Tourism Stakeholder Recommends Tourism Model for Wealth Creation and Empowerment of ECCU Citizens
A major player in the tourism industry in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union is of the view that a tourism product based on the respect, preservation and enjoyment of the natural environment is the ideal model of the future for tourism in the region.
Speaking on this week’s episode of ECCB Connects, Developer and Managing Director of Jungle Bay Resort and Spa in the Commonwealth of Dominica, Sam Raphael says that the way the region has approached tourism for decades, where a developer comes in and destroy the natural environment with the promise of bringing ‘development and jobs’ will not work in this era.
“We want the jobs but we also need our natural environment” he said. Raphael manages the 89-Room Jungle Bay facility which promotes wellness and eco-tourism and says that it offers a unique replica model of what tourism in the region should look like.
He points out that while the details of the model are specific to the Commonwealth of Dominica, countries can tailor to suit their unique features to differentiate themselves from each other. Raphael added that this model is much different from the brand of Caribbean tourism which promotes sun, sea and sand and it is a tool for wealth creation and empowerment of the citizens of the region.
The full discussion on Innovation and Sustainability in the Caribbean Tourism Product is available on this week’s episode of ECCB Connects on the ECCB website and its social media pages.
