Community-based tourism’s potential

The Caribbean Tourism Organization sees the need to push community-based tourism (CBT), in rural areas, as the tourism industry restarts.

Secretary General (Ag) Neil Walters said that the development of the Caribbean’s cultural heritage tourism product, including roots and trails, if done responsibly, allows for more direct linking of rural communities to tourism activity.

He was the keynote speaker during Regional Dialogue IV “Future Tourism: An Inclusive Value Chain” hosted by UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean recently.

“CBT is often derived by incorporating some aspect of the indigenous natural or cultural heritage of the local community into the tourism product to create authentic, and memorable experiences, for both local and foreign visitors to the particular community. The diversity, which is created in this way, if properly utilized has the potential to be a key contributor to the competitiveness and appeal of Caribbean destinations, and by extension the region as a whole”.

“As the region seeks to revitalize and reposition the Caribbean tourism product, it creates an opportunity to generate more tangible and direct local benefits from tourism for the individuals, and smaller enterprises in the regional tourism sector. This must be supported by relevant policy directives and the necessary community consultations and engagement,” he indicated.

“CBT is a conduit for active participation and empowerment of local people in the tourism economy, acting as a stimulus for the production of goods and services to visitors, and allows community members a path to sustainable livelihoods… Indirect effects also occur through the tourism value chain, since tourism draws on inputs from the food, beverage, construction, transportation, creative industries, and other service sectors”.

Walters said that the demand for authentic engagement and learning offered by CBT initiatives is strong, which is backed by visitor willingness to pay for goods and services that offer value as authenticated by the market research.

However, while many local communities in the region have already engaged in some type of CBT activity, he said they require assistance to properly navigate the complexities of the tourism sector, and to secure and sustain market access.

The CTO head also emphasized that the issue of health and safety remains paramount and relevant guidelines and standards for product and service quality would need to be developed to ensure market readiness in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Several good practices in CBT have emerged in the Caribbean that have brought benefits to the wider community, such as cultural festivals, exploratory heritage and hiking trails, and homesteads or visits, spurred by the growth of the sharing economy,” he added. (TL)