With regards to tourism
development in my last post, you guys made some very strong recommendations for
a successful sector. I must say I totally agree that revised Government
policies to address issues such as improved marketing with the aid of increased
social media usage, quality tourism education and the delivery of reliable and
consistent public transportation services pushed through dependable and ground
breaking activists will make a positive change.
This brings me to my next
point of what exactly constitutes this positive change. A thriving tourism
industry is said to be beneficial to any country so what are these benefits? Do
they include added job opportunities, increased foreign investment, a greater
sense of national identity and the conservation of natural resources and
ecosystems? In following through with your recommendations, what are the
advantages to be received by individuals, families, communities, businesses,
the government and Trinidad and Tobago as a whole? What economic, social and
environmental benefits do you think we stand to gain?
Yes, a thriving tourism industry will bring all of what you mentioned to a country, but not all at once. It will take time to see all of the positive changes that will take place. The more tourists that come into our islands will mean more job opportunities will open up such as jobs in hospitality, housekeeping, culinary arts etc.
ReplyDeleteSome of these new jobs will also aid in the beautification of our islands. I am referring to construction jobs like the works that was done to Chaguaramas boardwalk and other projects that are in the works. The day the boardwalk more locals went to see what was done and most were surprised at how nice it looks now as to before.
Benefits of a successful tourism industry will fall nicely into the 3 categories that you brilliantly mentioned.
ReplyDeleteEconomic benefit - From T&T's perspective, we have a host of natural / historical sites and events of grandeur that makes us such a healthy island for tourism. Carnival season alone brings in hoards of foreigners which directly equates to more revenue for the country. Also, the industry as a whole, including mas bands, performers & entertainers, promoters, souvenir shops, etc. all benefit through job creation of varying forms. From the nature lover's perspective, increased awareness of local "sweet spots" can encourage nature lovers to either partake in nature activities or enroll in programmes that will benefit nature, its participants and ultimately our economy through expenditure on the nature lovers' part.
Social benefit - I view the social benefits in the true sense of the word "society". When people come together for a common cause, they will interact so much differently than on social media. Personalities can be explored, friendships forged and this will all go toward building a better, more well informed and personalized social structure. As a result of a better social structure being formed, one can even go further to say that it may lead to more productivity since people will be encouraged to be "on the scenes" of many nature spots to either enjoy it or volunteer to help keep it pristine. But, that's just my trend of thought.
Environmental benefits - This speaks for itself and, in my opinion, will have both a good and bad side. I will use carnival as an example to say that while it is a world renowned event, it does bring about pollution and degradation to the Queen's Park Savanna. Even with hiking trails and beach events, pollution poses a problem. But, as long as there are those individuals that are serious minded about the environment, benefits will come in the form volunteer clean ups, re-afforestation projects, enthusiasts who will strive to keep the public aware of any injustices against nature. But, for me personally, I don't see that much more benefits than downsides and I say this simply because of the current mindset of a considerable percentage of the population, which is quite frankly a 'don't care attitude"
Before I actually begin, a lot Trini's(in general) believe that Tourism is for the Government to do and they should reap the advantages of "bragging" when a country becomes globally know for it's "great" tourism. Sometimes we forget that we are tourists in our own country because we do know half or even a quarter of what our country has.The only time of the year I hear the word "Tourism/Tourist" is around Carnival Time and that is when u how much money comes in to the country which is announced by the Government, Hotels, Airlines etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, advantages of tourism are as follows:
Employment:
One of the easiest advantages to identify is the jobs that tourism brings. This ranges from directly influenced positions like tour guides, hotel staff, coach services, and restaurants. What’s great about all these businesses is that they not only pay wages to their staff, but source goods and products locally, giving a boost to local industry.
Diversification:
Other and Tourism bringing prosperity to an economy, it also allows an economy to develop a new form of income which I would like to term as an "Insurance Policy". In cases of hard times, the additional foreign dollars coming in can help support traditional industries in case they come under financial pressure.
Social Advantages:
In addition to the revenue, there are also fantastic cultural advantages to tourism. It can be a source of pride for local communities, and allows us to look at our history, and cultural heritage and develop our own community identity. This helps us as locals to maintain our traditions and culture (Divali, Eid-Ul-Ftr, Indian Arrival Day, Emancipation Day, etc), while also showcasing it for all the visitors. This advantage of tourism is what has saved many local heritage sites such as the Ginger Bread House around the Savannah/other historic sites from destruction, in addition to giving tourists a wonderful insight into the local ways of life. Tourism can help to preserve the history of a country/region that may be at risk of being lost.
Environmental Advantages:
Many tourism countries are differentiating themselves from their counterparts by offering tours and packages with an environmental twist, and supporting the conservation of the local area. This helps both the environment in dealing with the influx of tourists, but also helps to build a strong reputation for the tourism operator.
NOTE: Always remember to respect the places in your country that you visit, and always leave them as you found it because when you go to foreign countries such as New York and Canada you obey their ENVIRONMENTA LAWS.
Don't be the average typical TRINI.
If I am not mistaken the "Trinidad Hardcore" event will be taking place this week, it is a test of physical strength. The reason that I bring this up is because it will not only be covered by local camera crew abut also by ESPN and other big networks. If this becomes a yearly thing it will bring in more tourists and even more jobs, such as fitness coaches to help train the foreign participants, new jobs for photography and video journalism to document the event, medical for persons who might be hurt.
ReplyDeleteEvents like this and others will help businesses to promote there products more by becoming a sponsor, communities where these events are being held in or where the participants might be passing through will become more updated as no one will want to have an event in or close to a place that is "ugly."
This will in turn have a positive effect on the persons who live there to become even more proud of where they live and to help even more to keep if from going back to a bad state.