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Copyright © 2000 by Arawak Enterprises. All rights reserved. Recently, positive comments in the Usenet and other travel forums by cruise-ship clients about the Ocho Rios area and facilities outnumber negative ones by a wide margin. An extensive search among several travel forums (Deja News Travel Forums, Caribbean-on-line Forums, "The Caribbean", a Footloose.net forum, "Caribbean/Mexico Travel", one of the Family Travel Forums, RemarQ™ Internet Collaboration Services Travel Forums,Parent Soup(tm) message board, TravelNotes(tm) message boards, and Delphi Travel Talk Forum -- a number of these forums rely heavily upon the Usenet, especially rec.travel.caribbean and rec.travel.cruises) found a total of 38 comments since November 1999 focused on the Ocho Rios environment or facilities. BALANCE OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SENTIMENT An analysis of these comments produces the following summary
results. The phrase " wholly or largely" is repeated as a reminder that it is rare for comments to be 100% positive or 100% negative. For those who wish to challenge our ratings of the comments, all of them are on file and can be sent by email for verification of our work where necessary. A "not applicable comment" is one that simply passes information with no hint of an evaluative opinion, or one that came under the "Ocho Rios" topic but in fact dealt with another subject (e.g., how to meet a friend who is on a different cruise ship, when both are docked in Ocho Rios at the same time). It is very important to keep in mind that a high percentage of people with experience of Ocho Rios as cruise ship clients do not go on to the internet to record their opinions. Whether the balance of opinion found in the discussion forums is a good sample for all cruise ship clients is a moot point, and it can be settled only by doing a reasonably random 'exit survey' of those clients. One or two such surveys should be enough to give an idea of just how far off the mark the balance of internet comments is likely to be. Despite their major potential to be biased, relative to the balance of sentiment for the whole universe of cruise ship users in the late 1999 to early 2000 period, the power of these internet comments to sway sentiment among potential travelers is probably significant. And the bias in these comments may not be less than that in media articles written by journalists under pressure to report something newsy (i.e., somewhat unusual and sensational), and who proceed to do so by talking to a few people chosen in a totally non-random manner. These media articles are widely regarded as being extremely influential in molding sentiment among potential travelers. Hence, if the balance of internet sentiment goes in a direction different from that of media commentary, this is something the local Tourist Board should consider using in dealing with a media bent on pursuing its own agenda. Additional points about the weight of this internet commentary are given below. We discuss, for example, the almost negligible reporting that people have been attacked and/or hurt by local criminals -- something of which many are afraid, probably thanks to the way the media reports on 'crime in Jamaica' as if this presents a widespread threat to tourists. It is worth noting, on this point, that during the Sprint 1999 riots one person came on a talk show to ask that the people of Ocho Rios be thanked for being so kind to tourists throughout that event. I myself made at least three calls into the Ocho Rios area to find out what sort of disturbance was underway there. Each time I was told there was no disturbance or blockage of roads in that part of the country.
The following text reviews highlights of the positive and negative commentary found in the travel forums, starting with the negative commentary. HIGHLIGHTS OF NEGATIVE COMMENTARY: o Daniel Greenman: "Stay on the ship. The place is full of drugs, beggars, street criminals, and extremely aggressive venders. Don't think you can, automatically, trust a policeman. Just because you tell five taxi drivers standing right next to each other doesn't mean that the sixth one won't ask you if you want a cab. The fact that you're only a block from the pier and tell them that won't stop them from hitting you up. If you go to Dunes River Falls, you have to walk through the craft market to get out. You will have to walk through a gauntlet of aggressive venders shoving trinkets in your face. If you climb the falls, the guides will be yelling at you to hurry up. If you give one of them your camera to hold, you will have to buy it back. If you want to use a public restroom, it will be filthy. Still, there will be an attendant outside wanting to be tipped. She doesn't do anything for the tip, she just wants you to give her the money. Don't even think of consuming any of the food the venders have. I saw somebody selling rum punch from a bowl that must have had fifty dead bees in it. o Schaller Family: "Some one tried to grab my video camera , but i had the shoulder strap over my head." o Daniel Greenman: " I've been to over thirty countries. I am accustomed to traveling in poor and developing countries. The one country I would not go to again is Jamaica. The reason for this is the over aggressive taxi drivers and venders. o Nola: "Stay on the ship! ---unless you like people IN YOUR FACE and offering you marijuana! " o William Tomlinson: "We have always been mobbed by panhandlers, peddlers and drug sellers. ... real "in your face characters". I don't need this on vacation - or ever. It continues to mystify me why ships stop in Jamaica at all. o bb : "If you are truly set on going to Dunns River Falls which is a mistake as far as I'm concerned then take a taxi. You will find a over priced overly commercialized at one time beautifull area that has a beach that is at best OK. When you leave the falls you will have to wind your way through a maze of high pressure peddlers (and I mean high pressure). When we were in Ocho Rios we hired a taxi for the day and told the driver to show us Jamaica and we had a marvelous time going to Discovery Bay, St.Anns, Fern Gully and other locations at a much cheaper cost than a shore excursion. We did make the mistake of going to Dunns River Falls and spent approximately 2 hours there of which 1 hour was waiting for our driver to return at the appointed time we had arranged. Have fun Jamaica is a beautifull country. SOME LESSONS FROM THE NEGATIVE COMMENTARIES Assuming these are typical of what one would get in a truly random sampling of major negative commentary, three points seem to stand out. (1) Aggressive and essentially unfriendly sellers of various things and taxi operators seem to be a big issue. This is not news -- it's the old 'tourist harassment albatross' around the neck of the Jamaican industry as far as 'street experiences' are concerned. What is surprising is how long it is taking the authorities to fix this problem. And fixing it is easy operationally, though not cheap. First, as is the case at many airports and train stations in North America, the individual taxi driver should not be allowed to solicit tourist business. Tourists at cruise ships should always have access to individual taxis through dispatchers only. The individual driver should simply wait until summoned by the dispatcher, and those who do not wish to play by these rules should be kept out of the area where cruise tourists get taxis. I cannot imagine getting off a plane or a train and simply wandering around New York as a happy-go-lucky 'tourist in paradise'. Why should people leaving cruise ships not be strongly advised to walk only in groups, and each group have a guide and a plain-clothes peace officer (with a cell phone in her/his pocket) who behaves like a guide? One leads the group and the other follows it. That should go a long way to keeping the peddlars, hustlers and aggressive taxi people (out on the street) at bay. This may not be the right idea or a practical one; but there is a reality that has to be faced here. A cruise ship contains a relatively huge population with a substantial proportion who expect to deal with people exactly they way the deal with them at home -- what's involved in going into a different culture is something to which many have never been introduced. By comparison with a number of nationalities, the younger generations of Jamaicans may appear to be relatively 'pushy' even when not annoyed and not far from being rude when annoyed. (Are only Jamaicans like this?) To the extent that these are traits ingrained in the culture of the country, there is almost nothing tourist authorities can do to make these adult individuals behave differently. Consequently, local guides to help the unprepared tourist are probably essential. These should be reasonably well educated people, reasonably dressed, and introduced to their groups before they leave the 'ship compound'. Government money used to train and equip these guides (creating jobs, by the way) could be returned ten-fold in an improved image of the country abroad that would affect all phases of the tourist industry. (2) People selling marijuana are creating tension and fear; but they are, by and large, not physically harming tourists. Some hard thought needs to be given to finding ways of simply shutting down this 'open offering' of marijuana to tourists. Of course, one key piece of this puzzle is for the sellers to get the message that there is NO MARKET to be made at the cruise ships -- that is, no demand. If marijuana pushers go for six months with no sales at cruise ships the word would spread quickly that those who make a living that way are going to starve trying to sell to cruise ship clients. (3) Muggings and robberies of tourists are largely absent from these reports. This suggests that the fear of being a victim of these events considerably exceeds the objective probability of being such a victim. For this, media reporting on 'crime in Jamaica' and on Jamaican rude boys living in North America and Europe are probably factors. It is very sad that a substantial proportion of the Jamaicans encountered by cruise ship clients are street peddlers, hustlers, and loiterers. There is not one chance in a million that these people are representative of the Jamaican population as a whole, and it is extremely sad that they should strongly influence the image of Jamaicans held abroad. They are a segment who have elected to try to make a living by hustling tourists. HIGHLIGHTS OF POSITIVE COMMENTARY: o DEBDEG: "we went on the horseback riding excursion and loved it. My daughter was 8 at the time and the guides were wonderful with all and especially the people who needed extra attention. Would do it again! o BRENTSTELL: " one of our stops was ocho rios. its true the taxi drivers ask if you want a tour, but they did not seem thet pushy. i walked to the shopping area, and into the market they just ask if i would look at their wares. i guess i must have been in another ocho rios then the other posters. o Barbara Noseworthy: "My husband and I travel there often because it's my favorite island to visit and we even leave the groups behind and trek out on our own. We've never had a problem and that's because we don't go out late at night on our own and we don't care jewellery or money with us except for a few dollars in our shoes or bathing suit in case of. We've even gone up into the hills with locals to see there small stores and it was great. o looloo: "by the way, we encountered NO peddlers in nov of 99 o Matt & Holly Pelican: " Dunns River Falls ... In my opinion it is definitely something to see once. As for the "high pressure" vendors...a simple no and walk away will do just fine. I actually found them less pushy than sales people in many retail establishments in the US. Though I probably would not care to go back (Been there done that) I am very glad that we decided to go. We also bought some T-Shirts from the vendors that were better quality and less expensive than the ones we saw in the stores. In Ocho Rios I thought the real waste was the shopping - overpriced. o Pete L. : "I took an RCI excursion on to Dunn's and had a great time. The boat was the "Sundancer". There are lots of people at the falls, but it is a GREAT excursion. The guides were nice, but you are a little rushed sometimes. The climb was a little strenous for some, but not impossible. The average person will not have a problem. Our guides video taped it for us and sold the video to you if you wanted a copy. I think it was $30. There are vendors all over at the end of the climb trying to sell you things or braid your hair. Not a problem, but can be annoying. A great trip, non the less. Another tropical paradise being stomped to death by us humans. Money makes the world go round! o Charles: " Many times I have found the taxi drivers to be the best guides and give the best and most interesting information. o SEABREEZE: "We did not encounter pushy peddlers; the people were anxious to sell but not high powered. My husband said he would take a cab if it were he who was responding to your search for info. There you have it. Enjoy your trip, take lots of pictures and make sure you let the guide take the two of you falling backwards into the falls. o Go2judy: "I was in Ocho Rios last month. I took a cab(Jitney) with other people and went to Dunns River falls early in the morning. It was a lovely experience. When I left, the tour busses were all arriving. One than had time to eat lunch on the ship and than go off shopping. It was less expensive doing it that way, but, I did it mostly for my having controll of my schedule. there are dispatchers helping the tourists with the cab drivers, the prices are now regulated and there is no hassling with bargaining. Judy o Pauldude: "At Ocho Rios we took the Jamaica Queen party boat tour to Dunns River Falls. On this tour we cruised along the beautiful coastline to the falls, where we were dropped off for two hours. It took us just over an hour to climb them, spectacular and a must see. The remainder of the time we spent swimming until the party boat arrived to take us back to the Paradise. There are several operators doing falls tours so don`t miss this one and bring a waterproof camera, you will get very wet!. o Flagator78: " Our group did this on one of cruises to Ocho Rios. When you get off of the ship, there will be a person that will ask you if you need a taxi. Tell him what you are looking for and make sure that you settle on a price for the group prior to leaving the dock. We had ten adults in our group and payed $15.00 per person and we had the entire day with the driver. This had to be one of the best tours of Jamiaca that we have had. Saw places that I did not know existed. He also took us to the falls, shopping, etc. He did a good job of keeping us away from the pan-handlers that some of the tour groups like to visit on their tours.
SOME LESSONS FROM THE POSITIVE COMMENTARIES It is not all doom and gloom in Jamaica. A lot of people go there and have a good time, and do not find themselves oppressed by pushy vendors and aggressive taxi drivers. And in a country with no long-term history of hospitality to tourists (or even familiarity with tourists in their midst), it is too much to expect that practically all the taxi drivers will be well behaved and the street hustlers genteel and thoughtful. Are practically all taxi drivers and street vendors in New York and London genteel and thoughtful?
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