Recognising and leveraging the advantages or benefits provided by the public sector are key to achieving success in Jamaica’s tourism industry, according to Wayne Cummings, CEO of hospitality consulting firm Arya Resorts Management Company Limited (Arya).

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Cummings shed light on Arya’s role in guiding investors through regulatory frameworks to realise industry opportunities.

The CEO and his partners, Chief Operating Officer Omar Robinson and Director of Operations Robert Headley bring their combined expertise to Arya Resorts Management through Robinson’s extensive tenure as the former general manager of Round Hill Hotel and Villas, and Cummings’ 31-year career at Sandals Resorts International and ATL Automotive Group. Headley’s more than 25 years of experience in managing hotels such as the four-star boutique Negril hotel Sandy Haven and Tryall Club in Hanover further strengthens the team.

But it is Cummings’ and Robinson’s public sector experience — including past and present leadership roles in industry associations, such as the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and memberships on Government boards within the Ministry of Tourism, such as the Jamaica Tourist Board — that positions them as guides for investors through Jamaica’s regulatory environment.

Their long-standing relationships with industry stakeholders and insights into policy discussions and industry trends enable them to advocate clients’ interests and stay well-informed about regulatory developments.

“So that kind of cross-entity, private-public sector involvement, lends itself to really strong support for our business consultancy,” Cummings related.

Understanding and navigating the Jamaican regulatory space can be daunting for investors. Arya Resorts provides facilitation services that streamline the process.

“In most cases, the question is asked of us, ‘how does one become regularised?'” Cummings said. “New businesses need to get registered. While we understand the space a lot, many of them see it as cumbersome.”

The CEO explained that multiple layers of processes through the Tourism Product Development Company and the Jamaica Tourist Board are challenging to foreign investors while local operators also face numerous steps, licences, and certifications for compliance in the tourism industry.

“So we will get into the regulations, we will get into the technical areas with the technocrats to try to facilitate and smooth out the edges for the private sector investor who, in many ways, doesn’t care about the details,” he said. “They just want to get their business up, running, and doing what it is that they do, trying to make a profit.”

An aversion to detail on the part of investors also means they frequently know little about incentives to support their ventures and are often caught unawares to discover specific tourism infrastructure incentives like the PIR (productive input relief), which allows for duty-free and general consumption tax-free importation of a wide range of items, including appliances, building materials, and various inputs for hotels and attractions.

“That’s a bit of a surprise to investors when they come and see that there is a document and a framework between the Ministry of Tourism and its agencies, along with the Ministry of Finance and its agencies, to give you a clear guideline to work with,” Cummings said. “Of course, if you are a megaproject, there is still another level of incentives that is available through the Ministry of Tourism/Ministry of Finance.”

By educating investors on the opportunities offered by the public sector ecosystem, Arya aims to dispel fears and negative perceptions that they may have towards government regulations.

“Because, even where there are no obstacles, I am finding that the private sector creates them, and I say that in the context of Jamaica where, for instance, the incentive scheme is easily understood and very, very clear,” Cummings lamented. “It’s a right, not a privilege, and still many don’t take advantage of it. You have a licence but you don’t even attempt to use it, which [means] there is no blame now on the part of the public sector.

“It’s the strangest, strangest thing,” he continued. “It is now being able to say to somebody, ‘Why haven’t you used it?’ And if you do use it, this is the fiscal benefit to your company, at which point the lights go on and people say to themselves, ‘Why didn’t I do this before?’ “

Cummings advises investors that receiving incentives in Jamaica requires more than just a simple application. Clear intent must be demonstrated by having your plans in place and your regulatory approvals in hand. And once incentives are afforded to you, you must demonstrate that you are proceeding to make the investment.

“That requires some amount of facilitation,” he explained. “To be fair to the agencies of government, that facilitation can happen through them, but I would suggest that it is always better to have a private facilitating company like our consultancy to be there to hold [investors’] hands, to walk through each of the steps to make sure it is moving efficiently and with their interests at heart.”

In addition to guiding clients through regulatory frameworks, Arya’s hospitality consulting solutions encompass tourism facility refurbishment and construction support; cost management; marketing and sales support; hotels, attractions, and tourism management services; and more.