Prime Minister P J Patterson said the response of the country's emergency services and tourism officials to a fire on board the cruise ship Star Princess in Montego Bay on Wednesday, has promoted the island's ability to manage challenges in an industry that is extremely sensitive to catastrophes.

Speaking Friday at the official reopening of the Morgan's Harbour Hotel and Marina in Port Royal, Patterson commended the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, as well as tourism industry personnel for their reaction to the fire. He said that their quick action had considerably lessened the trauma which passengers could have suffered.

The damaged Star Princess off the coast of Montego Bay last Wednesday. a

On Wednesday, junior tourism minister Wykeham McNeil praised the hotel sector for its "tremendous response" to the tragedy after hoteliers accommodated the cruise ship's guests who were inconvenienced by the fire.

The Star Princess was 50 miles off the coast of Montego Bay when the fire started at approximately 3:10 am.
One passenger - Richard Liffidge, 75, of a Georgia, USA address - died and 11 others were injured.
The blaze damaged 150 cabins before it was extinguished by crew members. More than 100 other cabins were damaged by water used to assist in extinguishing the fire.

In his address on Friday, Patterson said the relaunch of the Morgan's Harbour Hotel could not have occurred at a more opportune time, given the current expansion in the tourism industry. He noted that Jamaica recorded nearly 1.8 million stopover visitors in 2005, which was comparable to the 4.6 per cent increase in arrivals for the entire Caribbean region last year. He said the data for cruise ship passengers were the best ever, with a total of 1.1 million visitors last year.

Turning to the expansion in the tourism sector, including the construction of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 new hotel rooms in the short to medium term, Prime Minister Patterson said there would be significant opportunities for Jamaicans to benefit through local investment, business linkages with tourism and increased job openings.

He said this would have to occur in a carefully structured and sustainable environment based on a first-class and diversified product that differentiates Jamaica in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

He said the redevelopment of the Port Royal, Spanish Town and Kingston Heritage triangle was a tremendous opportunity for Jamaica to showcase its wealth of historical sites, adding that this could constitute a tremendous international attraction.

He also said the redevelopment of the historic district would also serve as a powerful catalyst for urban renewal and general redevelopment, as the country joins the rest of the region in preparing for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007.

Approximately 100,000 visitors are expected to arrive in the region for the tournament, 30,000 of whom will visit Jamaica.

Patterson said while the majority of visitors would be accommodated outside of Kingston, the highway development projects would make travel time shorter and more comfortable for cricket fans to get to the games.

He noted that overseas investors were showing a great deal of confidence in the future of the country's economy and in the prospects for tourism and urged local entrepreneurs, large and small, to secure their place in the industry's expansion.

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