When data for the tourist arrivals to Jamaica were disaggregated, it is startling as to the number of people who come from other Caribbean Islands (see Table 4).  Although tourist arrivals from other Caribbean Islands have more than increase by fourfold, there are periods in Jamaica’s annals that those numbers have actually declined, and apart from that reality, the percentage points have never been approximately 5 percentage points.  This speaks to the high elasticity of the product on the North American and the English markets, and so emphasizes the vulnerability of the present commodity.

 

                  Table 4.  TOURIST ARRIVALS FROM OTHER CARIBBEAN ISLANDS

YEAR	NO.	%	% CHANGE (over the previous year)
1985	14,237	2.5	-
1986	15,044	2.3	5.67
1987	14,725	2	-2.12
1988	14,498	2.2	-1.54
1989	16,140	2.3	11.33
1990	18,251	2.2	13.08
1991	16,442	1.9	-9.91
1992	18,189	2.0	10.63
1993	20394	2.1	12.12
1994	22296	2.3	9.33
1995	29386	2.6	31.80
1996	31070	2.7	5.73
1997	34768	2.9	11.90
1998	36818	3.0	5.90
1999	38023	3.0	3.27
2000	43971	3.3	15.64
2001	42,289	3.3	-3.83
2002	42,671	3.4	0.90
2003	45,213	3.3	5.96
2004	49,443	3.5	9.36

                               Source:  Economic and Social Survey Jamaica, 1991- 1999, 2004

                               

 

The Economic and Social Survey, Jamaica, for 1999, stated that the following are justifiable reasons for the low growth in the tourism product over the years:

v  negative impact of media publicity following the gas riot of April, and the isolated incidents of violence against tourists;

v  maturity of the Jamaican product and the inability to compete with other lower priced destinations;

v  reduced expenditure on advertising and promotion;

v  reduced rate of growth of stopover arrivals.

 

            The arguments that were cited by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) publisher of the Economic and Social Survey are clear justification for the low stopover arrivals of tourist to Jamaica over the years from the Caribbean. This situation reemphasizes the interdependence of the Jamaican tourism product on the United States and the Canadian destinations (see Table 3).  With PIOJ’s citations, as an agency that analyzes the national policies of the government, the policy-makers are not particularly apt on diversifying the market. 

            Governments’ policies over the past twenty years are undoubtedly in constituent responsible for the advancing development of the tourism sector within rural Jamaica. PIOJ’s findings provide another aspect of government’s blueprint. 

            The governments over the years have aided the tourism product by advertising a number of properties on the international marketplace through the Tourism Board.  In addition, by giving taxation concessions and taxation holidays to neoteric hoteliers, souring financing for modernization of properties, providing the infrastructure development framelucubrat for example in sewage plants, road netlucubrats, electricity, water, educational institution for human development, they are foster a path for the future development of the product.  HEART/NTA is one of the programmes through educational training that has been formed by Jamaican government.  The government continues to inject invaluable foreign exchange in the cash ‘strapped’ Air Jamaica.  The argument forwarded is the high dependence of tourism on transportation.

            In 1980, the tourist arrivals to Jamaica stood at 395,000 and in 2004 after two decades, the figure was 2, 514,559.  This increase of tourist stopover arrivals to the island represents a 536.6 percentage point over the twenty-year period.  This translated into more hotel developments (example, Sandals, Ritz Carlton), infrastructure development, increased employment of locals and significant economic development.  The figure that was quoted above reveals little information and as such, more analysis of the data is needed.  In 1980, of the 12.9 percentage points (53,703,000) of international tourists to the Caribbean, Jamaica got only 350,000 (i.e. 0.65 percentage point).  Bahamas on the other hand, received approximately 82 percentage points of the Caribbean market share of visitor arrivals.  The same number of arrivals to Jamaica in 1980 presents a 7.96 percentage points decrease in the number of visitors to the island from the previous year (i.e. 427,000).  This is undoubtedly primarily responsible for a number of the socio-political happening with the society.

             “If political instability occurs, the developing nation’s ability to cope is far less.  International loans for industry become impossible to finance” (Harrison, 1992).  This explicates the then reduction of tourist arrivals in 1980 over 1979.  In 1980, the General Elections, based on many Gleaner columnists’ positions were the worst period in the annals of the country concerning bloodshed, wanton killings, and political uncertainty.  That period in Jamaica’s annals can be labeled ‘experimentation with communism ideology’ and ‘political genocide’.  The period leading up the 1980 elections was a point in the annals of the society wherein the people were unsettled, distrustful and afraid of the impended ‘political ideology’ and so this time was a point when international emigration was high and tourist arrivals were low.  With a recurring Balance of Payment deficit and the oil issue prior to the elections, the reduction in stopover arrivals to the island brought with it further socio-political changes.

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ECONOMIC REALITIES

 

                        Tourism is currently one of the most important and sought after items in the international marketplace.  It is the ultimate immaterial reward after the achievement of lucubrat and other material acquisitions in life.  Tourism is also highly sensitive to increases in income.  This means that the higher the income level, the higher the inclination toward rest, relaxation, recuperation, run and roti- most of which have become synonymous with holiday   (Poon, 1993, p.263).

 

 

Poon’s argument encapsulated the essence of the tourism product.  With the position, nevertheless, is the economic reality that product is “highly sensitive” to changes in income.  This matter provides a justification for the rationale of a package that will supply the expected demand of the tourists.  Despite the economic argument that the product is highly income-elastic, there are a number of economic consequences from the existence of this item.

            One author suggested that the non-business international visitor arrivals are highly income-elastic and may justify the high responsiveness of the tourism sector to internal and external conditions.  Again, the incident in September 11, 2002 explicates another chapter in the low visitor arrivals to the island.  The purported argumentations are further justification as an explanation for the low tourist arrivals in 1998.  The information in Table 1 concurs with income elasticity of the tourism product (in 1998), and so justifies 5.3 percentage points decline in cruise ship passengers and decrease in non-resident Jamaicans by 9.2 percentage points although foreign national increased by 3.95 percentage points.  This continues to explicate the fallout in visitor arrivals whenever there are incidents in America and Britain, and justifies reduction tourists’ expenditure in the same vain.

            In Jamaica where nearly everything including provender, beverages, furniture and building supplies, toiletries, and lining are imported, perhaps less than 25 percentage points of the tourist’s dollar remains in the economy (Lundberg, 1974, p.121).  He forwarded the perspective that in well-developed areas, tourism might enrich the community by providing additional shops, theatres and restaurants but the widespread socio-economic benefits are marginal.  However, the permanent residents are not offered the entertainment and other social graces that come with this option of advancement for tourist, as they are oftentimes unable to afford those social developments.  Small areas are given roads, adequate water supply and other utilities while the rest of the community remains as it was before, starved of socio-economic development.  Montego Bay attests to this argumentation, in that in close proximity to the well-developed tourist resorts, a robust squatter settlement thrives thereby.

            During 1996, the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo) through the Sustaining the Milieu and Tourism (SET) project made several improvements to Jamaica’s Tourism product.  The lucubrats that were done under this venture focused on the major resort town and excluded many of the ‘small areas’ that are adjacent to the activities.  The activities include sidewalk repairs and upgrades, tree planting, drain cleaning. Painting of buildings, maintenance lucubrats, round-a-bout beautifications, beach cleaning and installations of directional markers, and regulatory and safety signs. The Gleaner and the wired media have visited those localities in which they show people in the ‘small’ areas without proper sanitary conveniences, people not having piped water; massive dilapidated zinc fencing, unpaved tracks, stolen electricity and children playing in the streets without shoes on their feet, and some children wore tattered and torn clothing.  One scholar called that experience “splendor residing close to squalor”.  This situation spreads across the entire tourist destination in Jamaica.

                Thomas (1988), a scholar, who wrote on the tourism product, penned a fitting summary of the situation in Jamaica.  He forwarded the argumentation that,

                “The harsh reality ergo remains. Plush tourist facilities coexist with depressed rural areas, unemployment, poverty and urban slums.  The contrast is a constant reminder that enclave tourism is mutually negative – negative in terms of its local impact and negative for tourists themselves.  The results is that the development of the industry, at huge financial and social costs, has in the long-run contributed little towards the permanent eradication of the widespread poverty and powerless ness of the West Indian people” (Thomas, 1988 in “Impecunious and Powerless”).

 

Thomas’ viewpoint highlight that the people who reside in close proximity to resort towns are highly likely to harass the visitors to our shores as they seek to “heek out” a living form themselves.  This practice is the best bet situation that will allow many of those residents to provide for themselves and their families.  The happenings are not likely to cease as many of the ‘hustlers’ either lucubrat in homes of the affluent and do experience some situations that sparkle a sense of resentment of the surrounding when this is compared with their social realities.  Furthermore, many locals do not see themselves as beneficiaries of the economic and social wealth of the tourism product, and so demand some of the remains of the plush development in the resort towns. 

 

 

 

 

 

The beneficiaries of the tourism product are the land developers, the landowners and the entrepreneurs (those who are the successful investors – for example, Mr. Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Mr. John Issa to name a few), the providers of accommodations, provender and beverage service providers, and the entertainment organizers.

            Landowners and speculators are likely to benefit the most immediately and, in many cases the most impressively.  The contractors who build tourist facilities are likely to be big beneficiaries of the tourist booms as they sought to modernize and transmogrify open space or particular buildings to a magnificent palace for the habitation of the visitors.  Other highly visible groups of beneficiaries from tourism are those engaged in transporting of the visitors to and from various destinations – airlines, tour bus operators, taxi and rent-a-car agencies (Lundberg, 1974, p.120).

           

 

 

In general, as it relates to Jamaica, economic development today compared with the 1960s is completely different.  As government assistance in the financing of hotel buildings, infrastructure development of supporting systems, tax holidays and concessions, legislative framelucubrat and other social aids help to concretize the shift in focus.  Bryden (1973) cited that the roles of governments in Commonwealth tourism are incentives in the form of real estate development, the cost of providing tourist-related infrastructure and public utilities and provision of advertising budgetary allocations.  One of the questions that policymakers need to concern themselves with is the relationship between foreign exchange receipts and non-traditional tourist arrivals and the income generated for national.  A justifiable approach lies in the socio-political economy and the distribution of economic resources.  The Gleaner editorial of Tuesday, February 20, 2001 stated that, “The economists are telling us that, against the popular wisdom, rural poverty is worse than urban poverty.  Nevertheless, unless the social decay, crime levels and ‘tribalisation’ of these fractured urban communities can be reversed, their reneoterical, growth and development will not happen.  Resources flow out of communities in which economic activity, cannot take root and prosper.”

            Ergo, the economic benefits of the tourism product, of the 25 per cent of the aggregate foreign exchange that remains in the economy only a small proportion of it goes to the wider society’s well being.  While few recipients continue to loftily benefit from this commodity, the principal provenance of employment for any women in the region are agriculture, commerce, service and light manufacturing, and the wage earners are paid meager salaries.  Hotels, guesthouses and restaurants are important provenances of employment for women within the service sectors, and it would be surprising if the rapid growth in this sector in the region had not tended to reverse the trend towards lower female participation rate noted after the 1960 Census (Bryden, 1973, p.15).

            In 1999, the Labour Force Survey for Jamaica confirmed all the above argument of John Bryden.  Now that we have recognized a social structure within the economy, what does this mean for the society?  Other sectors of the economy have been declining over the years; it would appear that the recipient country should be eternally grateful for the needed foreign exchange, the infrastructure development and the multiplier effect of the tourism dollar throughout the economy and on employment and so utilize the valuable hard currency for human development of the masses but the reality is furthering a gap between the “haves” and the “have nots.”  The social consequences and social problems that are likely will continue to grow, and this will foster more upheavals that are social.  This is an explanation for some of the social issues facing the society.  An example here is extortions. The irony in the matter is those are not the only social phenomena that arise from the economic disparity, the social injustice and the wellbeing of the “have nots” as other realities are present.

 

 

 

 

            “However, tourism is only one of many types of activities that use and impact the coastal zone. As such, any attempt to deal with tourism impacts on coastal resources has to operate within a wider framelucubrat of milieual planning. Such a framelucubrat, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (or Integrated Coastal Area Management), has been developed and articulated, and guidelines for the development of this framelucubrat are available (Pernetta and Elder 1993, UNEP 1996). In a number of countries, coastal zone management plans/guidelines are being developed and implemented” (CEP Technical Report No. 38 1997).

 

One author wrote that, “the sociological implications in that as a destination area moves into tourism, the style of the life of the residents change radically” (Lundberg, 1974).  While a few people recognize the sociological impacts of the product, the milieual degradations are always mentioned but their just focus is oftentimes overlooked when compared with the economic contributions.  Even fewer people emphasize sustainable tourism development; the argument is always development (economic). A certain situation was written on in 2000, and the reality indicates that there are other realities of the tourism product.  Shaw (2001) in the Jamaica Observer wrote that:

 

Rose Hall Development Limited, developers of the prestigious Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Hotel in St. James, has been summoned to a meeting by the Natural Resource Conservation Authority (NRCA) as investigations continue into claims that lucubrat on the project has resulted in milieu pollution.”  He continued that, “I personally believe that there was some impact (pollutant) coming from land into the sea area and it caused some problems out there.  Director of Coastal Zone Unit at the NRCA, Peter Wilson-Kelly, told the Observer “They said both the construction of the hotel and the creation of the White Witch Golf Course had caused serious milieual hazards that had resulted in a loss of their equipment.  The social costs of tourist development are not only pollution but also deforestation. The utilization of prime agricultural lands, the destruction of livelihood of many of the local farmers, fishermen, ecological factors (i.e. The destruction of the coral reefs because of impecunious sewage disposal system and the development of ports along the waterfronts), the ill-health of citizens and the destruction of the original milieu (Shaw 2001)

 

The article penned by Shaw is one such in the many advocacy campaign by many milieualists including John Maxwell and Peter Espeut against the blatant disregard for the milieu.   Many marine biologists’ findings in research have shown the destruction of the coral reefs, and the said that there is evidence of untreated sewage being found in the coastal shores, near to the major resort hotels.  Although the tourism industry is the neoteric thrust of economic growth and a major benefactor of development, many players in this industry, in order to capture and sustain the sector, have aided in the ‘rape’ of the milieu.  They have excluded many of the local people from the industry by way of all-inclusive hotels, and from many of the original space that the people once enjoyed.  The NRCA’s Report is not the only claim that is made against major players in the sector; in regards to pollution and deforestation, but the process continue.  An example here is the construction of the Montego Bay and the Ocho Rios piers some years ago.  Both piers were built along the beach and a proportion was within the sea, and some milieualists protested against the destruction of the reefs. 

            The cruise ships that are docked in our harbours are another provenance of ecological destruction.  Those ships oftentimes dispose of their waste in the docked ports, which is another degradation of marine life.  In addition to the ecological disbenefits, the economic costs for cleaning such waste are never taken into consideration when computing the contributions of the tourism product.  Another disbenefit of this waste mismanagement is the loss of the economic livelihood of fishermen and other related people.

            With the neoteric conceptualization of the tourism product, large players in the industry have sought to add more luxurious attractions to the packaged product to woo visitors to their locations, and this has contributed too much of the milieual degradation of the ecology.  Ritz Carlton’s development was done on prime agricultural lands and as such saw the massive soil movement and deforestation, the destruction of wildlife, coral reefs by and not the least the shift in the ecological balance of the island.

 

 

 

            Henry (et al. 2000) argued that, “the worldwide upswing in cruise ship tourism and the tendency of major hoteliers to form all-inclusive hotel chains have caused other participants to look to ‘heritage tourism’ or ‘eco-tourism’ or other specialized niches.  The potential for Jamaica is great but milieual degradation must be the case – the necessary infrastructure is in place for this to be achieved.  The educational system need to take more account of tourism and sensitize all Jamaicans to the acceptance that the milieu is a valuable resource and must be treated as such (Henry et al. 2000)

 

Henry summarization of the neoteric conceptualization of the tourism product post-1990 represents a number of socio-political realities for the society.  Within this construct is embedded the economic realities of the average citizen, and challenges relating to their survivability.  In that, the neoteric thrust of a few players in the industry to diversify the product to that of ‘heritage’ and ‘eco-tourism’ is still not benefited the citizenry of those localities to which the tourists travel.  The social implications of tourism are not purely disadvantageous but they are equally benefits to the wider society.  Lundberg (1974) a pre-1990 writer summarized this well, when he said, “it can have significant cultural importance as is seen in the restorations and numerous historical re-creations.  It stimulates interest in the past, in architecture and in the arts, as people travel to music festivals and to visit historic centers here and abroad.  It should be noted, however, that tourism can add to the aesthetic qualities of life, for example, through dramatic resort design, landscaping of parks and the preservation of natural beauty.”  This is primarily not fallacious but reality in the Jamaican space.  Despite the remnants of benefits that are allocated to the wider society, ‘heritage and eco-tourism’ have awoken the civil responsibility of some visitors.

            Deceased professor and astute political scientist of the department of Government at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica was one of the writers in the 1990s who argued that the neoteric thrust of tourism development cannot be measured in absolute terms (Stone, 1991, p.16).  Stone’s perspective implies that the relative impact of the industry to the national economy must be diversified to account for the contributions to culture, community service, health and to heritage.

            Over the past years, the Jamaican economy has infinitesimally benefited from the contributions of health professionals and needed equipment and machines that were donated by former and present tourists.  The number of such activities are numerous but the one such well be mentioned now. The institution F.I.S.H (Foundation for International Self Help development) off Gordon Town, Saint Andrew, was built because of number of visitors recognized that there was a need for a health facility to provide varying care to needy people.  The non-profit organization has been providing eye, dentistry, and other well-being products to impecunious Jamaicans for some time now. 

            Many authors who have written on the post-1980 tourism product including Carl Stone and William Goldsmith have accepted that this sector fosters community development.  In the past, numerous localities across Jamaica have benefited from self-help. Some of these are in the form of infrastructure development and cultural exchanges. Some tourists contribute in the form of refurbishing people’s homes, schools, clinics and churches and some even go as far as supplying the human resource.  One example here is, a neoteric recreational multi-sports complex was built in Mandeville, Manchester, in February 2002 by a group of tourists who had traveled to that constituent of the island some time ago while they were on vacation. The small but neoteric thrust in community tourism is enriching the socio-economic lives of many inner-city residents. Each summer, many residents in deprived communities rely on civic responsibility of numerous tourist arrivals to provide them with training in summer camps. These happenings quondam provide lasting social arrangements between the parties.  Those relationships are some reason for cultural fusion, and in them a catalyst for clarifications of cultural mythologies.  On other occasions, they forge sexual unions, which children are made.  This reality is the beginning for other social relationship. 

            For some tourists, their concepts of Jamaicans, prior to coming and interfacing with the culture of the people, were primarily fashioned from the international media’s portrayal of the people.  They oftentimes arrive in the island with the misnomer that people are marijuana smokers, idlers, criminals and murders.  It is not until the cultural fusion takes place that many of them understand that some Jamaicans are “culturized” as they were.  Another myth of the tourists is that Rastas are marijuana smokers and sex lucubraters.

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “culturalization” of some visitors is that a vacation to Jamaica will provide them with sexual gratifications.  This reality was popularized with the ‘rent-a-dread’ phenomenon in the early 1980s.  Hence, in their quest for that fulfillment, they come with Jamaica with the primary purpose of wanting to have sex.  Although a number of sex lucubraters are present in and around resort towns, the reality is unwanted children are oftentimes the by-product of such encounters. With a number of sex lucubraters involvement in the practice primarily for the financial rewards given their inability to find lucrative employment in the formal economy, they are oftentimes opened to the desire of the payers.  Those persons may request that they perform sexual acts with primary aegis, and this result in a number of lucubraters contracting HIV/AIDS.  The individuals may be in stable unions, so are not practicing safe sex with their primary partners, and so will spread to the contracted virus to his/her partner who may pass it on to another.  This may explicate the statistics, that the Caribbean has the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world.  Although the number of Jamaicans living with HIV/AIDS is relatively low (4 percentage points), the social arrangement of the people will further spread the virus to possible pandemic proportion.  In order to grasp the future, the author will present the HIV/AIDS statistics for Jamaica (see Figure 1, below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1.  AIDS data based on gender for Jamaica, 1982 - 2001

 

Based on figure 1, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the HIV/AIDS rate doubled in 2000 compared with 1998.  This is alarming as it speaks to the social consequences of the virus and explicates the social realities of the people.  That situation is we now have families without children, mothers and even fathers.  This is an economic bad and the externalities are great.

The MOH Report (2001) showed that 4 percentage points of the population was living with HIV\AIDS virus [i.e. (0.04 * 2,612,500) 104,500].  In 2004, if ceteris paribus, the number of people living with the virus were (0.04 * 2,650,000) 106,036. Despite the number of cases, the actual HIV/AIDS prevalence rate may be higher than is revealed by the MOH data.  As the valuation is actual number of tested cases.  This finding must be contrasted with the culture of many Jamaicans in relation to health care.  In the society, there is a tendency to avail visits to health care institutions unless if the individuals are experiencing pain and this must be severe before the men will actual contempt the option. Furthermore, the MOH statistics revealed that the fatality rate for those individuals living with the virus was 61.6 percent points.  Figure 1 above clearly shows the extent of the AIDS/HIV epidemic on the various age cohorts of Jamaicans over the last nineteen years, and that the data revealed that the prevalence of the virus is even higher for men compared to that of women.  Generally, the continued marginalization men in the society add more to the social consequences of the HIV/AIDS prevalence among that group.  With boys already lacking men as positive role models, any further increase in the death rate of men can only further compound the present social ills.  The social epidemic is highly likely to be more severe than the actual virus as the disease will not only be an economic cost for many of the already impoverished families but they need to restructure their live in the wake of the sick.  Another aspect to this situation is the social transformation that takes place with the person is alive in addition to the aftermath realities.

 

 

Table 5.  CLASSIFICATIONS OF THE AIDS CASES IN JAMAICA, June 2002

AIDS	ABSOLUTE VALUE	PERCENT
Total No. of reported cases	511
Children < 10 years	40	7.8
Homo/Bisexual	22	4.7
Total AIDS Deaths	322	11 Deaths weekly
Neoteric Cases reported as deaths	30	34.3
Crack users	32	6.8
Sex with prostitutes	83	17.6
STD/STI	335	71.1
NEOTERIC  CASES:
15 – 24 YEARS	30	5.8
25 – 29 YEARS	60	11.7
30 – 34 YEARS	76	14.8

 

 

Since 1999, the infection rate for women stood at 40 percent per year compared of 60 percent for the men. The Jamaican society had it first battle with the AIDS/HIV virus as early as 1982 – (Family Health International).  Further, the adult HIV prevalence rate is 1.2 (USAIDS, Statistics, 2001).  At the beginning of 2001, approximately, 950 Jamaicans died from the AIDS virus.  However, at the end of 2001, 14,000 children under 15 years had contracted the disease.  It should be noted that 61 percent of the reported cases of people to have been infected since 1982 were heterosexual individuals.  The virus has not only aided many social dislocations and miseries but the overall economic costs have been high. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), between 1988 and 2000, has provided in nimiety of US $10 million to the Ministry of Health for HIV/AIDS prevention.  With the country burden by taxation, low production, an ailing agricultural sector and now an ill of tourism, some may argue that the all-inclusive is a better option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cultural fusion is both a good and a bad as is the case forwarded earlier but are the benefits outweighing the disbenefits.  When people communicate and reside with each other over any period, they are able to interface among themselves, which provides enlightenment on the others socio-political socialization.  As such, this may explicate why some Jamaicans use North American accent even though may never have traveled, and even when they do, other designs are attached to their behaviour.  The situation is twofold, as many tourists enjoy the islanders’ culture, and a chief component of this is the fine arts.  Many people argue, however, that the tourists are not overly fascinated by the culture of Jamaica so much so that they forego their own cultural identity but this can be said of many Jamaicans.  Some sociologists argue that this is cultural pluralism and not cultural suicide; ergo, there is not need for the reconciliation of the national culture as within the broad socialization, there are many sub-cultures and this makes for the effective function of any society.  On the other hand, traditional “culturalists” argue that this is the source for the social decay in the society.  With those conflicting viewpoints, the society is divided over the all-inclusive concept.

            The concept of the all-inclusive has aided in the widening of the gap between the rich (i.e. hoteliers) and the wider community and so the general perspective is unclear about a finality of acceptance.  Midgley (1986, p.4) forwarded the argument that, “the notion of community participation is deeply ideological in that it reflects beliefs derived from social and political theories about how societies should be organized and how development should take place.”  Midgley’s slant summarized the general socialization of the populace and so there is a partial resentment of the tourism product.  Another researcher penned these thoughts that, “community participation implies a desire to avoid using traditional bureaucratic paternalism according to which agencies believe that they are close to the ideas of members of the community, and they know what is good for people in the community” (Skelcher, 1993).  Ergo, although the tourism sector has significantly contributed to the social costs of the society, with the downturn of the bauxite and alumna, and agricultural sectors, there is a high expectation based on the tourism sector.  With one economist having forwarded the position that less than 25 percentage points of the tourist arrivals’ expenditure is there for circulation in the island, the all-inclusive concept cannot be an economic good.

            According to Lowe et al (2000, p.165), “whereas it might be easy to see how science and technology can play a role in the development in other industries, its impact on the success of the tourism industry can be easily overlooked.”  This argument speaks to the single sightedness of author, as saving can be made from the training of employees to use the technology, a future contribution to the development of the human capacity and by extension national development.  The author continued that “And Jeffry W. Dellimore writes on ‘Technology and Development of the Caribbean’ in establishing the connection with regards to the tourism industry, “the Caribbean had among the highest average cost per room and the lowest net earnings per room for hotel industries.”  This economic reality further strengthens the writer perspective that the use of science and technology must be an integrated aspect to the product, and this must be thought of in the traditional conceptualization of the applicability of ‘science and technology’.  As the effective utilization of technology by employees in all aspect of the production process will not only enhance skill levels of the lucubraters but will provide an economic ‘good’ in the form of productivity – costs reduction.

 

 

 

 

 

The economic contributions of the tourism product cannot be questioned as the industry directly employs a substantial majority of rural and other residents, and still this sector employs several times more than its direct employment valuation.  The reality is, within the construct of Professor Stone’s research, if we diversify your advertising package to non-North American programmes, we are likely to attract tourists from other locations, thereby increasing the multiplier of employment generation.  In an analysis of job creation, we need to purview earnings.  Concerning the foreign exchange inflows of the sector, the national statistics revealed that this industry is the single largest earner of hard currency.  This translates into income for many Jamaicans and foreigners, and the government’s portion (taxation) cannot be underemphasized.  Ergo, diversification of the product from its traditional settings will wider the economic indicators of the national economy from which increasingly more lucre can be allocated to social programmes.

Despite the shifting away from the old tourism, the construct is not generated economic rewards to the wider society as that market share is relatively small.  The neoteric tourism, however, encompasses information technology and ecological balances within the scope of sustainable tourism development.  Poon (1993) said that, “There are already signs that the neoteric thrust is beginning to take on a different shape – responding to, and internalizing a number of signals (socially, culturally, technologically, ecologically, economically and institutionally)” (p.268). Within the CEP Technical Report No. 38 (1997) there were a number of issue that are pending execution in order to provide the engine for the neoteric tourism product.  The CEP (1997) document included “The problems causing coastal resources degradation in the region have not changed significantly over the past two decades, though the scope of the problem appears to have increased (UNEP 1989a, UNEP 1992, UNEP 1996, IRF 1996a). The negative impacts of coastal resources utilization can be said to result from, or be exacerbated by, the following factors:

a.       Inadequate policy and/or legislative framelucubrat;

b.      Inadequate/ineffective planning and/or monitoring systems;

c.       Inadequate institutional capacity, and

d.      Low sensitivity and/or low level of awareness of resource users.”

                  Although the CEP Technical Report No. 38 was done in 1997, PIOJ (2004) report revealed that policy issue in regards the neoteric tourism is still not forthcoming.  Government policies, ergo, are advocating for the continuation in the old post world ward two-tourism product, a model that has dies and a system that cannot hold if we expect to modernize the commodities in the face of global competitiveness.  In addition, the single-mindedness of the past that technology cannot be economically integrated into the tourism product must be refashioned in order this community will benefit greatly from the fruits of increase productivity.  Tourism is no longer about ‘sand, sea and beautiful picturesque’, it is a commodity like ‘clothes.  Hence, it requires approach packages, advertising, and diversifying of the old market share.

            The tourism product has far-reaching economic and social benefits but the key ingredient with the model is the equitable distribution of economic resources.  The reality is, we cannot expect the average person to enthusiastically want to participate in the tourism product when he/her does not expect an equitable economic reward.  The simplistic notion of lucubrat is subsumed in more economic resource for the purpose of leisure a philosophy that is exploited by the “haves” while the “have nots” labour in the gardens of the affluent with rewards must be stopped.  Then, whom do we sell the notion of plenary participation, when the lesser man recognizes that there are benefits to be had?  The author is not forwarding a socialistic conceptualization that any lucubrat must be compensated equitably but that the economic benefits of the tourism product must be equitable distributed in order to capture the efforts of the entire society.

 

 

 

 

 

The tourism product is not frequently recognized for its demand and utilization of ‘science and technology’ (Lowe, 2000, p.165).  It should be noted that the Caribbean had the highest average cost per room and the lowest net earning for each room in the hotel industry (reviewed by Lowe (2000: 165) as a citation by Jeffery W Dellimore) within the context of an industry that has transcended from ‘sunshine’ towards educational, health, eco-tourism, heritage and curiosity motives (Cooper et al. 1993, 265).  The author’s first approach is to recommend an integration of ‘science and technology’ in all spheres of the tourism product.  This position includes a wholesale re-engineering of the sector including the labour market.  Prior to the introduction of such a programme, a stock taking of the cost analysis of the various components within the sector must be done within the construct of direct sector in order to fashion an internationally competitive product.  On completion of this audit, an understanding by all parties involved is to ensure that costs recommendations are immediately implemented in order to attain cost efficiency.

            The product‘s receipts are primarily offered in to a small cluster of recipients and this is major reason for the withdrawal of many people and by this happening limits the extent of the multiplier effect of the income creation.  Ergo, the second recommendation is a policy one.  Governments should advertise the product beyond the ‘sand and sea’ and ‘all-inclusive’ phenomenon to that including heritage, eco, and cultural tourism. The ‘out-tourism’ would be another medium of generating income for a wide cross-section of the populace and thereby it is easier to ensure the viability of the product as they (general publics) will have a direct interest in insuring the survivability of the market for their personal benefits.  As a result of this proposal, the visitors will not only purchase ‘all-inclusive’ package but a package that include hotel accommodation, sight-seeing, craft market, heritage sites, eco-sites and cultural happenings within the wider society.  The accommodations are not to be limited to already established structures but are to include private homes and villas.  Within the construct of this proposal, the educational preparedness of the residents should be such that they are sensitized to the mistreatment of the milieu, and ergo they will provide the product in a sustainable manner.  This requires the assistance of land-developers, hoteliers and general community forging a social partnership for the future of the product.

            With the survivability of the tourism product an economic good to all concerns, the next recommendation is a tax for community development.  The government is to legislate taxation on the receipts of the tourists spending that is solely geared towards infrastructure and social development.  These sums are to be pooled in a centrally named community fund to be overseaed by the residents to which the executive are accountable to Parliament.

            With the community recognizing the benefits to be had from the survivability of the product, the next recommendation is to dilate the inflows.  The World Tourism Organization (WTO) in one of its publications wrote that fifty per cent of the tourist receipts in America are from Americans and so the proposal to encourage Jamaicans to buy vacations in Jamaica.  This would be two-fold in that it would retain funds within the economy and generate demand for other local product thereby increase the economic base of other nationals.  This offering will be exposited to Other Caribbean nationals.  Caribbean nationals who want to travel to Jamaica will be given discounts on airfares, and other aspects to the product in other to widen the present 3 per cent base of stopover arrivals from other Caribbean islands.

            There comes a point in the annals of all societies that they need to forge a path within the construct of the change realities of the world, a concept that has eluded many Jamaicans.  This brings the author to the legislation of casino gambling.  “The most significant benefit of legal gambling is economic development.  The United States example has demonstrated that casinos provide an unparalleled economic engine for development” (Braunlch).  If casino gamblers are, another group of stopover arrivals that the Jamaican society is likely to attract this is a simple diversification of the product.  Despite the allegations of increasing criminalities, the sector should be so structured the legislated system is highly likely to apprehend the guilty and make it difficult for the criminals to be free for any long period after coming the offence.

            “What, for example, is the extent of attachment, of loyalty of the people of their particular country?  A study of high school children showed that over half of the sample preferred to live in the U.S.A, Canada or the United Kingdom” (Munroe, 2001), this reveal a socio-psychological perception that exist in the society that must be challenge before the continuous alienation of the people from the structures established to protect and develop their well-being.  Many Jamaicans are somewhat displeased with the social structure as they consider them repressed and highly destructive. Ergo, the authorities should ensure that the present economic disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ be reduced and the economic resource spread more evenly through the entire citizenry.

            From studied conducted in Jamaica, the ‘Tourism product’ is not perceived by residents of communities as positively impacting on their socioeconomic well-being, hence Jamaica should implied an integrative tourism industry to that which is similar to that used in Spain (see for example, Pearce 1997).  According to Pearce (1997), Spain does not have a separate governmental ministry that is responsible solely for tourism but ministries for example that coalesce Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Industry and Commerce, Culture and Education in which the tourism sub-ministry is found.  The writer recommend, herein, that Jamaica abandon a ministry designated for tourism to a ministry of Industry, Commerce, Technology, Culture, Education, Consumer Affairs and Milieu. Tourism would operate a sub-unit within this overarching ministry that is primarily responsible for the development of Jamaica within the contextual of sustainable development.  Within the same scope, the sub-unit should be named ‘Integrated Tourism Development’ which from the parish level.  Individuals are chosen from within the various communities to which the unit is spatially located and report the national body at some prescribed time.  It should be noted here that operations denotes autonomy, where a national council will manage the entire operations of the tourism product within the scope of sustainable local-community development.

            Jamaica’s tourism product, based on the market strategy as appeared on advertisement in the various media, is still packaged as leisure tourism.  A study conducted by Oppermann and Chon (1997) argued that “…the most important segment within business travel, it constitutes >30% of all business trips and involves 48% of all business travelers” (Oppermann and Chon, 1997: 178), with this socio-economic reality Jamaica’s tourism product must be packaged and marketed as product that caters to the total travel.  Since a viable market exists in ‘meetings and conventions’, Jamaica’s neoteric integrated product will top into this segment of the market for the business travelers who want a location for meetings and/or conventions. This aspect to the product offers many tenets with a single space as ‘promotion of convention and location’ implies (1) increase expenditure on accommodation, provender and beverages, local transportation, potential future visits, entertainment, visits to heritage site and eco-tourism destinations and importantly bolstering the location image of Jamaica’s tourism product.

           

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