LILLIPUT, St James–Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett recently announced that the staging of the 2010 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has driven bookings at all the major hotels along the coastal area in western Jamaica up to 80 percent.

“We think that this year the festival is going to be very good all the signs are there. The bookings have been fantastic in the hotels. We have done surveys and have gotten a report that is shows somewhere in the average of 80 percent bookings for hotels along the coastal area from Ocho Rios to Lucea. All the major hotels are showing solid bookings and that augurs well for the success of the festival,” Bartlett disclosed.

This has left the tourism minister bubbling with confidence that the local economy will yield in access of the projected US$3million this year. Last year, the festival was estimated to have raked in US$2.7 million through economic activity in the second city.

“Last year the figure was US$ 2.7 which it brought over the three days into the Montego Bay area alone. This year we are expected US$3million. The festival is now extended to a week so US$3million might even be a conservative figure,” an enthused Bartlett expressed.

He reiterated that the economic boost to be derived from the festival, especially to the communities surrounding the venue of the event, justified the government’s spending of “big bucks” to assist the promotion of major events.

“And that is why we support it. When we put in big bucks behind major events like these it is because of the returns that it gives to the economy of Jamaica overall. It’s not so much because what will happen necessarily …although we are concerned with the promoters because that’s their business and if they don’t do well with it they cant continue. But our main concern is the economy what these events do to the economy of Jamaica and particularly the communities around which these events are being held,” Bartlett stated.

The 2010 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival is set for January 25-30 in Trelawny.