Religion new Jamaican tourism lure
By Julia Duin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 25, 2006

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- This tropical isle has long marketed its beaches, waterfalls, foliage and water sports to tourists from around the world.

Now it's marketing a hidden resource: religion.

But it's not Rastafarianism, the homegrown messianic sect that sprang up in the 1970s from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Instead, the Jamaican Tourism Board is trying to interest evangelical and charismatic Christian groups to visit the island.

It has put together religious tours of Kingston, the country's capital, and recently started marketing a yearly Fun in the Son gospel festival held every March in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Kingston.

Judging from a visit to the island last month, the effort is still in its infancy, but Jamaica hopes to lure foreign tourists and cruise-ship passengers looking for a different kind of spring break. the rest