THE difference in treatment of locals and visitors to the island has drawn sharp criticism from head of the Anglican Church in Montego Bay, Bishop Alfred Reid.

He has charged that one of the problems in the country is the deep contrast between the treatment of the local population and the visitors to the island.

“We build the most luxurious resorts against the backdrop of squalor,” the bishop told the congregation at the St James Parish Church earlier this week.

Bishop Reid said one of the problems of tourism is that it is only understood in economic terms, while other areas of the country are allowed to suffer.

“On this basis we justify everything, from organised gambling to subtle and blatant forms of prostitution,” the clergyman said.

Bishop Reid, who was speaking at a special service to mark the beginning of Tourism Awareness Week, said that very little respect is given to Jamaicans, while at the same time tremendous emphasis is placed on pleasing visitors.

And he told the congregation, which included junior minister in the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, WyKham McNeil, who represented Minister Portia Simpson Miller, that the workers in the industry should be treated as ambassadors.

“They are the ones on the frontline who represent us before all these people (visitors) and they should get the treatment of ambassadors,” the bishop said.

He expressed the view that tourism can be used as a unifying force throughout the world, where cultural exchanges and sharing will result in a great deal of returns for the different peoples.

Tourism Week was marked between September 24 and 29 under the theme “Technology and nature: Two challenges for tourism at the dawn of the 21st century”.

In her statement to mark the beginning of the week, which was read by the junior minister, Minister Portia Simpson Miller said government was placing particular emphasis on sustainable development for the tourism industry and that partnerships were being forged with stakeholders in this regard.

Simpson-Miller said two million stopover visitors came to the island last year and that growth has been registered between January and July this year.