—The Tourist—
Arriving at a Caribbean destination by cruise ship or plane, provokes a multitude of different excitements about what the experience of being far away from home in a foreign land might be like. However, what may not cross the minds of most tourists is how their very presence on these tropical islands, influences the lives of thousands of local people.
Though one might see several different types of tourists such as families with children, older folk, or teenagers sprawled along the beach soaking up their tan, the average demographic of a tourist who visits the Caribbean is middle-aged or young honeymooners.
What tourists look to take away from of a getaway to “Heaven on Earth,” is relaxation, peace of mind, solidarity on a beach, and enjoying the night-life. The sad truth is that, the beauty, culture and heritage of these islands are being dismissed to make room for grand all-inclusive resorts.
The true charm and history of the islands are lost to big business which provides a new allure for travelers to stay locked away in their hotels through different amenities.
“THE TRUE VALUE OF VISITING JAMAICA CAN’T BE FOUND IN ALL-INCLUSIVE HOTELS”- Johannes, Social Entrepreneur & Founder of Real Jamaica.
Johannes, founder of realjamaica.org, addresses the issues with tourists spending their money traveling to a desired location, and not leaving with any social interaction with the real culture of a place. “As a tourist in a hotel you barely get to interact with locals who are not hustlers. The main people you will see are tour guides, the hotel staff and other tourists…”
Johannes goes on to say, “Most of these all-inclusive don’t hire locals from within the parish…Employees travel across the island from long distances, or are imported from elsewhere.”
—Employment —
The Caribbean thrives off its tourists, hotels, casinos, etc., but there is a high unemployment rate which has led to locals taking on service jobs to benefit only the tourist.
• 1 in 7 jobs are tourism related in the Caribbean
• What used to be a promising way of life in farming and small business, are declining.
• Labor force is not satisfied with the repercussions of the new line of work
• Workers are paid very low and unfair wages.
• Many locals are now becoming operators of tourists’ leisure activities because their trade is in decline.
—Different Ways of Creating A Deeper Problem: Cruise Ships—
Now, more than ever, the seas have become an “economic highway” and another way for travelers to reach desired destinations, for short periods of time, and stay a majority of that time on the ship.
Cruise ship passengers may enjoy hoping off and on the ship at different island destinations several times a day; however, they are not allotted entire days to spend exploring, and when they do explore, it is shopping which sparks their interest.
“7.8 million passenger arrivals in 1990 to 20.5 million in 2004.”
Being environmentally friendly may just be one of the last things on the minds of cruise operators traveling across the Caribbean Sea multiple times in one week leaving behind waste. According to Rita Kennedy’s article in USA Today:
“Cruise ships sailing through the Caribbean dump waste into the sea; one 2002 study found that a ship carrying 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew generated the same amount of waste as a small city.”
Islands have become dependent on cruise ship visitors now, and ports of call have familiar food establishments such as Baskin-Robbins which only add to the defacing of a culture to make room for more of the same.
Cruise ships are becoming the attraction and vacation, rather than the destinations.
—The Future of Tourism in the Caribbean—
The CTO Research Unit recently released their key issues and in Caribbean tourism inventories which revealed some enlightening future goals for these island states in the tourism industry.
• The management of pollution, coastal zones, conservation and sustainable use of the natural habitat etc has been lacking.”
• Analyze trends on taxes in tourism sector, data analysis on impact on tourism sector
• The few remaining Caribbean airlines need to be financially sustainable to ensure airlift into/across the region.
• Improved tourism statistics necessary to meet challenges are critical to the development of the industry.
Overall, the CTO seems to be attempting to alleviate many of the rising concerns of the Caribbean islands. The only way for tourism to adequately and efficiently provide stability to a country, is when it : maximizes tourism in the greater community, alleviates poverty, builds economy, and conserves the environment.
Sources:
CTO Research Unit http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradeserv/workshops/Dominica%202013/Presentations/3%20-%20CTO%20-%20Policy%20Questions.pdf
Pattullo, Polly. Last Resorts: The Cost of Tourism in the Caribbean. 2005.
Johannes. The True Value of Jamaica Can’t Be Found In All-Inclusive Hotels. RealJamaica.org. 4 February 2015. http://realjamaica.org/things-to-know/true-value-vacation-all-inclusive-hotels
Kennedy, Rita. The Effects of Tourism in the Caribbean. USA TODAY. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/effects-tourism-caribbean-63368.html
Photography:
Sandals Resort: http://www.sandals.com/main/grenada/ls-media/?type=photos
Royal Caribbean: http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/images/web_page/featured_cruises/specials/florida_resident_hero.jpg
Info-Graphic: http://www.bordersandburpees.co.uk/types-of-travellers/
