[Fwd: CARIBBEAN: Eco-nation First, Then Eco-tourism]

Subject: CARIBBEAN: Eco-nation First, Then Eco-tourism
Date: 18 Mar 2002 15:36:43 GMT

ECO-NATION FIRST, THEN ECO-TOURISM

Contact: Samira Cherrouk (scherrouk@counterpart.org)
         Tel: 202 721-1577

Photo Available at:
http://www.counterpartcaribbean.info/tmp/min.asp

NASSAU, Bahamas (May 18, 2002) - Director-General of Tourism in
the Bahamas believes Caribbean nations ought to focus on
developing "eco-nations" before promoting the concept of eco-
tourism.

Speaking prior to the second Caribbean Media Exchange on
Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), slated for Nassau (May 16-20),
Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said he is often criticised for
saying there is no such thing as eco-tourism, but "you have to
be an eco-nation first before you can talk about eco-tourism."

In a recent interview at the British Colonial Hilton, the
Harvard-educated Director-General said that Caribbean citizens
do more damage to a country than visitors. "Eco-tourism will
flourish to the degree that we get our citizens to understand
that we have to be people who conserve what we have," he
stressed, explaining that when visitors see locals behaving in a
responsible manner, they too will respect the region's
environment.

Vanderpool-Wallace wants the tourism industry to retrofit a lot
of the badly designed product to become more eco-
friendly. "Let's fix the stuff we did wrong as we progress. Eco-
tourism involves everything, it's not just a specific niche, it
should be all-pervasive."

The tourism leader, who also chairs the Caribbean Hotel
Association's Government Affairs Committee, lauded the
educational goals of the upcoming CMEx media exercise which is
focusing on the business and economic aspects of the
industry. "Too few of our citizens have an appreciation for the
economic value of tourism, and we are just simply skimming the
surface right now in terms of delivering a lot more of the
benefits from tourism to so many of our communities."

The CMEx team, which comprises Counterpart, Air Jamaica,
Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Hotel Association,
Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism, EarthVoice and Great
Places in the Caribbean, is being supported by the Bahamas
Ministry of Tourism, British Colonial Hilton, SuperClubs,
Sandals Resorts and the Central Bank of Barbados.

For further information, visit www.caribbeanmediaexchange.com
Received on Thu Mar 21 17:18:10 2002