‘I am not for jet skis,’ Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on Sunday, outlining his personal stance on the issue. However, Gonsalves stated that he is not the sole person in the administration and that his personal opinion will not become policy.
“I am not for the jet skis, but I’m not the only person in the country. I’m not the only person in the government. But I will say this: these beaches are so small and the extent of them is so great that obviously Carlos James, the tourism minister, is right. You have to ban jet skis from particular locations”.
“I want somebody to tell me how you can have jet skis between Indian Bay and Villa; the segment of the beaches is so small. Will you say we will let them stay so many meters out in the sea? Well, what about the yachts, and how are they going to go through the yachts, and so on and so forth”, Gonsalves said.
According to Gonsalves, there are certain complexities, and if the location makes it exceedingly difficult for anybody to grasp the restrictions, in some locations they must be banned, while in others they may be allowed, as the minister stated.
Gonsalves says that, like the tourism and hotel associations, he has a highly agnostic attitude on jet skiing.
“I’ve heard from some people who want to do jet skis that we might be letting go of the bone and going for the shadow,” Gonsalves remarked.
In February, Tourism Minister Carlos James stated that the government would review the rule governing the importation of wave runners or jet skis later this year.
This will be done, according to James, with the goal of having them used in zoned sites and with licensed importers.
Minister James earlier this year stated that there is a misconception that the government has to put in some of the resources and infrastructure in a lot of areas where people are hoping to see value added to the tourism product.
Gonsalves stated his personal opinion on the Issue at Hand programme on WEFM.
