Community tourism takes flight in 2005

CONTRIBUTED - A 17th century courthouse in the centre of Mandeville, Manchester, one of many landmarks which can be used to market community and heritage tourism

Monique Hepburn, Hospitality Jamaica Writer

AFTER MORE than 30 years in the making, Jamaica's experiment with the community tourism concept has grown tremendously and this growth is set to significantly boost the island's tourism product.

Diana McIntyre-Pike, chairman and CEO of the Mandeville-based Countrystyle Community Tourism Network and one of the island's staunchest advocates of community tourism, is confident that "people-centred tourism" is a sure winner with visitors to the island.

"In the 1970s, I was working with the Holiday Inn Hotel in Montego Bay and I began arranging programmes for guests to meet local people. The guests loved it but I was told by management that this could not continue because I was marketing things outside the hotel," said Mrs. McIntyre-Pike.

She explained that after completing studies in Germany, she returned to Jamaica in 1977 to spearhead community tourism efforts.

"I did not accept the vision of tourism that the resorts promote and in 1977 with the help of then Director of Tourism Desmond Henry, we conceived the name 'community tourism' and its related concepts," she added.

HEART/NTA CERTIFICATION

Locally, thousands of persons have been trained and are being certified through HEART Trust/NTA courses for community cooks and guides. Training has also been facilitated by the Central and South Tourism Organisation and Countrystyle Community Tourism Network.

"Community tourism is a way of
thinking that everyone is a partner and not be selfish in how we operate," said Mrs. McIntyre-Pike, who added that this vision has spread to other Caribbean territories such as Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and Dominica, where the Central and South Organisation is in the process of setting up chapters.

There are numerous community tourism success stories evident in areas such as Alligator Pond, Treasure Beach, Accompong, Maggotty, and Inverness, in the parish of St. Elizabeth. Today, there is now an accredited community tourism course for community cooks and guides. We have a handbook ready for publishing.

Lois Campbell, who operates the six-bedroom Four Ms property in Treasure Beach, told Hospitality Jamaica that for several decades she has had the opportunity to interact and learn from tourists of varying nationalities, experiences that she will always treasure.

"It (community tourism) has been a wonderful experience and my concept of a home-away-from-home situation has always been welcomed by my guests who regard me as their Jamaican mom," said Mrs. Campbell.

Described as an integrated approach and collaborative tool for the socio-economic empowerment of communities, community tourism also has its challenges, chief among them being harassment.

"We have to change the handout mentality to understand that things do not change overnight," said Mrs. McIntyre-Pike. "Some communities can start by curbing harassment and promoting cleanliness."

According to Mrs. McIntyre-Pike, visitors report that they are deeply moved by their experiences when they interact with the local people in their unique settings.