Though medicine was his early ambition and passion, this son of the north coast has worked in tourism, here and overseas, for more than three decades.John Marsh, who is the regional coordinator of visitor’s safety and experience at the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), has blazed a trail of dedication, as he has contributed to Jamaica’s tourism industry since 1982.In his illustrious career, John Marsh has worked with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) for 14 years, formed his own marketing company, Creative Vacations, and has been employed at TPDCo since 2009.Over the years too, he has engaged another of his passions – farming, but even that couldn’t reduce the pull to full time involvement in tourism. “I guess once you’ve been bitten by the tourism bug, you keep on coming back. I am a people person and I like dealing with tourists and I like imparting the knowledge that I’ve gained in tourism,” Mr Marsh explained in an interview with North Coast Times.
CHANGING TIMES
But Marsh did not actually dream of entering tourism, but actually wanted to become a medical doctor.
“I wanted to become a doctor at that time but my father, who was also a doctor, talked me out of it, because I was not a book worm, so I went into farming until 1970,” explained the Jamaica College old boy, who added that he sat several science related exams in the senior Cambridge and GCE A levels Exams. (Today’s equivalent would be CSEC/CAPE).Marsh, was born on November 26, 1946 to Dr. Edward Marsh and Pearl Marsh and grew up in Port Antonio, in Portland. He attended Princeton Preparatory and went to Titchfield High School for a year. His family later moved to St. Mary and he was sent as a boarder to Jamaica College.
Marsh, while reflecting on his life, pointed out several alarming differences from his days growing up as a youth when compared to the present society.
“The respect that people had for one another has greatly reduced. The family values in local villages and towns are changing. The thing that is very prevalent today and is a spillover from the days of slavery is that there is a distinct absence of the male father figure in the family. I think that is one of the main problems when it comes on to crime now. Ninety-five percent of the men in jail today had no father figure and that tells a story right there,” Marsh argued.
FROM FARMING TO INSURANCE
After leaving Jamaica College and settling into farming, Marsh married in 1969 to Rosemary Vernon. Their marriage produced two children; Sharon and Craig. Craig died at the age of 20 as he had muscular dystrophy.Sharon is married to Neville Reid and they have two children together.
“When I first left school, I helped my father on his farm where he had oranges, pimento, coconuts and he also was into dairy,” he noted.
In 1970, Marsh’s life took on a new direction, as he went into life insurance with Mutual Life until 1973. He later gained employment at Kem Products and stayed there until 1977, before leaving for England in 1978 with his wife and children.
THE MOVE TO ENGLAND
Whilst in England, Marsh initially sold in insurance and in 1979, he started his love affair with tourism as he worked as a tour operator with a company called Intasun. He also studied travel and tourism, and became a member of the Institute of Travel and Tourism (M.Inst.T.T.).
“They (people in England) were taken aback, because someone ‘from the colonies’ was as educated as I was even though I’ve never been to university. I think that because of my educational and social background, I was able to rise up the ladder in England very fast, much to people’s dislike. I became a manager in less than six months,” Marsh recounted, while noting that it was a great exposure for his children.
TOURISM IN JAMAICA
Marsh and his family returned to Jamaica in December of 1981 due to the urgings of the then minister of tourism Tony Abrahams and then director of tourism, John Gentles.And for 14 years, John Marsh worked with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) as a district manager in charge of the Ocho Rios region.“When I started in tourism in Jamaica, there were a lot of celebrities coming to the island, such as Clint Eastwood and Eddie Fisher. It was regular for members of the royal family to come to Jamaica. They liked coming to the island, because there wasn’t that press hype and they could relax,” Marsh said.On reflection, Marsh noted that one of the biggest differences with tourism in the past when compared to the present was that the biggest attraction was ‘service’, especially in the 70s and 80s.Marsh also explained that there is a high occupancy rate amongst most hotels in Ocho Rios because of the all inclusive programme. This however has led to a decrease in the number of visitors leaving the hotels and by extension interaction with the Jamaica public. Cruise shipping has had a major effect on the resort of Ocho Rios and hopefully continues in this trend for the foreseeable future.
