The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

JET SKI operators yesterday pledged they are willing to sit with tourism industry officials and address all issues affecting the sector.

Patrick Glinton, president of the Jet Ski Operators Association, also admitted that operators have “work to do” in cleaning up the industry’s image, but said: “We’re not all bad apples.”

“We want to come to the table with all the stakeholders; the hotels, the Ministry of Tourism, and see what it is that we can do,” said Mr Glinton.

“Until we can all come together nothing will happen.

“I can understand the US Embassy’s concerns, I can understand the concerns of Atlantis. They want to protect their guests and they want to protect themselves from getting sued if something happens. When Mr Sol Kerzner was around, he brought everyone together and we worked towards solutions.”

Mr Glinton added that he did not want to engage in finger-pointing or a ‘blame game’ exercise, and was more concerned about the country’s overall tourism product.

“People want to minimise our integrity but maximise our iniquity,” he said.

“They never talk about how many people we save from drowning and the good that we do for the industry. I want the best for our country and, yes, there is room for improvement. I won’t say we have it all together. There are some bad apples but we are not all bad apples.”