Give St Mary its due!
ST MARY, Jamaica — People’s National Party caretaker for the Gayle Division in St Mary, Jouvaughnie Byfield, is calling on policymakers to take better care in the packaging and labelling of tourism products from the parish to help boost the St Mary tourism product and overall appeal.
In a statement on Tuesday, Byfield pointed to a growing trend where attractions, though physically located in St Mary, are tagged as being of Ocho Rios, St Ann addresses.
“The recent announcement in some of our leading newspapers that American Airlines will have two flights per week coming to Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios is both untrue and unacceptable because the airport is not located in Ocho Rios. This injustice to St Mary is further perpetuated with the OCJ — Ocho Rios Jamaica code designation which has been assigned to the airport. This is an insult to the residents of the parish whose pride is diminished by this underhanded and unfair reassignment of our own product,” Byfield shared.
The councillor said St Mary has for too long been deprived of boasting the glory and recognition for hosting some of the island’s best treasures – including resorts such as Beaches, San Souci, Couples, James Bond Beach, among others which are all branded and sold as being in Ocho Rios, despite being located in St Mary.
“While we understand the trust value in name recognition for investors and tourists, we must also give St Mary a chance to gain the positive brand recognition that will improve its appeal as a suitable destination for investors and thrill and relaxation seekers. This single move could have a tremendous impact on the local economy of the parish, which is largely dependent on agriculture,” he continued.
According to Byfield, enlightened governance would see the deliberate promotion of underserved parishes such as St Mary.
He added that St Mary is a beautiful parish that has a lot of potential for development in a variety of areas and said efforts should be made to highlight what it offers instead of gifting its resources to other parishes.
