Headlines:
| Bartlett says Cummings statements are baseless |
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| Friday, 05 February 2010 | |
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The Government has
scoffed at a call being made for a change to the system used to calculate
earning projections for the tourism sector. On Thursday, Wayne Cummings, President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, expressed doubt that the $2 billion in earnings projected this year by the Tourism Ministry would be achieved. Mr. Cummings said his calculations, based on current market trends, do not add up to that amount. He also questioned whether the time has come to review the models used to determine projected earnings.  Ed Bartlett, Tourism Minister. Mr. Bartlett told RJR's Financial Report that the current method used to project tourism earnings has been in place for several years and is also utilised globally. "The practitioners who have been the chief technical people doing have not changed so it's strange that Mr. Cummings is disputing the validity of the methodology now. This has been how it's been done forever and it's a very serious accusation to make, so (Mr. Cummings) better have a better formula and put it forward," he said. |