COUNTRYSTYLE COMMUNITY
TOURISM
BY: Diana McIntyre-Pike
Chairman/CEO
THE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY TOURISM
Community Tourism is about new levels of relationships
between the host country and the visitor. What is appealing to
the visitor is found among the varied natural attractions, local
resources and talents, and indigenous attributes of a community
or area. Through visitor/community interaction, respective cultures
are explored, ideas and information are exchanged, and new friends
are made.
This concept of tourism fosters opportunities at
the community level for local people wishing to participate more
fully in the tourist industry. This may range from establishing
bed & breakfast accommodation in a rural home to creating
income – generating tourism opportunities for an entire
village.
Community Tourism is managed tourism in its profoundest
sense, taking into account evolving travel trends in such areas
as the environment, study and research, seniors travel and special
interest groups.
HISTORY OF COMMUNITY TOURISM
Community Tourism was developed and pioneered in
Mandeville Jamaica by Diana McIntyre-Pike, hotelier/tourism consultant
and Desmond Henry an ex-Director of Tourism in 1978. The Astra
Country Inn became the centre for Community Tourism and has been
recognized as the pioneer hotel in Community Tourism. Several
presentations have been done locally and internationally by Mrs.
McIntyre-Pike and Mr. Henry on Community Tourism which has now
allowed it to become a world recognized tourism. For example,
the International Institute for Peace through Tourism invited
Mrs. McIntyre-Pike as one of the world’s 200 success stories
speakers at their second Global Conference in 1994 to present
the history of Community Tourism and its future. Since then the
Institute has selected the Astra Country Inn as one of its case
studies internationally in community-based tourism.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING OF COMMUNITY
TOURISM
Community Tourism embraces sustainable development
through tourism and focuses on the ecology, heritage, culture
and way of life of a community and its people. Eco-tourism, Heritage
Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Adventure Tourism are a few examples
of the types of special interest markets under community tourism.
There tends to be much confusion of Community Tourism as it is
being seen as one of the special interest type of tourism rather
than what it really is - a tourism that is community-based in
all aspects of the way of life. Sustainable tourism cannot be
successful without the participation of communities in the development
and management. In 1988, Countrystyle was created as the marketing
and development organization for Community Tourism. Countrystyle
worked in association with the Central and South Tourism Organization
(CESTO) to develop the Community Tourism programme. The central
and south area of the island was targeted as the model region
for the development. The main focus is on:
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Private Home stays - where visitors can stay
in a private homes with families and experience their
way of life during their vacation. This has proved very
successful as it has enabled visitors to get the best
of Jamaica’s hospitality, learn the culture, heritage,
entertainment, cuisine and more. Countrystyle now receives
daily requests for this type of accommodation through
e-mail and fax from all over the world.
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Bed & Breakfast accommodation is also encouraged
in the communities
participating. Anyone interested in becoming an official
bed & breakfast facility are advised the requirements
needed for TPDCo. Countrystyle is very selective where
their visitors stay and has had a successful level of
satisfaction.
-
Countrystyle specializes in serving special
interest markets. These
markets are researched and tour packages are developed
to suit the interests of visitors. Educational institutions
uses Jamaica through Countrystyle’s Community Tourism
programme as a lab of cross-cultural study and research.
For example Penn State University was the pioneer educational
institution which requested Countrystyle to develop an
all-island tourism and environmental package which included
community interaction and meeting resource persons working
directly in tourism. Seminars were held in each location
where the good, bad and ugly of the community was openly
discussed, analyzed and recommendations for action determined.
This information assisted Countrystyle to assist communities
in developing projects for improving the product.
-
The Countrystyle Institute for Sustainable
Tourism (CIST) was created to facilitate community training
through existing training institutions for sustainable
development through tourism. Major partners include CESTO,
HEART– Trust/NTA-Kenilworth, NCTVET, West Indies
College, Knox Community College, New Beulah Moravian Church,
Hibiscus Cultural Tours International, Western Catering
School, Penn State University, Caribbean Action for Sustainable
Tourism (CAST). CAST has endorsed the work of CIST and
has indicated interest in collaborating with CIST to develop
the Caribbean community training programme for Sustainable
Tourism. The Executive Director of CIST is Mr. Barry Bonitto.
- Countrystyle Tourism Consultants is a team of over twenty-five
professionals offering a range of services in all aspects
of Sustainable Tourism. The consultant team has been invited
to many countries in the Caribbean to develop community-based
tourism. The group have chosen a number of projects offered
and are in the process of finalizing contracts. The major
project is the Countrystyle Community Tourism Village Programme.
- Countrystyle Community Tours has successfully attracted many
visitors
through the “Community Experience” packages which
gives visitors the flexibility to tour Jamaica with community
persons and allowing them to stay in villages islandwide which
has been sensitized by the Countrystyle group. Visitors are protected
from harassment, and crime because of the approach of educating
communities before they are exposed to visitors. The visitor response
to these packages in Jamaica have now encouraged Countrystyle
to develop Caribbean packages.
COMMUNITY TOURISM SECRETARIAT
Countrystyle’s vision is to expose local resources
and talents and make community tourism a reality for local people.
Recently Countrystyle established a Community Tourism Secretariat
to assist in the administration, development and marketing of Community
Tourism in Jamaica and the Caribbean This has been endorsed and
supported by the Sustainable Communities Foundation (SCF). The mission
of the Secretariat is “sustaining the environment for communities
through education and tourism.”
This Secretariat is providing an administrative, technical
resource and business centre for communities who needs assistance
in Jamaica and the Caribbean. It also networks with Governments,
NGOS, Citizens Associations, Smaller Properties, All-Inclusives,
Large Hotels, Community Attractions, in acting as a resource centre
for developing and submitting projects for local and international
funding.
POTENTIAL OF COMMUNITY TOURISM
The potential of Community Tourism is tremendous as
long as organizations, groups hotels and individuals network with
the Community Tourism Secretariat that can offer professional services
in their development. Many are trying to develop packages and programmes
and have experienced problems as they have not fully understood
the approach to its development. The Countrystyle Community Tourism
Secretariat has developed a research library and information centre
in sustainable tourism which is being utilized by both visitors
and community persons especially students from rural schools, UTECH
and UWI.
The Countrystyle group of Consultants are interested
in working closely with the Office of the Prime Minister (Tourism),
TPDCo, the Jamaica Tourist Board and NGOS in developing Community
Tourism islandwide. If this happens, Community Tourism will
assist in alleviating harassment, social problems, crime and
the present distress in communities that tourism is only for
the hotels, resort areas and the ‘big man.’ There
is no doubt that this partnership would create more economic
opportunities and
allow the people of Jamaica to improve their self-esteem and achieve
their own visions.
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