We got an email asking to provide reciprocal links for a site the other day, which we did in our FAQ & Link section.

The link they sent is called 'Jamaican Etiquette' and I'm curious to see what you think of the page and any other bits of the site.

For those of you who have experience with Jamaica, either residents or frequent visitors, how do you rate the information on it? And for those new to the island, did you find the site helpful?

http://jamaica-guide.info/traveler_basics/

Just Curious,
-TBNet

Eric,
I had a quick glance. It seems OK for what it attempts to cover. However, because it is covering all Jamaica and all types of traveller (but esp Americans), it seems quite generic.

If someone was thinking of visiting Treasure Beach, the information is not very relevant. eg customs, types of accommodation, facilities, events, etc.

However, if people are just starting to find out about Jamaica, then a link to TBnet would give them more relevant info about Treasure Beach.

If you want to publicise TB events to the broad market, this would be one place to do it.

Hmm, well it sort of looks like every other "broad information about Jamaica" page.
The postal prices I question. Every envelope that I've ever sent to Jamaica, no matter how small has always cost me .80, not .40. Maybe the price is different elsewhere.

segisys seems to be the up and coming link to visit about all things Caribbean though. (yet none of the links to segisys are currently available.)

I dig the little flash navigation buttons under the segisys logo in the upper left corner. Those are pretty snappy. :o)

I'd say the website has potential. No pop up ads are bonus points for them.

Some of the info reminds me of the typical scare tactics spouted so freely by American Travel agents.

For instance, under the "Regions" area, it suggests that visitors to Negril "avoid walking alone at night, at least outside your resort's secured area". I've visited Negril tons of times, and never even stay in a resort. Walking at night is not problem in Negril. Perhaps this broad warning should instead be posted in the "Montego Bay" section (or not at all).

In the “Kingston” area of the site, they claim “it is recommended that tourists stick to Montego Bay's airport”. Hmmm – anyone visiting Port Antonia, or the lovely North Coast of JA is going to have to fly into Kingston. There is nothing wrong with the Kingston Airport at all-perfectly safe for tourists.

This is the type of (mis) information that scares tourists from staying anywhere but large all-inclusive resorts, most likely written by people who have never even visited the places they are talking about.

Just my 2 cents worth,
Eric

Having visited Jamaica for the first time only this past April (more fool me! where was I all these years?!), I'm surely no expert ... but I had the good fortune of spending that visit in Treasure Beach, and the impressions I got differ dramatically from those on that site. I was annoyed by the clear bias toward all-inclusives. The site seems to imply that the big, super expensive places are the only truly safe option for tourists. That might be what the travel agents want everyone to think, but it's definitely not accurate. I'll be returning to Jamaica in a couple of weeks and you can bet I won't be staying in an all-inclusive! It's back to TB for me!

GG