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We must take Mr James Dion seriously
Friday, December 14, 2007
We note with interest the priorities outlined by the new mayors of the island's western region in yesterday's edition of our sister title the Observer West.
According to the story, economic development and the social agenda top the list of priorities on their agenda.
And given the challenges that have faced our coastal parishes over the years, mayors Lloyd Hill, Bertel Moore, Jeremy Palmer, Colin Gager and Charles Sinclair of Lucea, Savanna-la-Mar, Black River, Falmouth and Montego Bay respectively have their work cut out for them.
For as National Geographic Traveler magazine pointed out in its fourth annual destination scorecard survey at the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) conference in St Lucia recently, Jamaica, despite its popularity as an island destination, is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.
According to the survey, details of which are also published in yesterday's edition of the Observer West, Jamaica is in the bottom four of 111 islands and archipelagos observed by a panel of 522 experts in sustainable tourism and destination stewardship with the assistance of the George Washington University.
We can't pretend we're shocked.
For although there has been much talk about sustainable development, not just for the tourism industry but for the island as a whole, the truth is that the pressure placed on our current infrastructure by the physical expansion of the tourism industry has been overwhelming.
The result, unfortunately, has been, as Mr James Dion, of the National Geographic Centre for Sustainable Destinations puts it, a "watering down of the cultural experience" for our visitors.
Mr Dion goes on to postulate that the island's troubling status as a candidate for "tourism overkill" can, over time, be reversed if the Government ensures that its policies and stewardship of the industry guarantee environmental sustainability.
We'd be fools to ignore his advice.
For if we do not manage the concretisation and other aspects of the industrial evolution of our landscape appropriately, our visitors will soon tire of us and go elsewhere to enjoy the natural tropical treats that they have come to expect on vacation.
And we need not elaborate on the obviously negative consequences that such a shift would entail for our island.
Suffice it to say that the island's entire slate of local government representatives would be well advised to pull out all the stops to ensure that the issues articulated by the western region's new mayors are addressed with success.
For it's not just about the west, it's about the entire island and its future generations, which will thank us for employing the best practices to ensure that an appropriate standard of living is attainable years from now when the full implications of increased development have taken effect.
Friday, December 14, 2007
We note with interest the priorities outlined by the new mayors of the island's western region in yesterday's edition of our sister title the Observer West.
According to the story, economic development and the social agenda top the list of priorities on their agenda.
And given the challenges that have faced our coastal parishes over the years, mayors Lloyd Hill, Bertel Moore, Jeremy Palmer, Colin Gager and Charles Sinclair of Lucea, Savanna-la-Mar, Black River, Falmouth and Montego Bay respectively have their work cut out for them.
For as National Geographic Traveler magazine pointed out in its fourth annual destination scorecard survey at the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) conference in St Lucia recently, Jamaica, despite its popularity as an island destination, is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.
According to the survey, details of which are also published in yesterday's edition of the Observer West, Jamaica is in the bottom four of 111 islands and archipelagos observed by a panel of 522 experts in sustainable tourism and destination stewardship with the assistance of the George Washington University.
We can't pretend we're shocked.
For although there has been much talk about sustainable development, not just for the tourism industry but for the island as a whole, the truth is that the pressure placed on our current infrastructure by the physical expansion of the tourism industry has been overwhelming.
The result, unfortunately, has been, as Mr James Dion, of the National Geographic Centre for Sustainable Destinations puts it, a "watering down of the cultural experience" for our visitors.
Mr Dion goes on to postulate that the island's troubling status as a candidate for "tourism overkill" can, over time, be reversed if the Government ensures that its policies and stewardship of the industry guarantee environmental sustainability.
We'd be fools to ignore his advice.
For if we do not manage the concretisation and other aspects of the industrial evolution of our landscape appropriately, our visitors will soon tire of us and go elsewhere to enjoy the natural tropical treats that they have come to expect on vacation.
And we need not elaborate on the obviously negative consequences that such a shift would entail for our island.
Suffice it to say that the island's entire slate of local government representatives would be well advised to pull out all the stops to ensure that the issues articulated by the western region's new mayors are addressed with success.
For it's not just about the west, it's about the entire island and its future generations, which will thank us for employing the best practices to ensure that an appropriate standard of living is attainable years from now when the full implications of increased development have taken effect.