MONTEGO BAY, St James - Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, says as his city rebuilds in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it would be moving to strengthen economic ties with Jamaica. "As we look to rebuild New Orleans, we are also looking to rebuild relationships and the first place that we are looking to rebuild and strengthen relationships is Jamaica," said Nagin.

The New Orleans mayor who is vacationing in the island with his wife Seletha and three children, at a private villa owned by Sandals chairman, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, was speaking to reporters in Montego Bay at a brief ceremony hosted by Sandals Resorts, shortly after his arrival at the Sangster International Airport on Friday.
Stewart is also chairman of the Jamaica Observer.

Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (left), accompanies Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin to the Sandals Resorts hospitality lounge, shortly after the mayor and his family arrived at the Sangster International Airport on Friday. Nagin is vacationing in Jamaica with his wife, Seletha, and three children, as private guests of Sandals chairman Gordon 'Butch' Stewart. (Photo: Conroy Walker)

Mayor Nagin noted that Jamaica and New Orleans already share interests, particularly in the area of culture.
"We both have unique characters, unique styles, wonderful food and, most importantly, wonderful people," he said.

"The wonderful people you see when you go to Jamaica or New Orleans ... they make you feel welcome, they treat you like your brother or sister." Plans were well advanced to twin the southern US city with Montego Bay and for the staging of a food and music festival this November in MoBay, when Katrina hit New Orleans in August at category four strength.

Nagin's angry appeals for urgent assistance to his people in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, catapulted him onto the international stage, amid scenes of devastation and confusion, and death.

According to Nagin, the planned festival was to be used as a springboard to further economic linkages between New Orleans and Jamaica.

"The festival was supposed to kick off something big," he said. "We were planning to rotate this festival between Jamaica and New Orleans where we could bring the best music, the best food and the best people together and then, for example, take advantage of the tourism of both places."

He noted that in addition to the festival, the hurricane also forced the postponement of a planned visit in August of a Montego Bay-based trade delegation to his city.

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Horace Peterkin said at Friday's welcome ceremony for Nagins, that the trade delegation was to examine ways in which Montego Bay and New Orleans could establish long-term relations.

"The invitation was for us to go there (New Orleans), get the businessmen to look at some investment opportunities in Jamaica and for discussion on the twinning of the cities," said Peterkin, who is also manager of one of Stewart's Sandals properties.

New Orleans' thriving tourism sector was severely damaged by Katrina, which killed hundreds in the region and levelled 80 per cent of the Louisiana capital.

Commenting on reconstruction efforts, Mayor Nagin said that he was pleased with the pace at which the rebuilding of New Orleans was progressing.

"We are moving in the right direction," he said. "The hotel industry is now up to 75 per cent of its capacity and it should be up to 100 per cent by year-end, and electricity has returned to almost 75 per cent of the city."

According to the mayor, several annual cultural events, including Mardi Gras and the jazz festival, would return to the city next year.
Nagin told the Sunday Observer that Congress had appropriated US$1.6 billion to assist in the recovery exercise.

"But we are also pushing Congress for tax incentives for businesses and people to move back to the city," he said.

cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com

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