Why, despite decades of policy recognition, legislation, licensing and official declarations, does the ordinary Jamaican still experience beach access as a contested privilege rather than an unquestioned component of citizenship? That question cannot be answered by blaming one hotel. Nor should it be reduced to a crude argument against tourism or private investment. Jamaica needs tourism. But JM does not need a tourism model in which the profitable natural asset is progre

I learned to swim in Portland. Not in a hotel pool. Not behind a resort gate. Not after producing a credit card, booking a room, or asking permission. My grandfather, Lester Maylor, taught me to swim in Jamaica’s sea. I was Jamaican. The sea was there. I went to the beach. Six decades later, I find myself asking a question that my grandfather never needed to ask: WHO OWNS JAMAICA’S BEACHES? Tourism is vital. Investment is important. Visitors are welcome. But tourism can