A true tourism success story

Shirley James, owner of the Pink Hibiscus Villa in Ironshore, St James, says her strong belief that tourism will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic is the main reason “why I am still in the game”.

James, who operates what many have dubbed one of the best villa operations anywhere in Ironshore, said that while the raging pandemic has sent the tourism sector “in a tailspin”, she will be forever grateful that some of her customer base has remained loyal.

“I have been operating the Pink Hibiscus Villa now for over 30 years and this is easily the most challenging it has ever been,” she said.

“It has been a very rough road for the past 11 months and I am only hoping and praying that we will return to some semblance of normality sometime soon.

“We don’t like to brag or anything, but in our opinion, the Pink Hibiscus Villa is the best small hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to stay or have your wedding,” James added.

A daughter of Montego Bay, the tourism capital, James said she has always been fascinated with the hospitality sector… always wanting to interact with visitors… always wanting to serve people.”

It was with that mindset that she went overseas at a very young age to garner experience and to further her education.

For love of country and her determination to be intimately involved in Jamaica’s popular tourism sector, she would return in the early 1990s when the Pink Hibiscus was born.

James has not looked back since and the Pink Hibiscus, prior to the novel coronavirus, became a success story, always buzzing with excitement and “almost always full to capacity with repeat visitors”.

“I am from a very humble upbringing and will forever be grateful to the tourism sector for giving me a start,” she said.

“I have remained true to my core principles which have worked out well for me and operations here at the Pink Hibiscus. Here you will be guaranteed quality service in addition to a pristine environment. We treat our guests as family.”

James said that, if anything, COVID-19 has taught Jamaicans a valuable lesson as in relation to the importance of the tourism industry and the sector’s vulnerability to natural disasters.

“I am reminded by something Whitter Village’s owner, Angella Whitter, said recently about tourism,” James added.

“Quoting Mrs Whitter,a ‘every man, woman and child living in and around Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios, must realise now that we were 95 per cent reliant on tourism. We must do all that we can to ensure that we follow protocols – keep distance, wear a mask and wash hands frequently,” James said.

“Until we find another avenue to keep us ‘sane and productive’, this is our ‘golden baby’, so every tourist means a whole lot to us. We would like to see our entertainment, restaurants, bars and tours back up, but we will first have to know that we must act responsibly to keep the numbers of infections down.  The numbers will increase because we are screening/testing more people, but it is still left up to each one of us to keep protocols in the forefront of our minds and actions.”

She added: “It is not possible to earn more foreign exchange from any other avenue – we see it the world over.  People need to travel and the world economies grow and flourish as a result. People can’t travel, the world economies collapse, plain and simple. Let us all do the right thing so that we can get travel back on track.”

Pink Hibiscus is a 12-bedroom, six-bath, child-friendly hillside villa. It features a freshwater swimming pool, covered verandahs, indoor and outdoor dining, a fully equipped kitchen, cable/satellite TV, VCR, CD/cassette player, baby sitting services and a full staff. All bedrooms have ensuite baths and TV with local broadcast. Two bedrooms, including the master, open onto a patio/balcony and have a king-sized bed. Three bedrooms each have two twin beds and one bedroom has three twin beds.