Tourism Challenges
We are very dependent on Tourism, but our countries do not always reap the full benefits of the industry. Some reasons are:
1. Some countries do NOT have adequate airline service from the major tourist generating markets. Also, some airports cannot handle large aircraft.
2. Not enough money or skill to market and promote the country so that tourists, travel operators, and travel writers know about it.
3. Issues with training facilities for workers:
4. Water supply is essential to the good running of hotels. (Think of ways hotels use water.) Some countries (Barbados, Antigua, Bahamas) have low rainfall. If they use desalination to get more water, this will be another cost to be passed on to the tourists.
6. Global terrorism and crime.
When there are fears about terrorism in the tourism markets, some tourists will not travel. Airlines may stop flying for a time, the security checks increase making travel more of a bother. Additionally, crime against visitors or in general will scare people away.
7. Competition from other destinations (such as Hawaii, Reunion, Thailand, Mexico). They may offer similar products as Caribbean tourism, but it may be cheaper and easier for some potential visitors to travel to those locations.
8. Although cruise ships bring benefits, a lot of the money earned does NOT benefit the Caribbean. The ships are foreign owned, most workers are foreign, they don't pay many taxes, and the supplies they use mainly come from outside the region. [Remember "economic leakage"]
1. Some countries do NOT have adequate airline service from the major tourist generating markets. Also, some airports cannot handle large aircraft.
2. Not enough money or skill to market and promote the country so that tourists, travel operators, and travel writers know about it.
3. Issues with training facilities for workers:
- Not enough qualified top-level hotel personnel. This means more training is needed and foreign workers will be doing the job in the meantime.
- Need to send workers overseas for training or bring in trainers. This is expensive. The cost may be passed on to the visitors, making the destination more expensive.
4. Water supply is essential to the good running of hotels. (Think of ways hotels use water.) Some countries (Barbados, Antigua, Bahamas) have low rainfall. If they use desalination to get more water, this will be another cost to be passed on to the tourists.
6. Global terrorism and crime.
When there are fears about terrorism in the tourism markets, some tourists will not travel. Airlines may stop flying for a time, the security checks increase making travel more of a bother. Additionally, crime against visitors or in general will scare people away.
7. Competition from other destinations (such as Hawaii, Reunion, Thailand, Mexico). They may offer similar products as Caribbean tourism, but it may be cheaper and easier for some potential visitors to travel to those locations.
8. Although cruise ships bring benefits, a lot of the money earned does NOT benefit the Caribbean. The ships are foreign owned, most workers are foreign, they don't pay many taxes, and the supplies they use mainly come from outside the region. [Remember "economic leakage"]
Cooperation and Technology to Overcome Challenges
Given the challenges outlined above, how can our governments and tourism players strengthen and assist the tourism industry to cope?
- Marketing the Caribbean as a single destination
Just ONE 30 second spot on national TV in USA can cost US$100 000 and up! Therefore, if the Caribbean countries join together to pay and market the region instead of individual islands, it might be more effective way to spend precious advertising dollars. - CSME Objectives.
Free movement of goods (e.g. food; craft;), labour (skilled tourism workers), and capital (e.g. Sandals) could assist in reducing tourism costs and make it easier to do business. We might have a cheaper tourism product. - Create linkages within the Caribbean.
4. Aviation Hubs
Each island may not have direct flights, but working with LIAT or Caribbean Airlines, passengers can fly into one island (e.g. Antigua, Barbados), then make connections on to e.g. Dominica, St. Kitts.
Information Communications Technology (I.C.Ts) and the Tourism Industry
These are examples of how the Internet and I.C.Ts help the tourism industry. Travellers can:
- find out about the destination, check air fare, hotel rates, attractions, and activities to help them decide where to go.
- they can then buy a ticket (eTicket); book/pay for a hotel room; get transport; pay for a special activity. This can be done sometimes even before they leave home, so they do not need to travel with so much cash.
Tourism facilities and attractions therefore can:
- set up websites inform about their offerings, let people reserve and pay for their services. [easy and convenient for clients]
- use social media (e.g. Facebook, YouTube channels) for guests to get the information they need. They can also keep in contact with clients, suppliers and other business partners. [widely used and generally free to use]
- keep up with what their competition is doing so they can provide a better service.
- monitor reviews from guests such as those who comment on TripAdvisor. They can identify shortcomings and improve on them. [can respond directly to reviews and adds a personal touch]
What I.C.T.s would you suggest a couple and their 2 teenage children should use plan a 2 week trip to Dominica? Think of all the possible needs and activities they might have.