Above: the view from the Hotel Mockingbird Hill in Port Antonio

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Innovation in the management of energy could provide a boost to Jamaica’s tourism sector, Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill said this week.

With an increasingly high cost of energy, Jamaica’s tourism sector must develop a “sustainable” framework, he said.

“Energy efficiency is, simply put, finding ways to provide the energy services in the various spaces in which we operate, at a decreased cost,” he said. “So, we have to be innovative and forward-thinking in our efforts to implement energy-efficiency measures and sustainable solutions.”

McNeill pointed to what he called successful energy-saving measures at resorts like the Sandals Montego Bay and the Portland-based, Green Globe-certified Mockingbird Hill hotel, using green energy resources like solar power.

“I am encouraging all our tourism partners to do what you can, incrementally and over time, to expand your energy options and increase your use of sustainable energy, he said. “We have entities of varying sizes, and I realize the initial costs involved may seem daunting, but it may be that you need to retrofit your bulbs, install solar panels, implement waste water management systems, plus a myriad of other solutions.”

For more on Jamaican tourism, check out Caribbean Journal’s interview with Minister McNeill from earlier this year.