WHILE many Jamaicans are now in despair as they slowly begin to feel the ripple effect of the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States, there are some people who believe that all is not lost.

Linda Marie Montgomery, a retired engineering technician from California, who is vacating in Negril is one such person. She is very optimistic about Jamaica’s future as a tourist destination. In fact, she has launched a one-woman campaign to keep her friends coming to the island’s shores.

“Since the terrorist attack, I spoke to a lot of my friends who told me that they have cancelled their plans to visit other countries. I told them that Jamaica is now the vacation spot because it is definitely a safe place, and is not involved in the international riff raff. Jamaica is the ideal place for Americans because of its close proximity (to the US), and people feel more secure when they are closer to their country,” she remarked.

Montgomery’s optimism comes even as local tourism officials scramble to stave-off a collapse of the sector, brought on by a downturn in tourist arrivals since last Tuesday’s attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon building in Washington.

But at least, the tourism task force formed recently to explore workable marketing solution for the island in the face of the fallout, can count on Montgomery’s support.

She has been visiting the island for the past 15 years, and described Jamaica as a lovely place. Apart from Jamaica, Montgomery has vacationed in seven other countries, but declared that the Caribbean, and Jamaica in particular, was “a beautiful place with loving people, attributes which were unmatched worldwide.”

She also dismissed the recent upsurge of violence in West Kingston as nothing that will stop people from visiting the island. She added that most countries have problems that are worse than what took place here in July.

“There are places in California and Los Angeles that we can’t go. Freeways are built around certain areas because of notorious gangsters,” she said.

Commenting on the September 11 attack on the United States, Montgomery argued that the terrorists were able to successfully carryout their plans because America had let its guard down.

“They slept too long,” she said. “They should have seen it coming from the boat bombing in Yemen and the embassy in Africa. It came home two years ago in California,” she added. Montgomery said she cried for three days after the attack because she was “scared” and “worried” about her 26 year-old son who travels frequently to Tokyo, Japan where he works.

“We eventually found him (the day after the attack) and it was a relief, but I was still devastated,” she said.