Trademarks are the property of their respective rights holder.Presenting opinion and editorial (Op/Ed) articles centering on Caribbean tourism and in particular, Tobago tourism.
This is my contribution to the understanding of the concept of 'Caribbean' and 'Caribbean tourism', and is intended as a basis for further discussion. Anyone with an interest, especially those who plan to travel there, might benefit from being aware of, as well as discussing, at least some of this content. To be sure, within the context of a 'doom and gloom' scenario, there are still opportunities, extant, for valuable experiences as well as moving the dialogue forward. I encourage feedback. Whether you agree or not, there is much to consider.
This content is a bringing together based on information available elsewhere and I don't claim any unique knowledge. I always include references. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing.
The path to the future is uncertain but it is certain that someone will have a hand in creating it. If anyone wishes to make a contribution, please share it.
The Caribbean is not simply a collection of places to visit to escape Winter.
So, what is 'being Caribbean'? There are many ways to contemplate this ...
As well as being the context for much of modern colonial history, it is also a state of mind ...
Discover festivals, carnivals and celebrations and music in the insular Caribbean* + Belize
What is really going on in the tourism sector? Its complicated.
Presenting discussion of issues about tourism and popular misconceptions about their relative 'truth'.
For the most part tourism presents the brighter side of destinations, cultures, economic conditions and peoples. And the only lens visitors have to gaze upon their newfound stomping ground is the lens of the place they left which is clearly not going to be the same as this new place. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, except a lot gets left out. So, without doubt, there are going to be surprises.
Prospective customers are not really being told everything they need to know about the place they are about to step off a plane into. Once that happens, they might be exposed to conditions in the place they really didn't come prepared for. And they can't leave too easily.
But there are also issues about who controls the purse strings and, in most cases, this is not the destinations where tourists are being sent. Airlines, hotel chains and the large tour companies in feeder markets stand to make the most profit from selling tours. This leaves destination communities and peoples with much lower incomes from this arrangement despite the facts that they are the hosts and owners of [ the product ] being sold. In order for tourism to rightly benefit all stakeholders, there needs to be a more equitable distribution of wealth and profit. There needs to be a more fair and balanced approach.
In turn, this leads to a discussion about the role of tourism as a social and economic force and the sustainability of it. Tourism, in its present incarnation, is clearly not a sustainable product. Not for the entities selling it, not for tourists and certainly not for the destinations and communities where tourists arrive into. But what can be done to change this?
It comes down to this: In destinations where environment, infrastructure and social structures are easily overwhelmed or compromised by too many tourists:
More, clearly, is not better. Avoiding overtourism and returning to first principles in an endemic COVID era. 'Careful what you wish for'.
Low value, short stay, high impact budget tourism is not the way forward, especially for destinations at risk. Destinations at risk must find ways to reduce arrival numbers, and associated costs, while increasing visitor spend in-destination (aka revenue or foreign exchange) that is not leaked back to outside entities. For many destinations, this may not be as difficult or disruptive as it sounds.
Also, the way to understand the selling mechanism is this: The entity that owns [ the product ], or the rights to it, should be the one who decides who sells [ the product ] and how [ the product ] is to be sold into the marketplace. The entity that owns [ the product ] should be the one who stands to profit most by selling it.
The truth is, there is no such thing as 'Tourism Truth'. Perceived 'Tourism Truth' is highly dependant on the point-of-view of the individual, and is therefore more akin to 'Beauty'.*
West Indies Tourism Today: WITT - Daily updated tourism news and events - in the Caribbean - from the Caribbean - for the Caribbean. News about the people, destinations, air travel, products and services, tourism data and all matters relating to Caribbean tourism as published by local Caribbean news sources. Includes personal Op/Ed articles.
Alan Barry Ginn eMail: info[at]wittreport[dot]com
Ottawa, Canada
* See, for example: "There are two sides to every story —and then there's the truth" by Barry Popik, 2012 (@ archive.org, 2021)
Trademarks are the property of their respective rights holder.