Sustainable Tourism

local Heroes

Visitors will play a crucial role in helping tourism businesses – large and small – across the Caribbean rebound, says Debbie Ward

Over a year of welcoming just a fraction of their usual volume of international visitors hit the Caribbean – a region heavily dependent on tourism – harder than most.

Multiple businesses, large and small, rely on an influx of visitors so choosing and booking a holiday to one or more Caribbean nations will play a crucial role in a ‘recovery phase’ that will last years rather than months.

There are plenty of ways and means tourists can ensure their visit supports local communities. Meeting and chatting to drum-makers, buying their wares and sampling homegrown vegan dishes is part of the cultural experience at Rastafarian Indigenous Village in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Similarly, the island’s Community Tourism Village programme offers the chance to have lunch with a family in Resource Village, South Manchester.

The Village Tourism Programme in Saint Lucia also uses visitors’ holiday funds to develop local infrastructure, while new seafood restaurants operated by local entrepreneurs in the west coast fishing village of Anse La Raye also rely on the support of tourists. Saint Lucia is also encouraging visitors to linger longer and embrace aspects of local life through its Live It programme. Those staying up to six weeks can enjoy activities like creole cooking sessions and volunteering to teach school children or get involved with sports teams or even women’s empowerment organisations. For responsible travellers working in the scientific, academic, volunteer and educational sectors, Guyana’s SAVE Travel Guide enables them to get involved in local research and development. In Grenada It takes just 30 minutes’ training for holidaymakers to learn to help local children take to the water under a Get Grenada Swimming scheme. Holidaymakers in Antigua can help with reforestation at Walling’s Nature Reserve, a communitymanaged National Park. And at Sandy Ground village in Anguilla they can learn about the island’s trading heritage by trying salt picking.

Frying HigH in BarBados

It’s another sizzling, sultry Friday night in Barbados and Oistins Fish Fry is packed to the grills. As I make my way back to my group’s table, mouth-watering plumes of sweet-smelling grill smoke envelope the other busy stalls.

My stomach is doing joyful cartwheels as I clock the mounds of fresh grilled fish, accompanied by hearty dollops of macaroni cheese and coleslaw, which I wash down with a chilled Banks beer.

As the evening wears on, the place starts to heave, the swelling crowds – locals and tourists alike – look set for a fun-filled Friday night. Meanwhile, in the central clearing, a moonwalking Michael Jackson impersonator is running through his moves.

Only when we dispense with our overflowing trays of delicious comfort food do we turn our full attention to the entertainment, as a live band takes over.

Later, we move on to St Lawrence Gap, keeping an eye out for local celebs. We are told Rihanna has been spotted here in the past – but she’s not here tonight.

Visitors are crucial for local businesses

cOmmunity engagement

In San Nicolas in Aruba, Aruba Mural Tours showcase how eye-popping artworks transformed a post-industrial ghost town.

Visitors in Belize can join a Bike With Purpose tour which provides students with bicycles and helps them develop hospitality skills. Sustainability-minded hotels across the Caribbean are also encouraging community engagement. In Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos,

Stop at a local street side shop, bar or market – those experiences will be worth their weight in both Caribbean dollars and memories

Sandals Resorts International encourages guests to help schoolchildren boost their English skills, while its Volunteen-ism programme in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos invites teenagers to join beach cleans or share computer skills.

Booking a night or two in a family guesthouse or homestay provides muchneeded funds for communities while offering a glimpse into local Caribbean life.

Yet some of the simplest ways to engage and spend locally are the most rewarding – such as the Oistins Friday Night Fish Fry in Barbados (see panel on opposite page) and the Caribbean chicken lunch at Kalinago Barana Aute Cultural Village in Dominica.

Wherever your travels take you, be sure to stop at a local street side shop, bar or market – those experiences will be worth their weight in both Caribbean dollars and memories. •