Minister Bartlett Hails Late Craft Traders’ Association President As Advocate For Industry

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has hailed the late President of the All-Island Craft Traders and Producers Association, Melody Haughton-Adams, as a staunch advocate for the craft industry and the welfare of traders.

Ms Haughton-Adams passed away on Tuesday (November 9) following a period of illness.

Minister Bartlett said that Ms. Haughton-Adams’ uncanny ability to collaborate and her insistence that craft traders must be a part of all decision-making relating to tourism, made her “a standout and an unshakable force in an industry that she had given her all to”.

“Melody has been a significant figure in the tourism industry over the years and has always been very passionate about developing the craft industry. She was an outstanding human being who will truly be missed by all who were privileged enough to know her,” he noted.

“Melody’s passion for the craft industry, and by extension tourism, is truly unmatched and our industry will not be the same without her,” he added, while expressing condolences to her family and friend.

Chairman of the island’s Resilient Corridors Committee, John Byles, told JIS News that Ms. Haughton-Adams’ passing will be felt throughout the tourism sector for “a very long time”, adding that she has left a void that will be difficult to fill.

“Melody will certainly be missed. She knew how to fight for her craft traders and the craft industry. She also knew how and when to collaborate and had the brilliance to know the very delicate balance between the two. Most of all, though, I will miss my friend whose word I could always rely on and whose integrity was beyond question. I am truly shaken by the news of her passing and want to send my condolences to her family and friends,” Mr. Byles said.

Ms. Haughton-Adams’ daughter, Trena-Lee Thompson, said that her mother “was a rock for the industry, always fighting for equality. She believed it was the industry that provided the funding for her brothers and sisters to attend teachers’ college and earn their doctorates.

Ms. Haughton-Adams’, who presided over 200 craft shops with some 420 occupants, is also being mourned by her fellow traders and colleagues, including Carol McLennon, who said that the late President was “an extremely hard worker”.

“Tourism was her life. This is truly devastating,” she added.

Ms. Haughton-Adams, who was 51 at the time of her death, served as President of the Harbour Street Craft and Cultural Village, Montego Bay, for the past 25 years.