Caribbean Travel Expert

With almost every major hotels on the island offering “All Inclusive Packages” to foreign tourists, many hotel employees are complaining of low wages as a result of lack of tips and gratuity. An “All Inclusive Package” is a vacation deal that includes: airfare, food, beverages, transportation, etc. In other words, once a tourist gets checked into a hotel, he or she enjoys the benefits of all you can eat and drink (meals and beverages including liquor). Tourists do not pay at the Bars, Restaurants, etc., again. Everything is already prepaid in this type of package.

Prior to introducing this “All Inclusive Package” to Jamaica, they were vacation packages such as: Full American Plan (FAP) and European Plan (EP) that ruled in the 1970s and 1980s. The difference with these plans (FAP, EP, etc) in contrast to the All Inclusive Package deal, tourists were more in control of their choice of meals, when to eat, and most important, tipping was at their discretion. If you ask any hotel employees today that work as a waitor, waitress, bus boy, bell hop, front desk clerk or in housekeeping when was considered the best days of hotel work in Jamaica, I am confident that they will unequivocally say that the days of FAP, EP, etc., were the best days. With this All Inclusive Package, Jamaican workers are not making money, because they are not getting tips. Most hotels in Jamaica pay employees very trivial and nominal amount of wages. It is not even sufficient for most of them to travel back and forth to work. So although it is quite evident that tourists benefit more from the “All Inclusive Package” deals, the common people/workers are just simply getting dressed to perform a task that is not rewarding them.

We should allow tourists to tip at their discretion again by introducing other package deals such as the FAP, EP, etc., to the island hotels. While the “All Inclusive Package” may be beneficial to tourists, and yes, we want tourists, because it stimulates our economy, we cannot ignore the cries of the common man. We must ensure that at least some of the money get into Jamaica under this “All Inclusive Package” deal. It is noble to treat our employees with respect and dignity. Jamaica can boast as one of the best tourist destinations in the world over.  However, let us invoke the divine principle: “By the sweat of your brow, ye shall eat bread” and pay our employees a decent salary so that they can feed and take care of their families.