for good

Increasingly, more tourists are keen to ensure their holidays will benefit the places they visit and those who live there. When they know the environmental impact of their visit is minimal but the economic and social impact meaningful, it makes that trip ‘guilt free’ and that more enjoyable.

Visitors to the Caribbean can find plenty of ways to get under the skin of their chosen destination – and give something back.

Eating out away from their resort, visiting local shops and farmers’ markets, buying island-made souvenirs and using local tour guides feeds spending money back into the community but also provide visitors with a more authentic experience. After all, local guides have the best knowledge of their area.

GIve back to nature

As part of its sustainability efforts, the Grenada Tourism Authority has launched a voluntourism programme. This will appeal to those looking for a low- or no-cost holiday activity whilst also making a positive impact on an island where natural wonders abound.

For instance, the Grand Anse Artificial Reef Project, a charity developed by Grenada’s Dive Community which has first-hand knowledge of global warming damage, encourages aqua-loving travellers to pack their flippers and get involved with underwater clean-ups, urchin and fish counts and ID tag placement.

In Aruba, sustainable tourism policies include staffing beaches during turtle hatching season to ensure the safety of baby turtles. Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is the Caribbean’s first and carbon-neutral hotel. An original member of the Green Globe it has been taking climate action across its operations for over two decades. In the Cayman Islands, tourists can meet a Blue Dragon on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Blue Iguana Conservation facility in the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Park.

This uniquely Caymanian reptile, Grand Cayman’s largest native land animal, has been brought back from the brink thanks to the success of the initiative.

In Tobago, community-based organisation Save our Sea Turtles has a mission to conserve the island’s sea turtles and their coastal and marine habitat through research, education and eco-tourism.

Holidaymakers can join a guided turtle swim, volunteer to spend nights on the beach tagging turtles or go on early morning walks to count nests and rescue disorientated hatchlings. Similarly, visitors to the British Virgin Islands can join turtle tagging boat excursions.

Home to Jurassic-style vegetation with flowering flamboyants and philodendrons tall enough to hide in, Tobago’s 60 millionyear-old rainforest is the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere

Visitors can lace up their hiking boots and explore one or more of its nine wildlife rich trails. There are also several cycling routes, some more adventurous than others.

LocaL cuLture

In Belize, a new communityfocused project celebrates the culture of the indigenous Garifuna people in the two main Garifuna coastal communities, Dangriga and Hopkins, through a mixture of art, music, dance, history and culinary delights.

Saint Lucia has a community tourism initiative that enables visitors to engage in authentic local experiences. A tour on the Kabawé Krawl (Kabawé is the Creole word for a local rum shop) offers the opportunity to eat, drink and learn about the local culture by chatting to locals in their own surroundings.

Also in Saint Lucia, visitors can get under the skin of Creole culture at Fond Latisab Creole Park, where they can learn how to cook with macamboo leaves and make their own cassava bread, an Amerindian staple. Chak Chak music and dancing are some of the other Creole traditions on offer.

Tisland has also launched the Collection de Pépites, a database showcasing around 200 villas, B&B guest houses and boutique hotels designed to encourage tourists to consider alternatives to Saint Lucia’s allinclusive resorts.

GoInG Green

With its reputation as a luxury destination, the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is heavily reliant on tourism for its economy. Its ‘Green Corridor’, an area on the southern coast, has developed eco-friendly hotels, restaurants and activities collectively committed to green tourism.

It’s also home to Wallings Nature Reserve, a designated protected area and Antigua’s first community-run national park, wholly managed by staff and volunteers. All income from park entrance fees and guided tours directly supports the community and park, helping to conserve this special place. on Turks and Caicos, a glorious smattering of coral islands and cays, visitors can take part in the 15-mile north Caicos Mountain Bike Eco-adventure, which includes a visit to the National Trust conservation centre.

If that sounds like too much hard work, consider a gentle and relaxed afternoon touring an iguana sanctuary or exploring the Conch Bar Caves (in the 1880s the caves were mined for guano, which was exported as fertilizer) to see flamingos at Flamingo Pond overlook.

In the Caicos Ramsar Nature Reserve, a protected area, visitors can book kayak ecotours to learn about coastal ecology.

Be Responsible

• Stay in a family guesthouse or homestay. These help fund local communities while offering a glimpse into local life.

• Respect local customs and traditions.

• Walk, cycle or use public transport where possible.

• Avoid buying wildlife products.

• Show respect for animals and their habitats when you travel and avoid unethical animal encounters.

Paddling through the mangroves with a local guide makes it easy for visitors to see the kind of wildlife that might usually flee from a noisy motorboat.

In Jamaica, swap the kayak for a two- to three-hour raft excursion on the Rio Grande with an expert raftsman. Actor Errol Flynn popularised bamboo rafting on the island back in the 1950s.

Holidaymakers visiting the Dominican Republic can also opt for low-impact river rafting as well as hiking and mountain biking, or take part in community initiatives such as learning the basics of Spanish while supporting a homestay initiative.

food for thouGht

Food tourism plays an important role in preserving a country’s local heritage. In Nevis visitors can sample traditional dishes when they visit an organic Rastafarian farm. As part of the experience they get to harvest ingredients to prepare in clay pots and learn about traditional farming.

In St. Kitts, Liamuiga Natural Farm sits high in the clouds of a rainforest. It informs guests about sustainable farming practices before serving them deliciously fresh food including yoghurt bread, salt fish and homemade coffee ice cream.

In The Bahamas, local guides take visitors around areas in Nassau to taste and learn about speciality dishes, such as conch fritters, rum cake and a Bahamian specialty, mac’n’cheese, which is baked with added spices and served in squares.

As well as signing up for a nature walk accompanied by a local guide, visitors to Martinique can support communities by joining classes in Creole cooking, pottery, bèlè dancing and basketry. •