THE COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021 intensified the years-long problem of informal guides or touts who hustle around Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa in St Thomas, much to the inconvenience of operators and visitors alike.

Then chairman of the hotel, Michael McLeod, in his message in the hotel’s 2021/22 annual report — which was recently tabled in Parliament — claimed the touts became more aggressive and demanding during the pandemic, while periodic lockdowns were implemented to slow the spread of the virus.

“As the weeks went by their numbers continued to increase, reaching upwards of 120 as at December 2021. The new additions to the touts were young men who were quite aggressive in their quest to ‘mek a food’.

“With the increased numbers came various destructive strategies, including accosting would-be patrons from as far as Port Morant, and spouting mistruths that the water in the hotel is reheated and not from the mineral springs, or that the baths are closed [and] only the restaurant and rooms are operational,” said McLeod in the report.

“This resulted in many would-be patrons of the hotel either using the ‘bush spring’ or forfeiting the experience,” added McLeod, as he pointed out that it was a struggle for the Bath Fountain operators as the touts operated from their overflow parking lot, discrediting the hotel’s authenticity and offerings.

“These people have become bolder as time passes, where they enter the property to ‘encourage’ guests to use the bush spa instead,” declared McLeod in the report.

The ‘bush spa’ referred to by McLeod in the annual report is an area behind the hotel where the touts divert visitors and where they openly conduct massages, mud baths, and foot scrubs, and often haggle with visitors over price.

“The unregulated nature of their pricing as well as lack of insurance has become an administrative issue at the hotel, where patrons of the hot spring increasingly seek redress for over-charging or accidents through the hotel.

“This issue, if left unchecked, will eventually destroy the goodwill the facility enjoys,” McLeod warned.

He pointed out in the annual report that the Ministry of Tourism, headed by Edmund Bartlett, had developed several strategies to facilitate the operation of the tourism sector during the pandemic and the touts took full advantage.

“Bath Fountain, a government-owned and operated entity, got themselves fully on board and implemented those changes necessary to make them compliant within this new [COVID-19] normal. It was this compliance that allowed them to seize the opportunity to host a group of volunteers in June 2021.

“The group was successfully hosted within COVID-19 guidelines and this was a great sense of achievement for both management and staff,” said McLeod.

He noted that the challenges during the pandemic resulted in loss of revenue to the hotel due to reduced patronage generally, but this was offset by the hosting of a large group for an extended period.

“This feat allowed for continued viability and was an indication of the hotel’s capacity to seize opportunities as they arise,” said McLeod, who pointed out that the touts also took advantage of this development.

McLeod’s call for measures to tackle the problem of the touts at the world-famous Bath Fountain in 2021 was not new, as the problem had existed for more than a decade before.

In 2011, visitors to the facility were openly writing about their bad experiences with several promises from the authorities that measures would be implemented to address this.

But, as seen when the Jamaica Observer visited the attraction last week, the problem continues.

Riders tend to travel long distances in search of people heading to Bath Fountain in St Thomas.

Informal tour guides lead visitors to the mineral spring at Bath Fountain in St Thomas.

A visitor receives a massage from an informal tour operator at Bath Fountain mineral spring in St Thomas.