MANY PERSONS think of tourism as an industry that markets sun, sea and sand. However, these persons need to admit there are other destinations that offer these same three things in much cleaner environments.
So what is it that makes the whole world “want a piece of us?”
My answer is along the lines that it is the survival creativity of the ordinary Jamaican that keeps Jamaica afloat and it is this creativity in its many forms that the whole world ‘feels’ and want to share and experience. So although other destinations may have nicer and cleaner environments, they do not have the Jamaican vibes, spirit and soul – this, to my mind, is community tourism.
Ceceline McIntyre is the pioneer and can therefore be called the ‘Mother of Community Tourism‘. She has been in the tourist industry from the time that Negril was a natural, unspoilt fishing village that nature lovers and hippies loved and adored. McIntyre treated her guests like family and always shared her Jamaican lifestyle and community with them. She groomed her daughter, internationally renowned community tourism consultant/trainer Diana McIntyre-Pike, in this approach to tourism. It is, therefore, no surprise that McIntyre-Pike instinctively knew that this approach would be one of the ways to brand Jamaica as a unique destination. She partnered with the late former Director of Tourism Desmond Henry, who was also great at marketing, and together they coined the term ‘Community Tourism’ and marketed it through the International Institute for Peace through Tourism. They formed an organisation called the Countrystyle Community Tourism Network, which offers tailor-made vacations and community experience tours through local and international tour operators.
Interaction
There will always be a market for sun, sea and sand; but as technology opens and expose more people to the world, more tourists are going to want to experience and gain more from the places that they visit and will want to interact with real people in their real home environment.
One could, therefore, ask how can community tourism be relevant to a farmer up in the hills of Clarendon. The answer is that there is a growing demand for agro-tourism. The farmer can offer his farm as a farm vacation and tour experience, as many visitors enjoy working on a farm and will pay to learn how to plant our local crops. The farmer can also be included in the health and wellness market by learning the nutritional value of his products and participate as a community agro-tourism guide. The farmer, his workers and his community will need to be trained in basic hospitality skills, environmental awareness and business management skills. Community tourism will, therefore, facilitate and strengthen the capacity of communities, as wherever there are needs and demands, entrepreneurs will emerge.
It must be pointed out that the attractions and features that are appreciated by tourists are generally of significant value to the community. It is, therefore, critical to involve the local population in the planning and development process. Unfortunately, this process is often ignored or sidestepped by unscrupulous persons who have money and can capitalise on the creative solutions and endeavours of a community and never give the creators credit or just rewards for their ideas. Then there are dishonest and disingenuous persons who plagiarise community projects and submit them for funding in pursuit of academic accolades.
To mitigate against these threats and challenges, the proponents of community tourism have launched their initiative known as ‘Villages as Businesses’. This initiative aims to sustain communities through training and development. It is highly commendable that Sandals Foundation has invested in the training of communities and has assisted to upgrade the infrastructure in the communities near Sandals’ resorts. This is an example of a large entity or investment can be involved with community tourism.
Community tourism initiatives embrace all the special interests of people all over the world, such as interests in culture, heritage, ecology, the environment, education, health and other special-interest tourism products. It is, therefore, vital that what is unique to Jamaica is not tampered with, so that our vibes, soul and spirit are destroyed, but that Jamaica maintains and retains its identity and sense of place for its residents, as well as its visitors.
