Triple murder at start of Jamaica's tourist season

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Dec 15 (Reuters) Gunmen killed three men and wounded two others near some of Montego Bay's upscale hotels today, the first day of the tourist high season in the violence-plagued Jamaican resort city, police said.

The gunmen, wearing police vests, opened fire from a car at a roadside crowd in the troubled Flankers community, they said. The incident was related to a feud between gangs in Flankers and nearby Norwood, authorities said.

Traditionally, Jamaica's tourist high season runs between December. 15 and March 15.

Police have recorded 176 murders in Montego Bay since the start of the year, up from 144 for all of 2005.

Despite the rising violence, tourism analysts are predicting record-setting returns for next year. The industry grew 24 percent between January. 1 and November. 30 this year, and had earnings of 2 billion dollar during the period, a record for the Caribbean island.

Groups like the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce have asked the government in recent months to crack down on crime in resort areas, particularly in Montego Bay.

REUTERS PDS PM0139