We really do realise the importance of the role that optimism can play, especially in these taxing times.

It is optimism that keeps chins up, that rallies spirits when the going gets as tough. As with many paradoxes in life though, there is a very thin line between the wholesome optimism and sick, twisted delusion.

And with every due respect to Mr Edmund Bartlett, the minister of tourism, we think he has sailed into the latter state in a boat full of dicey statistics and public relations gimmicks which simply do not reflect the true state of the industry at this time.

Come on now.

How much longer are we to pretend that the tourism industry, perhaps one of the most vulnerable to the implications of the current recession, has been outperforming itself year after year since 2007 when the Jamaica Labour Party took office?

According to Mr Wayne Cummings, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, tourism earnings could drop by US$400 million compared to last year. This projection, which was reported in our Friday edition, contrasts sharply with Minister Bartlett’s previous projection that Jamaica is likely to exceed last year’s revenue targets.

Who are we to believe?

It is no secret that our hoteliers have had to discount heavily in order to attract the proverbial half loaf which is always better than none. And we believe that no one can reasonably argue that Minister Bartlett is not working hard to open up new markets and forge more critical linkages in order to keep the industry going.

But if the fact is that the incremental increases in arrivals that Minister Bartlett reports so diligently every so often are attributable to bargain-seeking tourists who wouldn’t dream of coming here on anything but the cheapest of terms, then that too needs to be said.

For at the end of the day it’s the operating health, that Mr Cummings spoke about, of the industry that really matters. This, not the fuss over millions of arrivals, is what will define the credibility of the industry in the long run.

We know Minister Bartlett knows this.

So why, why, is he trying to bamboozle us with less-than-meaningful statistics?

Does he think that it is in the public’s interest to camouflage the true state of things; that we can’t handle the truth?

Or is his balderdash designed to decorate his public rating?

We hope that this latest revelation by Mr Cummings serves as the clarion call for more objective dialogue within this very important industry, because in times like these when change is the only constant, it is the truth that will provide the relevant rationale for change and ultimately set us free.