Dear Editor,

While there are some powerful merits to the Jamaica Observer’s August 25 editorial entitled “Tourism resilient corridors offer a path for the wider Jamaica” there is one glaring omission which, for the sake of clarity, as chairman, I must address.

In fact, it would be remiss of me not to highlight that it was indeed our Hon Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett who championed the proper development and execution of the highly successful resilient corridors, giving tourism a fighting chance when all seemed lost and, which today, are being touted as the template which should be used by the wider Jamaica in our relentless battle to stem the flow of the greatest pandemic known to man — the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

It was also Minister Bartlett who hired PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and the expertise of the experienced Jessica Shannon to develop the world-class plan that was painstakingly developed with the involvement of all tourism stakeholders.

The records will also show that it was again the minister that organised his agencies to execute the plan with little if any room for error, in record time (within two months following its conceptualisation), running the risk that something could go wrong and the wrath he could face from all and sundry.

Lest we forget, these are the words of the minister prior to the reopening of our borders in June 2020: “The coronavirus-resilient corridors give Jamaica the ability to manage and trace the movement of tourists along the stretch of road from Negril through Port Antonio on the northern coast of the island.

They will embrace all activities within that area just along the main road. These are manageable corridors that will be able to have easy access. But the most important thing is to be able to trace the visitors and to contain their movement. The corridors effectively create a zone for tourism on the island centred around the most popular destinations in the country.

“It is fair that we start this phasing arrangement with the corridors that are manageable with ease.”

Along the way, the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), the lead agency tasked with the tourism recovery programme, not only trained 26,000 workers but also certified the hotel, transportation, and attraction sectors to be ready for the planned reopening on June 15, 2020. 

It is because of the success of the resilient corridors for stopover visitors, including the quality of planning and the robust nature of design, that we are now seeing a seamless accommodation of cruise passengers without any need for changes or additional resources.

Without any fear of contradiction, I can safely say that it is because Minister Bartlett has done such an incredible job in building government and private sector ownership of the corridors that everyone is now seemingly claiming ownership of it and its success. 

Collectively we own it, and it is my feverish hope that the well-spent Government money as well as the priceless key Government and private sector human resource time committed will be leveraged for more industries and ministries as a model for living with COVID and also the sustained ability to thrive as a nation going forward.

John Byles

Chairman

Resilient Corridors Committee