Dear Editor,

Droves of exasperated patrons bound for the well-advertised Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival, held under the auspices of subsidiaries of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), left the precincts of the Devon House venue distraught.

The security officers manning the entry of the venue simply sent the fools a little further as they kept the entrance tightly closed and referred patrons to alternative parking facilities at Terra Nova Hotel All-Suite Hotel; Terra Nova overflow parking on Waterloo Road; Devon House north gate, off Devon Road; and even the Police Officers Club on Hope Road.

On attempting to enter each of these facilities you were told: “Sorry, no parking available.”

Patrons scoured these designated areas, driving round and round for up to two-and-a-half hours, desperately trying to find parking. Some were successful, but many had to drive away in frustration.

Fortunately, despite egregious showings such as this, Jamaica’s tourism product is rebounding and doing well. The success of the festival demonstrates its resiliency.

I am sorry for our coffee industry though, which, through no fault of its own, will bear the tarnished image of a function not properly planned.

For the first time, the world- renowned and revered Jamaican coffee has left a bad taste on the palates of many.

The very least the JTB can do to redeem itself is to arrange to refund the numerically sequenced tickets, which were vended from registered locations in the Corporate Area and are still held by furious patrons.

Derrick D Simon

derrickdsimon@yahoo.com