EXECUTIVE director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Dr Andrew Spencer yesterday disclosed that an investigation has been launched into operations at Fern Hill Club in Portland after a Jamaica Observer story revealed that operators had ignored an order by the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA) to cease operation there.

Spencer told editors and reporters at the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange that the investigation was launched on Friday following Observer reports which said that the operators — who last November leased the facility which was shut down four years ago — are still accepting bookings.

“The last thing we have on our record for that property is that it was closed and vacated. In our last assessment it was 2013. Prior to that it was a JTB (Jamaica Tourist Board) licence that was granted, but the legwork was done by TPDCo,” Spencer said.

“This entity has been defunct and not been in existence and in operation, as much as any authorised entity knows, since 2013. So the issue of whether individuals were informally marketing the place and attracting unsuspecting victims to the location is something that falls outside of the ambit of what we have control of. Now that it’s brought to our attention, it’s our responsibility to do the investigations and to see who it is that should be culpable,” Spencer said.

A January order by NERHA for operators to shut down business said that the premises, known to be operated by Johnny Armstrong located at San San, was in contravention of the Health Act and Public Health Tourist Establishment Regulations 2000 and that the premises shall remain closed until further notice.

A team from the Observer went undercover as administrators of a church seeking to book the facility for a camping excursion, following the complaint of a man who, in an Observer story earlier this month, said that he had been scammed.

It was discovered that operators were still accepting bookings, despite the order.

Yesterday, Spencer said that if investigations reveal that this is the case, recommendations will be made for law enforcement to get involved.

“Remember, the licence says that we endorse operation as an administration, but it’s not just an issue of licences. It seems as if this is bigger than that. Our licences are a coordination of health, fire and all those elements. But if the health department has ordered it to be closed that’s a very separate matter from it just not being licensed by the JTB,” he said.

At the same time, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told the Observer that a destination assurance strategy was recently established as part of a realisation that visitors are to be assured of the quality and integrity of the experience they have been sold, and that it will be delivered in a pure, safe, secure and seamless way.

He suggested that with advances in technology it has become increasingly difficult to police some hotels advertising through third parties.

“These things are happening and we have to come to grips with it, and one of the things technology is doing is changing systems so fast that it is driving you to be agile and adaptive to be able to keep up with it. Small countries like ours with resource gaps have a difficulty really just coping, but in this country we are trying and that is what the destination assurance team is about,” he said.

“Six sections of the country are divided up with destination managers and with destination councils that give support to them. It’s a new programme; it needs a little time to really settle in, but we have started and we are on the right track,” the minister said, adding that Government is considering policy changes which would require a renewal of licences which are currently indefinite.