Jamaica to become timeshare friendly!

[rikkis_playpen]

Bartlett Says Jamaica Moving into Time-Share Market - Jamaica Information Service


Jamaica's Ministry of Tourism statement:

The Government is moving speedily to put in place legislation to facilitate Jamaica's entry into the tourism timeshare market.

[tonyg]

Entry ? Are they out of touch a bit. There are at least 5 timeshares in Jamaica !

[Ireland's Call]

Entry ? Hope they tell the locals who dont seem to welcome tourists . Its a scary place by all accounts.
G

[rikkis_playpen]

Originally Posted by tonyg

Entry ? Are they out of touch a bit. There are at least 5 timeshares in Jamaica !

I had a chuckle as well, and wondered how long before someone questioned!

I just don't think the statement was well prepared! I'm guessing it was supposed to signal the government's intention to work on attracting more timeshare developers to the area.

I'm also guessing they haven't seen the recent investors reports for most of the major developers- predicting a period of very little new site expansion other than possible consolidations or cooperative ventures.

Who knows- perhaps the government will dangle some bait sweet enough to encourage some developer interest...

I'd personally just love to see more timeshare opportunities open up there, however it happens! (I have a pound of Jablum Blue Mtn coffee beans I'm going to unseal when I get home tonight!)....

[Glitter Brunello]

Originally Posted by Ireland's Call

Entry ? Hope they tell the locals who dont seem to welcome tourists . Its a scary place by all accounts.
G

I have heard that Sandals is an exception since they patrol/secure the beach to keep guests from being harassed. I believe the Ritz Carlton does the same.
It's possible, but requires a security budget, something I'm guessing most HOAs won't want to maintain once the developers sell out and take their perqs/subsidized amenities with them.

[bnoble]

Its a scary place by all accounts.

I haven't been there in a decade (and was on a resort with a private beach), but we did go into town a couple of times---during a national election, no less---and I didn't find Jamaica to be scary at all. A few folks asked if I "smoked the kind", and there were a few other odds and ends, but most of the folks who live there understand how tourism fits into the financial ecosystem, and are hesitant to upset the apple cart. It was a "no worries" trip.

Edited to add: we landed in Montego Bay and stayed in Ocho Rios. Something on the Kingston end of the island might have been a bit more rough around the edges.

[Fidelity Resales]

The Jamaican people are some of the most accomodating and kind people. I have been going to Jamaica for 20 years and have stayed in Port Antonio, Montego Bay, and finally purchased a timeshare in Ocho Rios. I bought a week at Sandals Grand (Club Ortanique) which we purchased about 13 years ago directly from the resort and purchased my second on the resale market last year. One week wasn't long enough. In all our travels we never had an issue with anyone being scary. You can find areas in any City, State or Country that are scary. Kingston has it's areas that you probably would stay away from so do cities like LA and NY. I would recommend for anyone that wants to be treated like a king or queen to travel to Jamaica. Relaxing and beautiful !! Plush mountains and beautiful beaches, the best of both worlds.