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It's Jamaica, the beach's "value" is not shared with the greater Jamaican society. Maybe if it were the sand would still be there.

• EdwardDiego 12y ago
  > It's Jamaica, the beach's "value" is not shared with the greater Jamaican society. Can you please expand on this? I read it to mean that Jamaican beaches are often privatised and off-limits to the public. Is that correct?
  • wavefunction 12y ago
    There are two Jamaicas, one for the tourists (the Beach) and the rest which is often quite poor and destitute. They mix as much as oil and water do, and the natives are "discouraged" from interacting with the tourists other than in a service role. This is from personal experience and from extensive contact with Jamaican service employees working in the US (worked for several months with imported hotel staff from Jamaica when I was younger). These were some of the hardest working folks I have ever met, working two or three jobs at the five-star hotel we were employed at and saving up every single bit they could before returning to Jamaica where their opportunities were even less.
    • EdwardDiego 12y ago
      > There are two Jamaicas, one for the tourists (the Beach) and the rest which is often quite poor and destitute. They mix as much as oil and water do, and the natives are "discouraged" from interacting with the tourists other than in a service role. Man, that's sad, half the fun of travelling is the culture and people. Hell, that sounds pretty damned colonial in mindset.