Andrea Purkiss says Jamaica tourism workers face crisis despite industry gains

Opposition spokesperson on tourism and linkages Andrea Purkiss opened her 2026 Sectoral Debate presentation by placing Jamaica’s tourism industry at the centre of household survival, saying the sector must be judged by its impact on workers, families and communities, not only by official figures.

Purkiss, the first woman elected to represent Eastern Hanover, told the House that her remarks came with a sense of responsibility to her constituency and to hospitality workers. She thanked Eastern Hanover, the tourism workers who attended, and Opposition Leader Mark Golding for assigning her the tourism and linkages portfolio.

Before turning to policy, Purkiss acknowledged the people she said helped make her parliamentary role possible. She named her family, including her father, mother, spouse and daughter, Italy, as well as Councillor Andrea Dehaney Grant, Councillor Lennox Free, Winston McIntosh, her constituency staff, secretary and executive team.

She argued that tourism in Jamaica is not an abstract economic category, but a source of school fees, mortgage payments and food for many households. For some Jamaicans, she said, it has also become a source of worry as they wait for hotels to reopen and wages to arrive.

Purkiss described tourism as Jamaica’s leading foreign exchange earner and one of the country’s most labour-dependent industries, but said the people who keep the sector running are under severe pressure.

She criticised the Government as being more effective at issuing press statements than managing the sector, framing her contribution as an exercise in accountability rather than celebration.

Purkiss said her presentation would examine the wider tourism system, including air travel, roads, major resorts and small hotels. She said she intended to scrutinise how Jamaica’s tourism earnings are generated, how the sector is structured, who benefits most from it, and who is left with too little.