Local transport operators are being shut out of tourism sector, says Purkiss

Local ground transport operators in Jamaica are being systematically shut out of the lucrative tourism sector, according to Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism and Linkages Andrea Purkiss. She asserted that this exclusion is driven by major hotel properties and foreign companies establishing their own in-house transportation services, thereby displacing traditional operators such as the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) and the Jamaica Co-operative Automobile & Limousine Tours Limited (JCAL).

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Jamaican hands drive Jamaica’s visitors

Purkiss highlighted that JUTA, founded with the explicit mission of ensuring "Jamaican hands drive Jamaica’s visitors," now faces significant challenges. She explained that these local, grassroots ambassadors, who have supported generations of Jamaican families, are being sidelined. Many all-inclusive resorts and foreign entities now control transportation services, while local drivers are still required to pay park fees to access hotel compounds.

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These local, grassroots ambassadors are being systematically displaced. This Government has allowed major hotel properties to establish their own in-house transportation companies [thus] systematically cutting out JUTA and JCAL operators.

"The all-inclusive model is a vertical integration machine: the room, the food, the entertainment, water sports, and now the vehicle all under one foreign corporate umbrella," Purkiss stated in the House of Representatives on June 9 during her contribution to the Sectoral Debate. She characterized this trend as "colonisation all over again," arguing that the current structure ensures that the majority of tourism revenue bypasses the Jamaican economy and never touches the island's soil. The spokesperson's remarks underscore a growing concern about foreign dominance in the tourism sector and its impact on local businesses and employment.

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The all-inclusive model is a vertical integration machine: the room, the food, the entertainment, water sports, and now the vehicle all under one foreign corporate umbrella.