Tourism in the Caribbean - Essay Example

Tourism in the Caribbean TOURISM IN THE CARIBBEAN Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 298752 21 May 2009 Table of Contents Introduction.3 The Problems.3 The Caribbean villages.4 The Environment4 The Economy..6 Conclusion...7 Sources8 TOURISM IN THE CARIBBEAN Introduction The tourist leaflet promises azure waters, blue skies, and other attractions to this sun-soaked region of greenery and growing modernism. The region boasts of large, predatory fishes and scintillating coral reefs. Nonetheless, the Caribbean is a large area surrounding the southern and central climes of the Americas with nearly two dozen nations thrown in. Oddly, one of the attractions to the region is the ethnic peoples comprising a mixture of the whites, the natives and the Africans. Dominica, Haiti, the Honduras, Cuba may be culturally united. However, they have a political affinity that is at once hard to describe although quite easy to understand. The politics in this region has much to do with personality cults. They may not have a very strong system politically but they have headstrong leaders. The natives always lived here, but the whites came with the explorers during the middle ages and brought slaves and indentures with them. Now they live together with the ghosts of the bygone colonial era haunting their dwellings with piracies and hoodlums of the Hollywood feature films adding a dash of color and clash to their enigmatic culture (Caribbean History). The Problems Unemployment is the major socio-economic problem in the Caribbean. The rate of unemployment is relatively high and although there are efforts to stabilize the labor scenario, the effort is producing frustratingly less results although steadfast efforts could contribute to a better socio-economic outlook in regions with better governance such as Brazil. Unemployment among the youth leads to a social spillover that affects other areas such as tourism. Unwary tourists could face the brunt of sneaky operators out to make a fast buck through foul means. Social and familial problems include use of and peddling drugs (Youth and Employment in Latin America and Caribbean). The Caribbean villages We do not live in the times anymore when obscure villages were scornfully left to fend for themselves. This fact intrinsically applies to the villages in particular in the Caribbean region. The village communities in the Caribbean may be very small when compared to the neighborhood and the world at large. However, it holds its importance in the eyes of the world now at least from the viewpoint of environmental concerns and even wildlife and energy. The rural regions in the Caribbean have gained importance from various factors that include agricultural and power concerns, not forgetting tourism and carbon credits. It is only a matter of time when these villages will bustle with social and economic activities spanning agricultural and industrial ventures (Caribbean Ethnography & Community Development Field School). The Environment Two of the more astounding aspects of the Caribbean region are its natural environment and its people. The history is as old as 4000 B.C. when the first Caribbeans set foot on South America and were followed by Arawaks. The Arawaks were peace-loving lot engaged in fishing and farming and were no match for the Caribs who followed and fought them. The Caribs killed the Arawaks men and enslaved the women. The Arawaks took to their heels and were forced northwards and westwards to the Bahamas and Cuba. The landscape was a mixture of beauty and wonder with greenery, misty mountains, rivers and volcanoes. But the people fought for space and supremacy. The trend continued when Columbus discovered America and brought along other European nations who continued the warring trends. There was a rush for gold but instead they found fertile land and waters in abundance. They fought the natives and they fought each other, until the close of the nineteenth century. There were the Spanish, the French, the English, the Dutch, and they indulged in fighting and quarrelling. At some places they almost annihilated the local natives. The locals found themselves marginalized and herded into colonies. They were tough wanderers but were no match for the white settlers who came with guns and other inventions. Slowly, the fierce and independent natives learnt to live with the white conquerors. They started doing business with them. If there are left over grudges there are few signs of it in the present circumstances. People are friendlier due to the money that tourism brings. The ethnography of the Caribbean is fairly well settled on the question of who is the dominating group. It is the tourist who descends on the place in droves. The Caribbean is the beckoning spot for tourism despite the attempts at industrialization in some places. On the whole, the place was good to live although there were certain elements in the environment that was not conducive to life and limb. The sharks, the barracudas, the piranhas and the anacondas ensured that the waters in the locality were treated with respect. The wildlife is declining, however, and there is the concern that it is restored to an appreciable level (Caribbean's predatory fishes decline as human populations rise). The Economy The Caribbeans are peace loving people. Socio-economically, the male is the dominant figure. Women are paid less although they may hold similar position as the male. However, women are closing in with governments and industries figuring out ways to increase productivity using the positive attributes of women. The women not only work in offices and factories but also take care of homes and children. They show greater responsibility. Nonetheless, jobs are in short supply. The socio-economic scenario is progressing. However, the progress is varied and slow. Politically, the countries in the Caribbean are democratic. Democracy survives in spite of the economic malfunction. By and large, people lead merry lives dancing to the beats of salsa. Tequila is the preferred drink in most places. People can be found hanging around gardens, restaurants and bars. Although the gap in gender inequality is closing, law enforcement is not as powerful as it should be and women continue to suffer discrimination in homes, offices and workplaces. The environment and culture do not allow fast industrialization. The environment is the plus point and the region is full of mountains and rivers. But these do not allow for construction of good roads. There are also flash strikes and the mafia and these will not allow the industry to function smoothly. The development of economy and peoples' lives depend on the progress of the industry and its influence over the market and also politics. There are some constraints to such development and people learn to live with these. The land is predominantly agriculture and there is the thrust to raise export-oriented crops. The need in maintaining appropriate agricultural economy is there for poverty alleviation and keeping stock of food grains in good supply. However, there is also the social problem of rural and urban crime, trafficking in illicit drugs, personal insecurity and lawlessness that affect guarantees for steady upkeep of agriculture at all times (Freeman, Carla & Murdock, Donna F). Conclusion The Caribbean region has a strong and enigmatic culture and tradition. It has known merriment and strife. Affluence and poverty has lived side by side in this region. It is the result of the modern world trying to seduce the rich natural resources but is prevented from doing so by vested interests. However, the region is changing. The changes are happening albeit slowly. One does hope that the beauty of the region is not lost in the onslaught of modernism. Sources: Caribbean Ethnography & Community Development Field School, Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, http://www.wsu.edu/rquinlan/fieldschool.htm Caribbean History, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/caribbean/history Caribbean's predatory fishes decline as human populations rise, Thaindian News, 06 May 2009, http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/caribbeans-predatory-fishes-decline-as-human-populations-rise_100189014.html Comitas, Lambros; Social Sciences, Anthropology: Ethnology, http://lcweb2.loc.gov/hlas/ss53anthro-comitas.html Duval, David Timothy; Future Prospects for Tourism in the Caribbean, http://books.google.co.in/booksid=-C_zY1yNDpEC&pg=PA287&lpg=PA287&dq=Tourism+in+the+Caribbean+by+David+Timothy+Duval&source=bl&ots=GAar_-RBj7&sig=CFQDi_9Z_BEkfG6LhP2EXA7tcR4&hl=en&ei=e5ELSpuxF4GTkAXLpLWZBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#PPA287,M1 Freeman, Carla & Murdock, Donna F; Enduring Traditions and New Directions in Feminist Ethnography in the Caribbean and Latin America, http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10370548_ITM Hulme, Peter; Travel, Ethnography, Transculturation: St. Vincent in the 1790s, http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/phulme/Travel,%20Ethnography,%20Transculturation.htm Trefzer, Annette; Possessing the Self: Caribbean Identities in Zora Neale Hurston's Tell My Horse, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2838/is_2_34/ai_64397593/ Youth and Employment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Problems, Prospects and Options, http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/papers/youth_uneclac.pdf Read More