SSP Diaries | Early Warnings

VEHICLE PARKING NMIA

The car park at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) is in urgent need of proper management and adequate resources to operate at an acceptable standard. For over a year now, clients have been seeking alternative sites to await arriving passengers or even to see off those departing. Some of the problems are as specified below;

• Poor signage upon entering or negotiating the interior
• Paying machines that just don’t function
• Inadequate staffing at paying booths
• No designated facilitation for short/medium/long stay parking

International airports are meant to be highly security-conscious and controlled environments so they can operate at the highest levels of safety. The poor operation of the designated parking area for visitors forces people to park on the soft shoulders of the main thoroughfare. These include that area just short of the entrance to the Caribbean Maritime University (coming from Harbour View), along the road adjacent to the airstrip leading to Port Royal, along the dual carriageway to the roundabout at the airport itself, and on available space in the confines of the airport, outside or alongside the main parking facility. All these locations are areas from which possible threats to the airport operations can occur. They are so numerous that it is almost impossible for the police to monitor them constantly.

The implementation of properly resourced, enforced and operating parking areas, with designated stays and reasonable costs, will go a far way in alleviating this problem and possible threat scenarios.

JPS Co Power Cuts

In the last year or so, the residents of portions of Havendale in St Andrew, have been experiencing an increased frequency in power outages and fluctuations. There are no prior warnings and, happily, most have not lasted more than four hours. The point is, however, that one had assumed that Jamaica was beyond such occurrences which are reminiscent of the 1970s. I write with the hope that we are not returning to that era!

HURRICANE PREPARATIONS

The 2026 hurricane season is almost here again. We are still recovering from the catastrophic Melissa. We hope that we will be spared this year and, I dare say, the years to come. But, if that is not the case, then let us ensure that we prepare as best we can for the worst. Many of our drains and gullies are clogged with rubbish and debris. Driving along the roads, there are many trees that need to be limbed, so they are clear of light poles, and I dare say there are still poles in some parishes that need to be straightened or replaced. The main effort to minimise damage must be made prior to the commencement of the season and not as the season progresses.

All citizens must prepare for the season themselves and not wait for unfavourable climatic conditions to materialise before doing what needs to be done.

HOTEL STAFF TRAINING

In the immediate period post the COVID -19 pandemic, the hotel industry suffered because of forced closures that were mandatory. As we should recall, the long period of unemployment drove a lot of trained staff to seek employment elsewhere or branch out into their own businesses. The bottom line was that, when hotels opened for business again, in many cases they did so with highly inexperienced staff and this is something that I personally experienced and have written about before.

Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa have put the industry into a similar mode, as many hotels remain closed for refurbishment today, almost two years since the former, and seven years after the latter. Hoteliers have an enormous challenge on their hands, as the world has focused upon Jamaica’s display of resilience and seems poised to support the recovery of our industry. Even under these trying circumstances, our visitors will expect high standards in the delivery of the product and, if the brand is going to regain and maintain its global standing and significance, our staff must be properly trained to deliver at the standards required. It is also important that the industry tries to find innovative ways to retain their experienced staff to reduce the learning curves of those entering now. This industry continues to be our largest foreign exchange earner, our lifeline. We must ensure that we make the recovery right.

THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

There continues to be no real end in sight in this conflict which has proven to be unwarranted on the part of the US and Israel. They have reached the point now where it would be political suicide for either proponent of the war to move for its termination. Iran, on the other hand, is gaining more global support as the proverbial ‘underdog’ and will tighten the noose in the Strait of Hormuz until they are no longer able to do so. The fact of the matter is that neither the US nor Israel seems to know how long Iran can keep holding the handle of the blade, so to speak.

While egos rage in the Middle East, small island developing states will continue to suffer, as we are not resilient enough to withstand the spinoff effects of the fights among the developed worlds. One notes that even the oil-rich states themselves have become fractured as the UAE pulls away from the OPEC body. It is important that nations chart the best courses available to them to ensure survival. The Caribbean needs to see the writing on the wall and act now, not later.

SSP Diaries