Being one of the largest industries in the world and a significant driver of unfettered development across the Caribbean, there is a lot being banked upon the reinvigoration of the tourism industry in the age of COVID-19. With air travel restrictions still being maintained, island states continue to feel the disastrous consequences of an economy centred on tourism. Several countries such as Guyana have begun pushing marketing strategies aimed at locals, an often unconsidered demographic.
It has been good to see the renewed focus on local tourists with packages crafted with us in mind however. One can hope that the focus is maintained rather than it being a last ditch effort to save the industry from its precarious reliance on northern tourists. Given the ever-growing gap between the rich and poor across the world though, many persons simply do not have the resources needed to participate in and benefit from many of the tourism efforts that are being promoted now. The reality is though that tourism was never an industry truly meant for local enjoyment.
With the drive towards sustainable tourism, ecotourism and all its variants that promote the idea of community involvement and management, we can often forget the genesis of the industry and what birthed it. Regardless of the steps we make, tourism cannot be removed from its history of plantation politics. It is directly linked to European colonial expansion into the Caribbean.
While it began more than five hundred years ago, mass tourism as we know it today gained traction approximately three decades ago. Looking to build their economies and recognizing the financial power of the North American and European middle class, many island states began to build their economies exclusively around this.
While there were possibly some good intentions this move significantly crippled these states and their ability to diversify and maintain control over their development. This led to a neocolonial model where foreign owned hotel and resort chains now dominate these island states and the bulk of the money generated is taken outside of the islands. This often results in resentment that can manifest itself in crimes against tourists. Solutions prompted by industry pundits are enhanced security or tourist warnings; but solutions that do not examine the socioeconomic requirements for crime reduction are merely Band-Aids on an ever-festering problem.
The benefits of tourism such as job creation that are usually touted are not anything to write home about. Very few jobs are created with the majority of them being low waged. This is by design. The tourism industry and its destination settings that imitate the dynamics of the colonial plantation era cannot be sustained without relying on the maintenance of low-wage workers.
In Caribbean island states and countries such as Guyana, the environment, people and culture are usually sold wholesale. It is painted as an idyllic paradise of sun, sand and beach where the people drink all day, party all night and have no worries. The socioeconomic inequality and cultural nuances are all discarded in adherence to painting countries as hubs to service the ever-growing needs of northern tourism.
Of course these tourists do not want to face the realities of poverty in the countries that they visit, so the solution is often to create an all-inclusive exclusive environment where tourists are kept away from the general population. Tourists are wrapped in a cocoon of luxury and privilege often to the detriment of local populations who find themselves being barred from public beaches and access ways.
Guyana’s maiden industry has hoisted itself on the horse of sustainable/eco tourism and posits itself as strictly adhering to all elements of sustainable management and development but theory is often a lot better than reality. In several Indigenous communities where the approach is being tested out, there have been marginal successes that have bolstered the faith in its application such as job creation. As tourist markets expand however, there have also been negatives such as increased consumption and waste.
While some approach it with good intentions, movement towards sustainable tourism is elusive at best, as it does not substantially aid in the protection of people and their environments. Sustainable/eco tourism is linked with green capitalism, so it inevitably will commodify all aspects of local and Indigenous cultures, belief systems, lands and people. This is why those involved in the industry need to take particular care in the way they promote these communities and its residents so as to lessen the harm that will be caused upon them.
