|
Archived Articles
Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.
He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.
Global Real Estate Project
|
 |
Jamaica, A Country With Two Faces
 Asking any two visitors to Jamaica about their impressions will get you two completely different answers and both will be right. Depending on whether you've lost your wallet on the beach or you've found a good bargain at the hotel, Jamaica will be the place for revisiting or the place to stay away from for you and for your friends. Placed at the top of the list of Americans tourists' destinations in the Caribbean together with Bahamas, the former British colony may be very dangerous place for some travelers. But it also could be very welcoming for others. Which face it will turn to you depends not on the chance. Especially happy these days are the tourists using the services of one of some 50 all-inclusive resorts around the island. There you are kept away from the ordinary life of the nation but also you can enjoy tranquility as much as possible. The hidden side of this coin is that you don't meet the other cultures. It's like being everywhere in the world and eating only at one fast food chain. It's safe for you as far as you know the meal; there are no unpleasant surprises, because there aren't surprises at all. The same goes with the all-inclusive resorts around the Caribbean, you can forget for a moment whether you're in Jamaica, in the Dominican Republic or even in Cuba. The prices may vary slightly but the services are standardized. So after passing a week in such resort in one of the islands you can claim having visited them all and at the same time being unaware of any of the local cultures. In what Jamaica is concerned, about half of the foreigners prefer staying at such all-inclusive resorts, more than anywhere else in the Caribbean. This half of the tourists has good reasons being scared by the local population given the history of violence of the island. Not so far ago, in 1999 the country erupted in riots after the government announced a 30% increase in the tax on gasoline. The tax increase was ultimately canceled but the riots took the lives of several hundred. Right now the economic situation in Jamaica isn't particularly good so such unrests may erupt again. Even without major social unrests the common crime is a major problem for the locals and also for the foreigners living outside the guarded areas. Some parts of the capital city of Kingston are subject to curfews and random police searches so better choose carefully where to stay looking not only to the prices but also to the security of the area. Although not widespread, there have been some foreigners' abductions in the past. For some the idea of living in Jamaica is so attractive that even these criminal stories can't stop the whole project. There are signs that the local government is to introduce new rules to attract affluent foreigners as investors. In the past the investor program wasn't very popular requiring up to $100,000 investment plus up to $20,000 government fee, and it was canceled. A new program with much smaller financial requirements is expected to come into force soon. Even today a permanent residency after retirement can be obtained by declaring stable incomes from abroad but the minimum amount isn't stipulated and the final decision depends on the immigration officer's discretion. As for the prices for the properties they depend very much on the exact location, the quality of the property and the security of the areas. It's possible to buy as low as $50,000 a small waterfront house but the good manors can reach seven digits. One major inconvenience while looking at the web real estate sites is that the properties are offered in at least three different currencies - US dollars, Jamaican dollar and British pound. So before making a final judgment about whether or not a given property is a bargain it's good to recalculate the price into the currency you're most familiar to.
Jamaica profile:
|
See also:
