OPPOSITION Leader Bruce Golding wants craft vendors to be placed at the centre of the tourist industry, saying the tourism dollar can’t be spent in just buying a package.

“The craft vendors are going to have to be put at the centre of tourism development in Jamaica, that’s what we bring tourists here for – to spend the money,” Golding told supporters at the recent Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) North-East St Ann constituency conference held at the Ocho Rios High School, St Ann.

“The money can’t just spend in buying a package and the people who slave and work are left on the fringe. It cannot work,” Golding declared.

He added: “We are going to have to make sure that when the cruise ship passengers come in here, nobody don’t corral them like is goat they leading from one field to another. They must be encouraged to move up and down and we are going to position the craft vendors in such a way that when the tourist come off the boat they are there and they have the ability to demonstrate what it is they have to sell.”

Golding also bemoaned what he said was the lack of opportunities for a wider cross section of the Jamaican people and said this situation would have to be addressed.

“Part of the problem in our tourism development for the last, many, many years is that tourism development seem to be heading in a direction where only some people are being brought into the play,” Golding argued. “Only some people are being given an opportunity to participate; and there are many things that we’re going to have to do so that more and more people can make a bread, make a decent honest bread out of tourism.”

Golding also criticised the role of the state-run Urban Development Corporation (UDC) which has been under much scrutiny lately because of its role in the Sandals Whitehouse cost overrun, saying a JLP government would return the UDC to its “proper, original” role.

“Right now UDC has been turned into a kind of bastard Public Works Department. When they need to build two toilets – UDC; want to build two chicken house – UDC. UDC was supposed to be the mobiliser, the conceptualiser, the implementer of urban development in those sections of Jamaica where the need for development manifested itself.

And it has been turned into a little something, fix little road deh so, build two likkle basic school over there so,” Golding complained.