Let’s protect our city: MoBay Chamber of Commerce head wants all hands on deck
President of the Montego Bay Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, Janet Silvera, says an all-hands-on-deck approach is
needed for Montego Bay to become the number one tourism and business hub in the
Caribbean.
Noting that there is very little room
for fence-sitters and armchair quarterbacks, Silvera said too much is at stake
to allow the whims and fancies of the lawless to undermine the gains Montego
Bay residents have worked so hard to achieve.
Addressing business interests and
stakeholders at a Sandals Resorts International-sponsored cocktail reception to
promote MoBay Expo 2020 at the Appliance Traders Automotive (ATL) facility in
Montego Bay last Wednesday, Silvera said that her organisation stands ready to
discuss whatever it takes to restore the city to its lofty heights and to
create a business environment that is investor-friendly and also free of fear.
“Despite some obvious shortfalls, the
city has grown in stature and currently stands as the fastest developing city
in the Caribbean. We have seen over the past 30 years, the high level of
infrastructural development, the growing world-renowned Business Processing
Outsourcing (BPO) industry, the establishment of several university campuses,
and investments by major hotel chains, as well as other major happenings,
including a first-class and first world Convention Centre,” Silvera said.
Silvera said that with so much in hand, it is incumbent on stakeholders to do everything in their power to sustain momentum and to ensure that the positive gains continue to take precedent over negativity.
As head of the chamber, Silvera said that she wants stakeholders to be a part of initiatives such as the MoBay Expo that will ensure that the city becomes that business centre of the region.
The MoBay Expo will be held from March 6 to 8, 2020 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James. The expo will offer the opportunity to connect with the largest gathering of business professionals in Western Jamaica and discover the latest trends in the industry, while being exposed to new products and services. It will also focus on manufacturing, food processing, hospitality, education and training, financial services, business processing and communications technology.
