MONTEGO BAY, St James — President of Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) Oral Heaven believes the just-concluded Reggae Sumfest festival could not have come at a better time, with the country recovering from Hurricane Beryl.

The Category 4 hurricane impacted the island some three weeks ago — days before the annual music showcase.

Beryl had forced the closure of several businesses and cessation commercial activities, after its strong winds and rain ravaged sections of the island.

But Heaven told the Jamaica Observer that Sumfest, which ran from July 14-20 at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, provided a sort of relief for business operators, especially small businesses which saw an increase in commercial transactions.

“It was the perfect rebound because a number of businesses would have closed temporarily and, naturally, when you close businesses you lose revenue,” said Heaven.

“Those businesses which participated in Sumfest and those which benefited indirectly would see Sumfest as a rebound or an injection of revenue into their businesses and into the economy of Montego Bay,” added Heaven.

He pointed to the impact that the event had on, especially, the micro business community, which has faced severe challenges — especially with the power cuts following the hurricane — and who are working to get back on their feet, especially with back to school on the horizon.

“There were a number of food vendors who benefited from the street dance, the family fun day, the sounds clash, and Sumfest itself,” said Heaven as he argued that the music festival had its usual positive impact on the town of Montego Bay and surrounding areas.

“The economy, of course, benefited from it through the store operators, taxi operators, hotels, Airbnbs — the Airbnbs being fully booked and the hotels had solid bookings,” pointed out Heaven.

He said he was happy that the organisers managed to keep things on track, despite Beryl’s threat of derailing the proceedings.

“We saw a great turnout for both nights [Friday and Saturday] which, as far as I can see and Sumfest [organisers] themselves would have seen a good turnout and benefited from the show.

“Montego Bay, again, is proud to have DownSound Entertainment’s Sumfest having Montego Bay as its home. I look forward to other stagings,” said Heaven.

But even as he indicated his pleasure with the show, Heaven renewed his appeal for the authorities to address the situation as to the management of Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre.

He charged that every year the space does only two events, Sumfest and Jerk Fest, and argued that much more could be done if the management of the facility was sorted out.

“With Sumfest coming every year and setting up and have to do the same thing each year, people are asking why don’t we have the venue to be an entertainment zone for Montego Bay, with activities all year round where you have different entertainment events, different attractions, different things there,” said Heaven.

The producer of Reggae Sumfest, DownSound Entertainment — headed by businessman Josef “Joe” Bogdonavich — has been working on getting a lease for the property through which they plan to develop it into an entertainment centre outfitted with restaurants, museums and other businesses.

For Heaven, the continued delay in finalising this, or any other arrangement, continues to rob the space of more events, such as Sumfest, on a yearly basis.

“The reality is, the authorities need to look into partnership that is being proposed. That has been on the table for some time now. We know that interest is there…to have the place operating all year round,” added Heaven as he argued that this could be a major boost for Montego Bay and the rest of St James.

“I think for employment, the growth of Montego Bay, for increase in entertainment in Montego Bay, and for the increase in investment in the entertainment industry…it is time they look at granting a company, or someone who can really maintain and keep that ground all year round, [the opportunity] to provide more employment for residents of St James,” said Heaven.