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We need tourists, but not so many
I have to admit
to chuckling whenever I recall Mr. Swift's campaign slogan in his quest
to be elected to the county commission. As I remember, it was "Enough is
enough."
The slogan has
grown more and more ironic in the years since. I suppose if he ran
again, his slogan would have to be, "Never enough."
Now perhaps it is
time for the rest of us to adopt his original slogan. Enough is indeed
enough. Having owned and been associated with an art gallery that was
once on Duval Street, I can testify that not the entire community worked
to bring the cruise ships here. It was a contentious discussion. It was
the big downtown businesses who viewed the cruise ships as their
salvation.
In fact, in the
early '90s, there was an article in Time Magazine discussing the pros
and cons of the cruise ship question in Key West. There was a large
contingent of local business people and community members who feared the
mounting ill effects of mass tourism, especially an economy based on
short-term cruise passengers and day-trippers. In [Easter] Sunday's
coordinated editorial attack by Messrs. Swift, Belland and Scales, it
certainly feels as if a certain desperation on their part has entered
the equation.
I suppose if
every cruise passenger were required to purchase a small work of art
from my business, I also would be tempted to convince the residents that
the cruise industry was a holy grail. Any attempt to pit the working
people of Key West against the retirees and other segments of Key West
society is cynical in the extreme. To blame the Conch migration and
other historical problems on the newcomer is an old trick here. That
card is getting a little worn.
I favor a balance
of visitors to Key West. It is the workers and taxpayers of this town
who underwrite a great deal of the services that the tourism industry
requires. We pay for police, we pay for street-cleaning, we pay for all
those services essential to the big downtown interests. Let's make sure
that we get a good return on that investment. Let us invite those cruise
ship visitors who recognize the value of the place they visit. Why not
have a referendum on implementing a $50 disembarkation fee for each
passenger. A reasonable fee such as this could mean less congestion,
less services demanded, a cleaner environment, and perhaps even a
reduction in the millage rate over the long term.
We, the
residents, have a responsibility to leave Key West a better place for
the next generation, not a place squeezed dry for a short-sighted profit
now. I have found that in my 28 years in Key West, it is the people that
most often mention the Golden Goose who are the ones most likely not to
recognize it. Let us invite as our guests the people who will visit our
historical and cultural sites, our restaurants and theaters, our
once-again healthy reefs and soon-to-be clear waters.
This is our home.
Tourism exists to serve us, we do not exist to serve it.
John Martini
Key West |
