We doubt that anyone would seriously question Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett’s contention that the visitor industry “is the driving force behind Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery”.

Mr Bartlett told Parliament at the start of the sectoral debate earlier this month that as recovery continues, 90 per cent of tourism workers had returned to work full-time in the accommodation subsector, while 70 per cent were back on the job at attractions.

Up to April, the tourism minister said then, Jamaica had recorded “over 680,000 stopover and cruise visitors with weekend after weekend of record arrivals in recent weeks”. On that basis he expected Jamaica to close out “the first four months of the year with 925,000 stopover arrivals and earnings of US$1.17 billion”.

He projected that by year-end there would be visitor arrivals of 2.92 million, and earnings of US$3.58 billion, which would not be far behind pre-COVID-2019 earnings.

A buoyant Mr Bartlett declared that “by the end of 2023, the number of visitors to Jamaica is predicted to reach 4.1 million, with 1.6 million cruise passengers, 2.5 million stopover arrivals and US$4.2 billion in revenue”.

Of course, as we all know from long experience, natural disasters, crime, delinquency and downright carelessness pose constant menace.

We were reminded earlier this week of the dangers that can come from a slacking off in the strict implementation of rules and regulations.

We refer to reports of illegal rafting on the White River; and efforts by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) to stop such breaches on the river, which is located on the St Ann/St Mary border. Rafting is a popular attraction there.

Mr Robert Marsh, a former parliamentarian and owner of White River Calypso Rafting and Tubing, says unlicensed operators described as “scammers, pimps and touts” are not only unfairly undercutting his business but are putting the lives and well-being of visitors at risk.

He raises the spectre of just under a decade ago when illegal jet skiing led to deaths.

He says there is now imminent danger on the White River with illegal rafters “who cannot even swim, taking tourists down the river”.

We note a claim by Mr Marsh that he has written to the authorities, including Mr Bartlett, about the situation but which has received no response.

We are told that while TPDCo has made it clear that it is not an enforcement agency, it has reached out to the police, urging enforcement of relevant regulations; and that “routine monitoring of the river is done with the marine police”.

The TDPCo says: “Designated personnel have been recently given responsibility to oversee… operations; proper signage and notification of the illegality of the activity will be posted in designated areas; letters are to be issued to ground transportation operators regarding sanctions if caught taking guests to participate in these illegal activities; all licensed rafts are to be clearly marked to differentiate between legal and illegal raftsmen; and a watersports policy is being finalised by the Ministry [of Tourism] for submission to Cabinet in the near future”.

Here is a matter which requires the full and urgent attention of all concerned.

Under no circumstances should Jamaica’s life-giving tourism industry be allowed to fall victim to the ‘eat-a-food’ mentality.