A sustainable tourism plan

published: Wednesday | September 24, 2003

Peter Espeut
THIS WEEK is Tourism Awareness Week, and I would like to contribute by saying something about the
government's 'Ten-Year Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development'. I find that many government
agencies parade the buzz word 'sustainable' without knowing what it means. The most ludicrous is
JAMPRO which a few years ago identified its non-metallic minerals mining projects as 'sustainable'.
But this plan for "sustainable tourism" is different. I have read both the hefty plan document and the
summary in booklet form, and to their credit it is clear that the authors (and therefore the Ministry of
Tourism itself) know what "sustainable tourism" is. It is therefore an unusual and remarkable document.
The booklet begins with an admission: "The main thing the Master Plan seeks to do is to move tourism
on to a path of long-term sustainability" (emphasis theirs). This is a clear statement that up until now,
the path of 'tourism development' has not been sustainable, hence the need for the 'move'.
Environmentalists like myself have been saying this for years, what with the widespread destruction of
wetlands and coral reefs on the north coast in the name of 'tourism development'. The admission is
welcome and the commitment to a new path is not a moment too soon.
MEETING NEEDS
The overall objective is stated thus: "We need to develop tourism in such a way that it meets the needs of
today's residents and visitors, while protecting and improving the opportunities of future generations to
meet their needs". Readers will recognise the echo of the definition of sustainable development which
came out of the Rio 'Earth Summit' in 1993. It is a laudable approach!
Five 'key objectives' of sustainable tourism development are defined. The first is "Growth based on a
Sustainable Market Position", which is based on exploiting our comparative advantage, offering visitors
what no other destination can offer: our natural, cultural and historical heritage. This means a future
emphasis on 'nature tourism' and 'heritage tourism' rather than just on what can be described as the 'sea,
sun, sand, sex and sensemelia tourism' of the past.
The second key objective is 'Enhancement of the Visitor Experience', which means cleaning up the towns
and communities frequented by visitors, and the development of a greater variety and higher quality of
tourism attractions. Here more of Jamaica's natural wonders and heritage sites will be exposed to visitors
both local and foreign, with proper attention being paid to sustainability issues and overcrowding. This
leads to the following.
The third: 'Community-Based Development', where local communities will play a major role in deciding
what the tourism product in their communities should be, and in developing and managing that product.
Too often in Jamaica, resort development has been imposed on rural communities by outsiders, reducing
locals to low-salaried employees. The new Master Plan calls for locals to take part in the ownership and
management of the industry in their area, so profits remain in the community for local advancement,
instead of migrating to urban areas or overseas. If this element of the Plan is implemented it will have
profound and far-reaching consequences for Jamaica's human, economic and social development.
The fourth objective is "The building of an Inclusive Industry" which develops this idea further. Some
people see tourism as benefiting only a chosen few, but the Master Plan seeks to spread tourism benefits
more widely by expanding the scope of opportunities for participation, including strengthening the
linkages with agriculture and manufacturing. More jobs and higher incomes will be the result. This is the
key to controlling tourist harassment: give the community at large a big stake in the industry so that it is
the community itself which will cause the harassers to flee!
'ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY'
The fifth is 'Environmental Sustainability', the heart of the concept of sustainability. The Plan overtly
recognises that improvement in sewage disposal, garbage collection and disposal, the sediment load
from upland soil erosion, freshwater and marine water quality, and live coral cover all are essential to
Jamaica's tourism product. Carrying capacity (overuse) issues are also to be addressed. All this places
environmental conservation and natural resource management squarely on the tourism agenda.
Peter Espeut is a sociologist and is Executive Director of an environment and development NGO

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