Gwaaaan Termites!! Fat Tourists tuh di Whirlllllllllll

[Mosiah]

Even tho it may have nothing to do with him.

[Mosiah]

What's so wrong if our economy is based on tourism? There are several countries that maximised that sector before they sought to diversify. And in diversifying, they moved to finance and commerce, hardly STEM fields.

Was the logistic hub STEM-dependent?

[Jawge]

Careful; one cannot teach applications to students. Students develop a sense of applying knowledge via a deep theoretical understanding of the subject matter.

[Assasin]

A fi him time, him coulda "f" it up.

[Don1]

What's so wrong if our economy is based on tourism?

Hmmm.... Let us count the ways

When last have you looked at our macro-economic statistics? Our tourism has been growing significantly since the Spanish chains came... Do you see a big impact on the macro-economy??? NO

Why?

Tourism is a low wage, low value add industry with a VERY high import content. 60 cents out of every US$ earned goes out in imports of food, liquor, machinery & equipment, supplies, fixtures, nuff fuel fi provide a/c & seedless grapes fi di ovaweight peeps etc etc etc

So in effect...foreign suppliers benefit more from our tourist dollar than we do

So JA cannot look to tourism to turn around the economy

It's not rocket science

[Don1]

This is not a theory for me

[Don1]

You're confused..I never said a single industry could do this

I sad tourism is NOT transformative since the value-added per investment dollar is very low

Further..I said JA needs to attract industry SECTORS which are high growth & have higher value-add to have a chance at progress...while maintaining traditional low value-add sectors like tourism and trying to upgrade them

Das all

[Assasin]

"When last have you looked at our macro-economic statistics? Our tourism has been growing significantly since the Spanish chains came... Do you see a big impact on the macro-economy??? NO"

Our tourism has been growing long before that. When you have Jamaican investors the impact is much more. The fact is like everything else the quality of government is important. We give 30 and 20 year tax break and let them carry in their workers at all level so we are not benefitting as we should. Tourism by itself is providing a lot of benefit. Ask places like the UN, and other people who study and they will tell you about the indirect benefit from Tourism.

Sandals alone said it spend 3 billion a year to local Manufacturers. Imagine if others were doing the same thing but all the other spin off and possible spin etc.

[Don1]

With all your yappin....Tourism is a low value add industry where 90% of the workers are in low paid service jobs. Yes these workers need jobs

This is a perfect fit for our economy now...since we primarily churn out low level workers

This needs to change...and the only (or best) way it will is via appropriate STEM education preparing our economy for this century...not the last one

Professor...you're dismissed

[Assasin]

That is the way it is with most industries. Even in innovative industries most of the stuff is build in factories where most of the workers are low paid. Yes top engineers and managers get good pay but... One thing you can say about tourism and that is the standard of pay is currently higher than any service industry in Jamaica. One thing is not accounted for in your survey and that is Tips and the when a man go and buy trinkets from the local community.

[Willi]

Just come back from the Expo in Milan..

Jamaica is not really a part of the global economy. We are totally fringe element. We were not even repped at the Expo, despite the fact that China would pay for us like they did for the other islands that showed up. When Rwanda, and Mali and all the Ebola hit coutries were there, and when the likes of Ecuador had a mainline pavilion, then you can see we dont "matter' one iota on the world stage outside pf sports and music.

The theme was agriculture and the food of the future for crying out loud.

I give up...

[Willi]

Jamaica should be an Agro powerhouse...

[Don1]

Jamaica should be an Agro powerhouse...

That too....Agriculture needs a HUGE tech upgrade.. Our yields are waaay too low to be competitive...

Agronomy, R&D in crop genetics, greenhouse production, hydroponics, drip irrigation systems etc etc

In Century 21 technology cannot be escaped if we want progress...whatever we do.

So the play is to master technology in areas we have a comparative advantage

[Don1]

That is the way it is with most industries. Even in innovative industries most of the stuff is build in factories where most of the workers are low paid. Yes top engineers and managers get good pay but... One thing you can say about tourism and that is the standard of pay is currently higher than any service industry in Jamaica. One thing is not accounted for in your survey and that is Tips and the when a man go and buy trinkets from the local community.

I have seen no study indicating that wages in the tourism sector are higher than every other service industry. Please supply that source.

Even if that's the case it would merely prove how bad Jamaica's labor productivity is...and the need for a MASSIVE upgrade

But yes...tips and trinket purchases probably provide a HUGE boost to our GDP...Mi Belly!!!!!!

[Don1]

Just come back from the Expo in Milan..

Jamaica is not really a part of the global economy. We are totally fringe element. We were not even repped at the Expo, despite the fact that China would pay for us like they did for the other islands that showed up. When Rwanda, and Mali and all the Ebola hit coutries were there, and when the likes of Ecuador had a mainline pavilion, then you can see we dont "matter' one iota on the world stage outside pf sports and music.

The theme was agriculture and the food of the future for crying out loud.

I give up...

Jamaica & Jamaicans have not yet entered the 21st Century... We are generally operating at mid 1980s levels...You can tell by the yappin of Termites & ChiChi alike...and the Jamaican intelligentsia

Not to mention certain Rum Baristas

Look at what the education debate is about when Jamaicans decide to yap on that...pure superficial trivia appropriate maybe for 1985... but definitely not 2015