BEST EVER TOURIST ARRIVALS EXPECTED FOR JULY...PM GOLDING

July 29, 2010

BEST EVER TOURIST ARRIVALS EXPECTED FOR JULY...PM GOLDING

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says that the country is expecting to record its highest ever visitor arrivals for the month of July. He was speaking on his monthly radio programme Jamaica House Live last night (July 28).

Prime Minister Golding had this to say:

"It is not by accident that last year we did better in terms of tourist arrivals than any other country in the Caribbean, including Dom Rep, including Mexico. We led the Caribbean! We had a 3% growth last year which was the best performance of any Caricom country. And despite the difficulties we had with the unrest that emerged round about the time we had the State of Emergency, we are still cautiously optimistic that we are going to do well again. You know what is quite interesting? People don't hear these things because they are not news. There are other things that are far more newsy, even if it is something that was carried last week, but last year July was the best month that we have ever had in tourism in terms of the number of arrivals. Last year July, and this year July, I am told by Minister Bartlett, that we are going to exceed last year July. Now at a time like this, if that is not something to say we know that things are tough, but some things are working and where those things are working we need to encourage them."

Prime Minister Bruce Golding on his call-in programme Jamaica House Live, on July 28.