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 Director's
Cut
Spring is the season of change: rains bring
nourishment to parched lands and new blossoms to the
landscape. Change is indeed upon us here at CAST as
we prepare to say farewell to Jennifer
Dohrmann-Alpert our Program Manager who will leave
us at the end of May 2006. Many of you have met
Jennifer at regional events and meetings. She is
moving onto new landscapes with better and brighter
opportunities. I take this opportunity to thank her
for her service to CAST over the past 2 ½ years and
to wish her the very best.
This edition of the BroadCAST features for the first
time the eternal ‘spring time’ of youth. Kevin
Quashie from St. Vincent and the Grenadines reminds
us that generation next is at the very core of our
sustainable tourism efforts.
There are 45 days left before the start of the
hurricane season! It is predicted to be another very
active if not potentially devastating one! How
prepared are you? Do your insurance policies provide
adequate cover? Is your staff drilled in your
preparedness plan routines? The answers to these
questions may determine your future.
As
usual we encourage your feedback and comments which
should be sent to
cast@cha-cast.com
The Caribbean: Your Paradise! Our Mission!
Cheers,
Deirdre P. Shurland
Caribbean Youth
Speaks Out On...Sustainable Tourism
This article was
submitted by Kenrick Quashie from St. Vincent and
the Grenadines (SVG). Kenrick is the First Vice
President of the National Youth Council. He is the
former champion of the SVG National Public Speaking
Competition in 2002 and he represented his country
at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Youth
Congress in 2003 from which he took home the title
of “Junior Minister of Tourism”.
Youth Understanding:
I
have observed over the years that many young people
in the Caribbean and in my home country of St.
Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in particular do
not fully understand the products and potential of
the tourism industry. In retrospect, before my
involvement in the Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress
held in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) in 2003, I
held a similar view on tourism as many of my youth
counterparts, i.e. that only the bar tenders, maids
and other service based workers are the only ones
who benefit from the tourism industry. Tourism is
seen as hotels and their staff with little
understanding of the far reaching economic linkages
and benefits that the industry can bring to a small
island nation.
If
tourism is discussed at all it is often discussed as
hotel statistics, i.e. number of rooms, number of
arrivals etc. There is not enough discussion among
our governments and youth about the sustainable
development of our tourism sector. I suggest that
this needs to change and quickly.
Sustainable Tourism:
I
think by now that most regional youth understand
that sustainable tourism means that the environment
and the tourism products are not destroyed but can
be enjoyed by future generations. I feel it is
important for our youth to become educated on the
importance of proper planning to a sustainable
tourism product. I recently participated in the 8th
Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) on Sustainable
Tourism in San Juan Puerto Rico from February 9-12,
2006. I was educated during this conference on what
it means to really develop a comprehensive
sustainable tourism development plan. The island of
Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Tourism Company
has been successful in creating such a plan that is
both comprehensive and optimistic. I join with CHA
President, Mrs. Berthia Pearle M.B.E., and call for
other Caribbean nations to follow suit.
Puerto Rico has an effective plan because it speaks
to the situation and conditions of the country and
its people. I feel that other policy makers and
developers need learn from this example and develop
a plan based on each island’s unique characteristics
and cultures. There should be a greater emphasis on
self pride, self identity and self preservation so
that we can safeguard our environment and our
culture. Development, of course cannot be avoided
so, the underlining impetus for such development
should be that identity must not be lost.
Young People’s Contributions:
I
firmly believe that sustainability of anything
relies on the policies and work plans established
today as well as the people who follow our lead in
the future. We can only ensure that something is
sustainable by ensuring that those who come after
are educated to succeed. I do not feel that we have
been doing a good job in this region of educating
our youth so that they can carry forward what is
being started today. We need to realize that our
youth today are the future policy makers and
implementers of tomorrow. Let’s invest in their
education and development and hence our collective
future.
On
a personal level, I have been trying to make an
impact in my home country and regionally. As an
educated youth, I have launched a personal campaign
to get youth involved in sustainable tourism. Since
the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Caribbean
Tourism Conference (CTC) in 2003, I started a
Tourism Support Youth Group. This is a virtual group
and therefore does not meet on a face to face basis.
The group essentially operates strategically and is
comprised of the youth who, like me, participated in
CTC. As a group we provide regional youth
information or guidance on possible projects that
they might have. In addition, I am also working on
a project called Vincyard, which is a Community
Tourism Company. The company is owned by myself and
managed by four regional young people under the age
of 21. Even though Vincyard is in its planning
stage, students have already been hosted on an
educational tour to the Community of Owia as one of
the communities of focus for this company.
As
someone who is personally involved with my local
National Youth Council, I know that the regional
National Youth Councils in the Caribbean play a
significant role in highlighting the importance of
tourism and involving our youth in the process. I am
reminded of the President of the Barbados National
Youth Council who has taken a personal interest in
youth involvement in sustainable tourism and is an
example for others to emulate.
I
take this opportunity to commend those who I have
not mentioned on their contributions to Sustainable
Tourism even if it’s only through spreading the
word. To those young journalists- thank you! Special
recognition must be given to the Government of St.
Vincent & the Grenadines for seeing the importance
of having a Ministry called the Ministry of Tourism,
Youth and Sports which is headed by a young man.
Limitations:
Our
youth are often asked to correct the errors of their
elders or to clean up previously created messes. I
respond that we as young people do indeed have ideas
and a clear vision for our sustainable future.
However, we are limited when our ideas are not those
of our policy makers. We are limited when those in
authority can’t visualize what we do and understand
how our plans can blossom and benefit our country.
We are further limited when there are not enough or
any funds available to us to develop our projects.
We are limited when we are not consulted by policy
makers and developers and when we do not receive
proper education.
I
urge all young people not to be distracted by
limitations but to be determined and steadfast in
the pursuit of your goals. I encourage you to put
your ideas into writing so that your ideas become
concrete and implementable. It is our younger
generation that needs to break down these
limitations and barriers to ensure we are both
educated and included.
Recommendations:
As
young people we do not have all the remedies.
However, I make these humble recommendations;
-
Provide educational forums for regional youth to
learn about sustainable tourism and the
opportunities that exist for them within the
sector including all linking sectors
-
Provide concrete opportunities for youth to
contribute to sustainable tourism (e.g.
internships at the national tourism or hotel
associations, allow youth to participate in
tourism planning meetings etc.)
-
Establish a mechanism to hold consultations with
youth
-
Provide the means by which youth can access
funds for sustainable tourism projects either on
a national or regional basis
Understanding that our youth hold the key to our
future let us with good judgment, strategize and
develop our sustainable tourism product with our
youth in mind and as partners.
The views expressed
above are not necessarily those of the Caribbean
Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
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Leading Lights
Leading Lights are Caribbean leaders who have made
significant environmental and social performance
achievements at their properties or within their
communities.
This month, Honorable Gerald Anthony Dwyer
Astaphan, St. Kitts Minister of National
Security, Justice, Immigration and Labour (former
Minister of Tourism) speaks out on the importance of
our regional youth. "Caribbean youth are our
most precious asset and their condition reflects:
the success or failure of Caribbean parenting
through the efforts of adults and Caribbean society
in terms of the maintenance of our value systems,
discipline, patrimony, work ethic, commitment to
education and overall development, etc, and also
provides an insight into what the future of
Caribbean society and civilization will be. We must
embrace our youth without choking them and doting on
them. We must revert to the old practice of being
our brother's keeper and having the village
collectively raise our children. We must review and
modify our educational system, allowing students at
the primary school level to be taught : personal
development skills, family/social skills, junior
cadet corps, arts, music, science, history, sports,
health practices, the 'three R's, and a business
module whereby our children are taught to think like
entrepreneurs rather than like employees at an early
stage. For our youth and our collective future, we
must insist on the sustenance of our traditions and
values, of our spirituality, and spiritual
observances, of respect and family, of the work
ethic, and excellence in education. And we
must embrace them in more loving and interactive
ways."
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CAST News
Sample
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Jennifer Dohrmann-Alpert Departing…Hired
in 2003 as a  Program
Manager, Jennifer Dohrmann-Alpert will depart
CAST on May 12th to pursue opportunities
elsewhere. We are grateful for her service and
dedication to the CAST mission. She shares with
us that, "It truly has been a pleasure to serve
all of you in the region and to have this
wonderful opportunity with CAST to grow both
personally and professionally. I hope to
continue to be able to work with many of you in
the years to come and I thank you for your
continued support of CAST and its sustainable
tourism mandate. Best wishes, Jennifer"
Gracias y buena suerte!
-
New CAST Technical Service Affiliate:
George Rosario Demers was recently  hired
by CAST as a Technical Service Affiliate to
assist in the coordination of the Caribbean
membership of the Skills Standards and
Certification Network (SSCN) – part of the
Inter-American Bank’s Multi-Lateral Investment
Facility’s (IADB-MIF) Partners in Innovation
program. This program established networks in
Latin America and the Caribbean in 2004, from
among successful IADB-MIF funded projects to
generate innovative project ideas for
sustainable development of the region. As a
founding member of the SSCN, CAST will assist
Fundación Chile based in Santiago, Chile, in the
leadership and administration of the SSCN during
2006. George will assist Caribbean members to
derive the maximum benefits from their
participation in Network discussions and
activities.
6th
– 9th 2006 marked a watershed period for a resurgent
QTC program. The IADB-MIF convened a country
mission in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad to discuss and
develop a second QTC project. The first QTC project
was implemented from 1999-2002 by CAST and the
Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) based in
Port-of-Spain. This project produced 7 health,
safety and environmental standards which were
pilot-tested in 42 hotel properties in Jamaica, the
Bahamas, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. The
Port-of-Spain mission featured a regional
stakeholders meeting which yielded overwhelming
consensus and support from the represented private
and public sector agencies, for a second project.
The
latter will implement the standards in target
countries and also seek approval and   ratification
as regional health, safety and
environment standards -a process lead by the CARICOM
Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ)
– the Caribbean standards approving agency. This
is a multi-year, multi-sector, multi-partner program
which requires bilateral symmetry between the
Caribbean tourism public and private sectors. The
overall program goal is to articulate a consistent
framework for tourism health, safety and environment
standards, which will be acceptable to international
agencies, travel & tourism companies and the like.
The program will also be designed to provide a clear
path for businesses seeking to
improve their performance in food preparation and
handling, energy efficiency and overall business
competitiveness. Final project approval by the
IADB-MIF is anticipated in the last quarter of 2006.
For more information contact CAST:
dshurland@caribbeanhotels.org;
or CAREC:
indarlis@carec.paho.org
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Number of named storms: |
17 |
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Number of intense hurricanes: |
5 |
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Number of hurricanes: |
9 |
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Probability of a strike along the US Gulf
Coast: |
79% |
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Probability for strike in Florida state:
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89% |
CAST delivers 1- and 2-day hurricane preparedness
workshops for industry. Click
HERE for details.
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The Importance of Energy Management: John R. Hendrie of Hospitality Performance writing in
the March 14th 2006 edition of
www.ehotelier.com says “…the cost of
energy is your greatest expense; this will not
decline. Also, the Hospitality Industry is a
huge waste maker. The move to “Green” is simply
good business sense and the benefits far exceed
our typical short term perspective”. CAST
delivers 1-day energy management workshops in
both English and Spanish. Click
HERE for details.
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Sustainable Tourism
Roundup
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$1.8M Project Funded by the IADB-MIF in La Romana-Bayahibe:
In November 2005 La Romana-Bayahibe was approved
for a project titled "Model for Sustainable
Tourism Management in Bayahibe". The goal is to
increase the competitiveness of the region as a
tourism destination through the
implementation of four
(4) project components. The objective of
the first component is to integrate the
community into the creation of new services and
to create new opportunities for small and medium
sized enterprises. The second objective focuses
on conservation and preservation of the natural
ecosystem including environmental education and
awareness. The third and fourth part of the
project will focus on promotion, marketing and
destination branding exercises.
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Rainforest Alliance "Guide for Sustainable Tourism Best
Practices" Now Available in English:
The guide was
developed with the support of the
Multilateral Investment Fund of the
Inter-American Development Bank and the
Ford Foundation to help community businesses
and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs
understand how easy it is to make sustainable
tourism practices part of their day-to-day
operations. This new version incorporates
criteria from sustainable tourism certification
programs operating in the Americas. Readers will
find information grouped in three categories:
environment, social-cultural and economic. To
download a copy of the guide click
HERE.
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World-Class Private Island Resort Upgrades With “Green”
Renovation Plan:
Under the leadership of Mr. Rob A. Barrett,
Palm Island Resort renovates with the
environment in mind. Mr. Barrett believes
utilizing ecologically responsible practices in
hospitality management will help us reduce our
negative impacts on the environment and is not
only ethical and necessary, but makes good
business sense. He stands behind his beliefs
through his commitment to adopting these
eco-friendly choices as a way of life.
When Mr. Barrett acquired Palm Island (formerly
“Prune Island”), he facilitated a two year
overhaul, which transformed Palm Island into a
viable source of employment, a safe haven for
native wildlife, and a efficiently run property.
Mr. Barrett established a sea and land turtle
protection program on Palm Island, complete with
a hatchery to protect turtle eggs. He also
converted a seven-acre salt pond to a fish
nursery, and created an Iguana preserve,
supported by a program that relocates several
hundred Iguanas to neighboring Islands each
year. Additionally, the installation of an
efficient, organic, hydroponics greenhouse and a
composting program to enrich the natural soil
are currently in use.
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Participate in Earth Day
this April 22nd 2006 with The Coral
Reef Alliance (CORAL):
Looking for a fun and easy opportunity to
actively protect your local aquatic environment
and engage your community, friends, members and
fellow non-governmental organizations in
conservation? Then look no further! Dive In
To Earth Day, marks CORAL’s international
marine conservation
Earth Day
theme and offers you the chance to be a part of
a global movement to protect the underwater
world. Activities recommended include a
hands-on, conservation event such as a beach or
underwater clean-up, an educational snorkeling
trip, a hands-on environmental activity for
children... or any other exciting and engaging
conservation activity you can think of! As a
result of CORAL's past
Earth Day
efforts over 300,000 participants from 103
countries and territories around the world have
removed 140 Tons of trash from coastal areas,
educated and inspired children to care for water
resources, supported coral reef areas, and much,
much more.
For information on the program and how you can
become involved, please visit
http://www.coralreefalliance.org/divein/ or
email
divein@coral.org.
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Community Tourism Project Launched In Grand Fond,
Dominica: The Project is being funded under
the Community Tourism component of the European
Union’s EC$16 million Eco-Tourism Development
Programme (ETDP). The Project will involve the
construction of a bamboo café, the construction
of a picnic shelter/change room and trail
development leading to the Denier Waterfall.
Speaking at the launching of the Project in
Grand Fond, Community Tourism Development
Programme Manager, Mr Sobers Esprit, said the
big idea behind the Community Tourism
Development Programme is to “ stimulate the
growth of tourism at the local level”. Mr.
Sobers also stated that with the decline in the
fortunes of the banana industry and agriculture
generally tourism offers hope. “We feel
communities should be given support to get
involved in tourism-related activities. The
community of Grand Fond “can carve a niche for
itself in developing hiking trails”. A total of
$60,000 has been approved for the Grand Fond
Tourism Project. To date funding for eleven (11)
community tourism projects around the island
have been approved.
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Caribbean Seamount With Diverse Marine Life Found: An
underwater mountain with some of the richest
diversity of marine life in the Caribbean has
been found by scientists in the Saba Bank Atoll
a coral-crowned seamount, 250 kilometers
southeast of Puerto Rico in the Netherlands
Antilles. During a two-week dive, researchers
discovered scores more species of fish than
previously known in the region, as well as vast
beds of "seaweed cities." The researchers
counted a total of 200 species of fish, over 150
more than previously known, including two new
species of gobies. However, the biodiversity
hotspot could be under threat. A petroleum
trans-shipment depot on the nearby island of St
Eustatius causes a significant amount of marine
traffic. To avoid mooring fees, some large
tankers are said to anchor on the bank,
causing significant damage to the reef. The
researchers are hoping to get the area
protected by the International Maritime
Organization.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4709594.stm
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Feedback from Our
Readers
Please write in with your comments,
questions or debate about or featured topic
this month - Caribbean Youth!
CAST encourages readers to send in comments
and feedback on BroadCAST articles, news and
achievements from your properties, or with
your own questions or concerns, All
submissions should be emailed to
cast@cha-cast.com |
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Views expressed above are not necessarily
those of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable
Tourism
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