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Managing Impacts
There are two types of impacts to be managed in development of
a community. These are the social and the environmental impacts.
Dealing with the former, especially as it relates to tourism, can
be very difficult. Over the years, Jamaicans have been socialized
to “smile for the tourist.” This action has been encouraged,
by Government officials in an effort to encourage more tourists
to come to Jamaica thereby increasing earnings from the sector.
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Research is showing, however, that there is deep resentment to
tourism not just from people who live and work in resort areas but
also from many well-educated and well-placed Jamaicans who do not
come in contact with the average tourist. (Dunn and Dunn, 2002,
Hayle, 2002) There are a number of causes for this reaction.
In an effort to foster a clear understanding of some of the underlying
issues in tourism a few of these are highlighted below:
- The Caribbean has always depended on one crop for its economic
fortunes. At first it was sugar, then bananas and now it is tourism.
Due to the origins of most of the visitors, a poor understanding
of the workings of the tourism systems and the incorrect use of
words, many Caribbean people say that tourism reminds them of
the colonial era.
- Words such as “tourist”, “host”
and “guest” help to foster this resentment.
- The word "tourist" to many means a Caucasian
who comes to the Caribbean either from the United Kingdom or the
United States. The former representing the colonial past. Tourist,
in fact, means anyone who is away from his/her
permanent place of residence for 24 hours and up to 12 months
not for the purpose of employment. For example a Jamaican who
goes from Kingston to Bluefield for 2 days on a vacation/business
is a tourist.
- Host. This word connotes accommodating someone for free or
for a nominal sum and being as nice as possible to him/her regardless
of his/her behaviour.
- Guest. This word has a similar meaning as “Host”
As a result, both words appear to trigger negative reactions in
the minds of many. Hence, the debate about tourism being used
as a vehicle through which servitude is perpetuated.
- In order to shift the paradigm from perceived servitude to
“real” service it is recommended that words should
as “receiving community” and “client”
be used instead of “host” and “guest”.
- In an effort to create an environment in which a service culture
can thrive, it must be emphasized that the receiving community
offers a service to its clients for which it is paid. In return,
the receiving community is expected to treat its client like a
guest providing value for money. The value of the exchange can
be determined in many ways including the use of rating scales
such as 1, 2, 3 stars etc. The objective is for the receiving
community to treat the visitors so well that they will remember
the experience and wish to repeat it several times.
In the case of the environment, specific steps should be taken
within the community to minimize the environmental impact and maximize
the local benefit of tourism. Attention to detail in a number of
aspects of both the development and operation of tourism projects
can significantly improve the condition of the environment while
increasing the profitability of the business. The environment has
become a very strong marketing tool for the tourism sector.
The architecture of the area is a reflection of its culture. Therefore,
the design of all new buildings should be carefully considered and
local professional advice sought in their construction. Failure
to use professionals can result in the loss of lives as well as
financial loss due to negligence and/or cost overruns. Poor building
design and construction can dilute the quality of the product by
detracting from its ambience. Sometimes in local communities it
may be better to use existing buildings rather than to create new
developments. Decisions in this respect should be taken based in
the advice of professionals.
In response to Agenda 21, the blueprint for Sustainable Development,
the World Travel and Tourism Council created a framework designed
to help the industry foster sustainable practices in its operations.
Some of these are reduced consumption of water and energy, waste
and pollution, low energy technologies appropriate to the location,
recycling and careful selection of transportation used in the placement
of the product.
The Jamaica Tourist Board in conjunction with the University of
the West Indies should conduct, on a regular basis, visitor and
resident satisfaction surveys to determine the mental and physical
well-being of the community and the status of Jamaica’s tourism
offering. The findings from such analyses will indicate product
quality levels.
PIOJ document - Guidelines for South Coast Project
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prepared by Carolyn Hayle
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