Not wanting to sound overly critical, I’ve avoided articles on Caribbean tourism for the most part.
The Fourth of July weekend is being heavily promoted in spite of warnings about the dangers of contracting an illness aboard ship and the potential damage to the islands visited.
Here’s a video critique, though:
The tourism industry plays a major role in the Caribbean economy. And mocking cruise-shippers, whether we like it or not, has become a spectator sport.
Here are some promos:
“Dollars in the sand – Opinion – International Herald Tribune“:
OCHO RIOS, Jamaica — Tourism is a modern global marvel. Every year, according to the World Tourism Organization, 700 million people leave for foreign lands. They spend more than $575 billion, making tourism the world’s leading item of foreign trade.
Fifteen million of those travelers, mainly from North America, head for the Caribbean, which is by far the most tourist-dependent region of the world. On smaller islands like St. Lucia, tourism’s contribution to the economy exceeds 70 percent, and the annual number of visitors far exceeds the resident population: Antigua’s 64,000 residents put out the welcome mat for 231,000 visitors one recent year.
Why do the tourists come? Most analysts cite the three S’s: Sun, Sand and Sea. Others add a fourth: Sex. The sex part is gender-neutral, as a stroll though Ocho Rios immediately confirms. Wickedly handsome young men with flowing dreadlocks, some dyed blond, provide rent-a-dread services for women of every nationality. For most, it is a four-day fling; for a few, there is the hope that life will imitate art and, like Stella, they’ll get their groove back.
What do the islands gain? Tourism generates desperately needed foreign revenue for the government, creates employment (as high as 60 percent of the jobs in the Bahamas), and makes possible a wide range of support services and industries. For many of the smaller islands, it is a godsend, especially in the face of the collapsing banana and sugar industries.
This video was an eye-opener for me, and I encourage you all to watch it:
“Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Harry Belafonte.”
I live on “Deyo Street” in Kingston, New York, and it’s normal that I have to correct people about the spelling. They all burst into song when they hear it.
Have you ever been on a Caribbean cruise? If so, are you planning to repeat the experience?
Join me in the comments section below to respond.
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