution in the Senate on October 27; she recalled that the discussions began in 2016 with the then tourism minister Dr. Wykeham McNeill and continued to 2018 with the current minister when they were halted with no clear reason provided to the industry.  McNeill initiated negotiations when concerns were raised by the transportation providers who were finding it hard to compete against foreign hotel investors who started to operate their own transportation companies.

Senator, Allen pointed out that : “As we speak, the rules under the EPA as currently written allow the vertical integration and possibly horizontal too, of very large global companies at the expense of humble, hardworking Jamaican business owners.” She further added that “these foreign competitors have the built-in advantages of  far more resources and access to cheaper financing.” 

Senator Allen likens the large investor to ‘Goliath’ and the Jamaican businesses to ‘David’ as the playing field isn’t levelled to allow for indigenous Jamaican businesses to fairly compete against global companies with access to capital and cheaper financing, and earn more of the tourism dollar generated by the industry. 

The Opposition Spokesperson made it clear that the opposition is supportive of foreign investors and when it forms the next government will continue to provide an enabling environment for investments as was the case between the late 1990s and early 2000s during the period of significant hotel investments on which current investments have been built.

Not only does the senator intend to focus on investments in accommodations but also attractions to support the growing arrival numbers that Jamaica continues to experience. As such the policy and legislative environment will be of top priority for the next People’s National Party government to facilitate this development.

Allen listed transportation, water sports, landscaping and retail shops, as some of the services that can and should be provided by Jamaican companies to ensure earnings from these areas remain in Jamaica. Unfortunately, because the EPA terms allow for investors to branch off into unlimited areas, Jamaican businesses have not been able to take full advantage of business opportunities generated by the growth in the industry which began under the last PNP administration.

Senator Allen made it very clear that she firmly believes that tourism has the opportunity to be more transformative and provide business opportunities for those companies and sectors that have proven to have developed the expertise over these many years to deliver at the highest level. With this expertise and experience, the view is that indigenous Jamaican companies must be provided with the requisite protection and support to enable them to be as successful and profitable as any of the foreign direct investors who continue to do business in Jamaica.

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