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'Jamaica
Spice' to lure tourists
JAMAICA'S
BEACHES, mountains, scenic spots, internationally renowned
hotels, music and people are not the only attractions for
visitors to the nation's shores. Enticing food, like the island's
specialty for jerked meats, is being considered an important
calling card and income generator.
According
to Francis Yeo, general manager of events and special projects
at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the interest in, and popularity
of Jamaican cuisine internationally has been enhanced by the
addition of a national food festival, "Jamaica Spice",
to the calendar of events.
"Our
cooking is distinctive, it is getting out there on the world
market, people are interested in our cooking and cuisine and
that is one aspect that we look to promote," she told
The Sunday Gleaner last week.
Miss
Yeo said the JTB hopes "Jamaica Spice", scheduled
for next month, will encourage culinary specialists from around
the world to visit the country.
"In
terms of what the festival can do in another two to three
years we want to have people coming in for a full week of
activities, we want to get to the stage where we actually
target people overseas to come to this food festival,"
she said.
There
were no figures to indicate the monetary returns from the
promotion of this aspect of Jamaica's culture but prospects,
according to Director of Tourism, Fay Pickersgill, look good.
Combination
"Food
alone as an export product is profitable but when you put
food together with the best performing industry in the economy,
tourism, the potential contribution to economic growth is
greatly enhanced," she said.
She
noted that a study conducted in 1997 showed that hotels spend
$2.5 billion on food, of which $1.7 billion was local with
even more added from the spin offs from tourism for food exports.
Also, with the growing demand for Jamaica's "special
culinary touch" food, Mrs. Pickersgill said, can become
one of Jamaica's major attractions.
The
festival is held in collaboration with the Jamaica Cultural
Development Commission (JCDC), and this was part of the JTB's
aim to promote Jamaica as being more than just a beach vacation
and was part of the special calendar events marketed overseas,
Miss Yeo said.
"Jamaica
Spice" was started last year. The second annual festival
is scheduled to begin on July 14, culminating on July 17 at
the Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios. According to Delroy
Gordon, acting executive director of the JCDC, the festival
will be held alongside the JCDC's culinary arts exposition
which is being held July 17-18.
"What
we hope to achieve from it is that it will provide more exposure
particularly to our indigenous food," Mr. Gordon said.
The
highlights of the festival will be an exhibition of traditional
gourmet, processed foods which originate and are produced
in Jamaica; cooking demonstrations, food sales and sampling.
Local restaurants and interests in the food business seem
excited about the venture.
By
Janice Ansine
Source:
Sunday Gleaner 28/06/1999
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