Perceptions of Kingston
Michelle McDonald speaks with British supporters at Sabina ParkFrom afar, thoughts of the Caribbean conjure up images of white-sand beaches, lots of sunshine, and happy 'irie' people. Mention Jamaica to most foreigners and the first thing they might mention is 'the place with a crime problem'. Worse, Kingston is the place where tourists are warned not to venture to and they stay behind the safety of their North Coast hotels with high concrete walls and security guards. Two recent headlines in the daily newspapers about savage murders would be enough to turn any potential visitor off.
But the Jamaica Tourist Board's tagline used to try and entice people to this land of wood and water is 'once you go, you know'. Their pink banner could be seen fluttering high atop the North Stand at Sabina Park during the first Test between England and the West Indies. In the stands sat those who can now go back and report that the Kingston they've experienced isn't as bad as it's made out to be by some. CaribbeanCricket.com weaved its way into the George Headley stand while West Indians were celebrating a dramatic West Indies victory by an innings and 23 runs.
Mark is from London and decided to travel to Kingston because the first match in the series was being played here. "I really didn't know a lot about Kingston before I came, but I've had a really good time. The people are really friendly. It's been a bad result for us but I've enjoyed it," he said. Surely he must have heard about Kingston's crime problem before he came? "I've seen that, but London's got a crime problem as well, so that didn't really bother me in terms of coming here. It's been very friendly and safe where we've stayed," the Londoner said.
John travelled from Sheffield in the north of England. He had been to Barbados and Antigua before. He wanted to come to Jamaica "so it was an opportunity to come and have a look." He says he didn't have a problem coming to Kingston. None at all? Haven't you heard about Jamaica's crime problem? "Oh, yes, the mugging capital of the world, apart from Sheffield that is!" he quipped. He admitted that apart from a city tour by bus, the group didn't really have a chance to go out into the city. "We walked last night for half a mile up the road [from the hotel] and back. People have been very friendly and the hotel has been fantastic, very good," John stated.
In anticipation of warm weather, Margaret and her husband, an older couple from Scotland, booked a last minute trip. They travelled independently. Asked what they thought about Kingston before they came, Margaret said they never thought anything negative and were looking forward to their drive out to the countryside. They plan to stay in Jamaica until Friday.
Curiosity brought Colin here from Sutton. He said "we've never been here before. Everybody said it wasn't safe, but we've had no problems. It has been pleasant where we're staying." He will also be venturing outside of Kingston, to Ocho Rios on the North Coast. "The temperature is good. Do you know it's snowing where we're from," said Colin, happy to be able to wear a T-shirt in February, instead of shovelling snow.
Once England is on tour, Nicky from Liverpool has to be there. Having missed out on the historic 47 at the same venue in 2004, she was determined to be part of the action this time. "Five years ago I didn't come to Jamaica; I went to Trinidad and Barbados. My friends were in Jamaica and said they had a great time," she remembered. Nicky said that before coming out, "we were told we had to be a little bit careful and there are some areas of Kingston that we probably shouldn't be walking around in and shouldn't go to, but everybody here has been very friendly. We're staying in nice places and going to some of the restaurants and bars in New Kingston. We haven't had any problems at all. It's been good."
Most everyone we spoke with has confined themselves to New Kingston, or 'uptown' as it is referred to. This is the area which houses the hotels where the host and visiting teams stay. Within walking distance of these city hotels are several restaurants, including Cuddyz – owned by legendary former West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh.
Steve from Berkshire went downtown Kingston – the former home of all major businesses and the transportation hub when railways operated. Before that, many stately homes with interesting architecture were located on streets which ran south to the Kingston Harbour. Successive governments have drawn up plans to restore downtown Kingston but none has come to fruition.
When asked if he would recommend Kingston to others, Steve paused for a bit and then replied "yes, I suppose so, not downtown Kingston, but uptown yes, definitely. I went downtown. It was safe, but I went in the day time, not night." He was guided by advice from the Foreign Office who warn potential travellers about the crime.
Kevin O'Brien who was the tour escort from Sporting Highlights confirmed that the stigma attached to Jamaica meant that their numbers were reduced when compared to tours of Antigua and Barbados. He said "Jamaica has a reputation for violence and a lot of British people are put off by it. When we go to Antigua next week , it will be a much bigger group because people are coming out directly from the UK to Antigua. You hear so much about the gang violence and downtown Kingston."
Oddly enough, Antigua, for the second time within a year, has had to be polishing up its image as a safe destination following the murders of three tourists – two of them being a married British couple on honeymoon. Statistics have shown that despite the rate of murders per capita, Jamaica has one of the lowest rates of crimes against tourists. Perhaps it is because as Kevin says "we are in New Kingston and then we're here [at the ground] and we're kind of cocooned from it, but people do hear the stories." Kevin feels it is a shame that Jamaica has the reputation it has because having worked 25 years ago at Alpha Academy for girls – a secondary school located opposite to Sabina Park – he says he loves the place "but you can't get away from the fact that there are problems."
The Sporting Highlights group has gone on tours of Port Royal, which they found interesting and attractive, as well as to the Bob Marley Museum and historic Devon House.
With Chris Gayle and the West Indies team providing the British fans with a free day on Sunday, Nicky was also planning to visit the Bob Marley Museum, otherwise a day at the poolside beckoned. The West Indies captain was asked what else he would recommend. " I might cook for them....some rice and peas and chicken!" he joked then added "I'm sure they will enjoy the country, a bit of sightseeing, but I'm sure they'll enjoy New Kingston, a few beers, which they are accustomed to." The West Indies Captain, who hails from East Kingston, advised that Saturday night would have been the best night to go out and enjoy themselves.
If any of them took his advice, the tourism officials no doubt would be hoping that there were no incidents to mar their positive perceptions. In addition, they will be relying on every British supporter who travelled to Kingston to help them spread their message about Jamaica that 'once you go, you know'.