Hospitality Jamaica:: Lucea granted JUTA chapter

After a six-year Supreme Court battle with its directorship, members of the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) and the Hanover Chamber of Commerce are celebrating the conferral of chapter status on the Lucea division of that organisation.

"I think JUTA Lucea is long overdue and with new development of hotels in Hanover, which will see the parish possessing close to 5,000 rooms, and new investors such as Dolphin Cove, it was important because a large number of tour bus operators live here and deserved their own chapter to determine their own destiny," President of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce, Theo Chambers, told Hospitality Jamaica.

"I have no doubt it is going to be very strong and will be a total success because it has strong leadership," he added.

established in 2006

Officially established in November 2006, JUTA Lucea is the seventh chapter to be formed on the island, achieving what its executive body describes as "a victory for Hanover." They have since set up operations at offices located at the Kings Plaza at Keep Left, in the town of Lucea.

"It is something that we struggled six years to achieve," President of JUTA Lucea, James Thompson, told Hospitality Jamaica. "The first time we met was in December 2000. The convenor was the late Alfred Tomlinson, who was also instrumental in forming the Negril Chapter in 1974. Hanover has come of age, and it was high time we formed our own chapter to look after our own affairs."

He said a proposal was made to the all-island president at the time, stating that there was a group of more than 50 operators, outlining that the constitution states that a group of 50 or more operators in a clearly defined geographical area or region, can apply to the board of directors for chapter status.

"We met those qualifications but we were still denied a chapter, as the then president of the Montego Bay chapter who had jurisdiction over the parish of Hanover at the time said he did not see the need for a chapter to be established in Hanover, even though the constitution clearly gave us that right," Thompson added.

He also said the Hanover group wrote to the the Prime Minister at the time, Mr. P.J. Patterson, who gave them 'his blessings' and instructed them to meet with Junior Tourism Minister, Dr. Wykeham McNeill, and then Member of Parliament, Benjamin Clare.

stumbling blocks

"Over 80 of us met with the ministers in Negril and that should have led to the early formation of JUTA Lucea, but for whatever reason there was a lot of stumbling blocks in our way. We took the matter to the Supreme Court and later tried to settle the matter amicably, but were told some of us were to go and join the Montego Bay chapter and others should join the Negril. However, the directors finally agreed to allow Hanover to have its own chapter and so we were officially granted a chapter last November."

JUTA Lucea's nine-member directors includes Vice-President, Vernon Lefever; Secretary Adrian Parkinson; Assistant Secretary Hazel Stewart and Treasurer Delroy Grant, who are currently completing the organisation's strategic plan on its members' behalf.