International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Emerald Article: Ameliorating the negative impacts of tourism: a Caribbean

perspective
Leonard A. Jackson

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To cite this document: Leonard A. Jackson, (2006),"Ameliorating the negative impacts of tourism: a Caribbean perspective",
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 18 Iss: 7 pp. 574 - 582
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IJCHM
18,7 Ameliorating the negative
impacts of tourism: a Caribbean
perspective
574
Leonard A. Jackson
Bethune Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework to assist tourism planners
to assess and respond to the negative consequences of tourism development.
Design/methodology/approach – Proposes a collaborative, community-based approach for
tourism development.
Findings – Provides a series of recommendations in the form of key points linked to the practical
application of the framework. The paper also provides an example of a code for responsible conduct
for destination managers and policy makers.
Originality/value – The proposed framework is designed to guide tourism planners and
policy-makers as they develop policies that balance economic and ecological sustainability.
Keywords Tourism management, Caribbean, Environmental management, Social behaviour
Paper type Conceptual paper

International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality
Management
Vol. 18 No. 7, 2006
pp. 574-582
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0959-6119
DOI 10.1108/09596110610703002
Introduction
History has shown that tourism and its development have impacted in some way,
everything and everyone that it has touched. Ideally, these impacts should be positive
in terms of benefits to destinations and their residents. As such, governments often
commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism
and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts. However, over emphasis on
economic benefits has often led to adverse physical and social consequences. The
reason for this is the simple fact that, as tourism development and tourist activity
expands, so too does the potential harm, social impact and potential for human induced
harm and disturbance to destination residents and the environment.
Tourism is often viewed by island states as a panacea to their adverse economic
situations since it presents an opportunity for these countries to diversify their
economy, and reduce their reliance on traditional primary products. This is especially
highlighted in the Caribbean region, where, for over four decades tourism has grew
steadily, contributing significantly to the economy of these island states. Throughout
the Caribbean, tourism has created jobs and provided investment opportunities and
often is the most dominant economic activity in several of these island states. The
contribution of tourism to the Caribbean region is extremely significant. For example,
in 2004, tourism contributed 14.8 per cent of the Caribbean’s GNP and accounted for
over 2.4 million jobs, which represented 15.5 percent of total employment (World
Travel & Tourism Council, 2004). In fact, Jayawardena (2003) argued that not only is
tourism seen as the most significant economic sector in the majority of Caribbean
countries, but its prominence in the development of these island states has led to over
reliance on this economic sector. Unfortunately, often times, the net impact of tourism
on these island states and particularly within host communities are not widely A Caribbean
understood, nor are the benefits derived from tourist activity. Hence, the positive perspective
benefits derived from tourism often overshadow and masks some of the negative
consequences.
The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that can be adopted
by tourism planners to mitigate the negative consequences of tourism. Since tourism
development is at various stages in the Caribbean, the paper presents an ameliorative 575
process which can be adopted by any of these island states (see Figure 1). The paper
proposes a collaborative community based approach, ensuring that the needs of all
tourism stakeholders are addressed. The framework is intended to aid destination
management policy makers in developing tourism policies that balances
socio-economic sustainability with ecological sustainability. By following this
framework, tourism policy makers will ensure that the concerns and priorities of
tourism stakeholders are addressed through inclusive tourism policies.
Collaboration in tourism development and policy making offers significant
benefits to all destination stakeholders since its ultimate goal is to build consensus
about tourism related policies (Bramwell and Sharman, 1999). There are several
reasons for proposing this framework and why this collaborative framework can be
beneficial to industry practioners. First and foremost is the fact that a collaborative
and inclusive framework has the potential of avoiding the inherent antagonism that
often arises due to the conflicting interest and priorities as well as lack of trust
amongst the various stakeholders. The collaboration proposed by the framework
thus reduces the potential costs involved with such conflicts since all stakeholders
are actively involved in the decision and policy making process. Second, from a
political perspective, policies are more likely to be accepted and gain stakeholder
“buy in” if the same stakeholders are part of the decision making process. Hence,
there will be more acceptance of policies under this approach. The third and
perhaps most important fact as to why this framework is useful is the fact that the
collaborative efforts of all stakeholders will lead to policies that are economically,
environmentally and socially sustainable. This is because all stakeholders will have
an opportunity to lobby on their own behalf during the policy making process. This
point was accentuated by Jamal and Getz (1995) who noted that stakeholders who
are impacted by others must have the right to be involved in the decision making
process in order to mitigate impacts. Jamal and Getz (1995) argued however that
such stakeholders must possess the skills and competencies to effectively
participate. Another added benefit of the approach proposed by this framework is
the fact that this approach will lead to better policies since stakeholders who
understand the issues relating to their destination will be part of the policy decision
making process, which will ultimately lead to policies that are inclusive and
accepted by the key stakeholders. In fact, the importance of involving the various
stakeholders should not be underscored since such involvement results in dialogue,
negotiation, and consensus building which ultimately results in proposals and
policies, about the development of tourism, that are mutually acceptable (Mason,
2003). Further, it behooves tourism policy makers to involve stakeholders in the
policymaking process given the fact that if stakeholders do not perceive that the
accrue benefits through participation or distribution of the financial and other
benefits, there is the likelihood that these stakeholders will engage in activities that
IJCHM
18,7

576

Figure 1.
Ameliorative process

that will be detrimental to the whole tourism development process (Butler and Boyd,
2000).
Since Caribbean tourism is based primarily on natural recourses, it is important that
the priorities of both residents and visitors are taken into consideration. The
framework presented in this paper will ensure that tourism development will not be
subordinate to local character and identity as well as to the local needs, wants and
priorities but will instead ensure that the tourism product is also not oversaturated. A Caribbean
This inclusive and collaborative framework will ensure that resident can maintain perspective
their lifestyles while at the same time fulfilling their aspirations and enjoying the
benefits that tourism provide while on the other hand, visitors can enjoy the resources
of a given locale.

577
The ameliorative process
Identification of key stakeholders
The first step in the process is to identify all the key stakeholders and interest groups.
Stakeholders should mean anyone or interest groups that are affected by tourism
development, or have a stake in the well being of tourism. The stakeholders will
therefore include the residents, business owners and developers, as well as
non-government organizations such as environmental and conservation groups. Care
should be taken to ensure that all interest groups, even those on the periphery of the
current impacts are represented in the process. Assistance should be offered to interest
groups that are willing to participate, but lack the resources to fully do so. For example,
if there are interest groups in remote locations who want to participate, but lack the
resources to go to meetings or gatherings to discuss the issues, they should be assisted.

Establish communication links and build trust

The next and perhaps most crucial step is to establish effective communication links
between the stakeholders. Tourism authorities and governmental planning groups
should take the initiative to initiate the communication process. Although there are
several ways through which this communication can take place, initially, it is
recommended that a participatory approach is taken. This can be done through
community workshops or community outreach programs, where stakeholders are
invited to discuss their concerns in open dialogue. Key issues can be identified and
highlighted by each stakeholder group. However, as the stakeholders become more
acquainted and establish working relationships, then other forms of communications
such as newsletters and interviews can be used in conjunction with the participatory
method.
As much as possible, there should be the perception among all stakeholders that
they have shared power and an equal say in the process. To ensure that the process is
perceived as being fair, it is recommended that there are co-facilitators who will lead
the process. In this light, it is also recommended that the facilitators be drawn from the
various stakeholder groups.

Formation of collaborative working group

Once communication and a certain level of trust have been established between the
stakeholders, a working group or committee should be selected from amongst the
stakeholders. This committee should be responsible for deciding the approach to be
taken to ameliorate the tourism related problems. As much as possible, there should be
equal representation of stakeholders in terms of numbers as well as regions within the
destination. Since the ameliorative process takes a consensus approach, the working
group should be decided on by voting among the various interest groups.
IJCHM Establishing goals and objectives
18,7 At this point, the task force will determine the scale, size and purpose of their objective.
Goals and objectives should be established through consensus. They will also generate
a series of comprehensive and time specific objectives. The goals and objective should
be geared towards creating a balance between socio-economic sustainability and
ecological sustainability.
578
Appointment of independent experts
Since the goals are geared towards economic and ecological sustainability, at this stage
in the process, the task force should solicit the services of independent industry
experts. These experts should include environmental, social, economic and legal
experts. The industry experts should carry out the fact finding or research and will
provide data that are essential in developing the ameliorative plan. For example, the
experts could prepare a fact book, which they will present to the task force. The experts
should undertake environmental impact studies, economic impact studies and social
impact studies. This could be achieved through the use of overlay techniques and
community mapping, using surveys, interviews and other appropriate techniques. The
information gathered by the experts will also generate baseline data against which
future comparisons can be made.

Determine carrying capacity

Once the data is gathered, the experts should be required to determine the current and
future carrying capacity of the destination. Determination of the carrying capacity will
give an idea of the “optimum” levels of development that the area can withstand and
will help to manage the degree and direction of environmental and social change. Once
the carrying capacity of the destination has been established, management policies and
control systems can be enacted to help restrict unplanned growth. Not only should the
experts be required to determine the carrying capacity, but also to make conclusions
from their findings and offer solutions. This will help the task force to conceptualize
and formulate the ameliorative plan. Since carrying capacity is often based on value
judgments, it is imperative that the stakeholders vow to abide by the informed
opinions of the panel of experts.

Establish and approve plan

Based on the previous step in the process, (that is, once the task force has facts to work
with) the task force should consider alternatives, create different scenarios and if
possible (perhaps using simulation) pre-test these alternatives. An alternative is to use
scale models to illustrate current land use patterns, as well as future land use. From
these models, the social, economic and physical costs presented in each scenario can be
examined. From this, the stakeholders can make informed decisions as to which
ameliorative plan to approve. The approved plan should include zoning and other land
use regulations, economic analysis, landscape plans, management of sewage and water
usage as well as architectural standards. The legal expert on the panel will ensure that
the approved plan is in compliance with local laws. Also, if necessary, the task force
should be willing to lobby the government to amend existing laws. Under the guidance
of the facilitator(s) the “appropriate” rehabilitation plan should be decided on by
consensus.
Code of conduct A Caribbean
Before the plan is implemented, the task force should develop a code of responsible perspective
conduct. The code of conduct would guide current and future behaviors in
development and other tourism related activities. This is a significant step in the
process to ensure its survival. Figure 2 presents an example of the destination’s code of
responsible conduct. The first and most critical element in the code’s development
process that will contribute to its effectiveness is gaining the participation of all the key 579
stakeholders. Without the direct involvement of the significant stakeholders, namely
resort developers, the government and the residents of the destination, the entire
process could break down. The code should be crafted to encourage self-regulation of
behavior in the interest of ecological sustainability. However, the mere presence of the
code does not mean that its specifications will be honored. For the code to be effective
the guidelines it lays out must be at the very least accepted and deemed fair and
appropriate by the stakeholders involved. As such, the process driving the code’s
conception, development and utilization should be more important than the actual
guidelines themselves. This community-based process will help to facilitate

Figure 2.
Key elements in the code
of conduct
IJCHM communication and strengthen important social ties between the operators. Without
18,7 the direct involvement of these significant stakeholders, the entire ameliorative process
will fail as it will not address the issues specifically relating to the destination’s distinct
social, ecological and cultural character.
The code of conduct will also help transfer the broad principles of sustainable
development into concrete guidelines for action. Each code should incorporate one or
580 more of the overriding actions required for a more sustainable tourism product. Some
of the codes should be aimed at managing traveler behavior by emphasizing respect for
the destination’s cultures and should encourage the sensitive use of natural resources.
The basis of the code should be rooted in the principles of ecotourism. It should
address issues related to impact management, contributions to the conservation
programs, support for the local community and businesses as well as the education of
staff and visitors. The marketing of the destination should also be highlighted in the
code. The focus of the code’s development should be to ensure that development is
sustainable and that ecological, economic and social imperatives are all linked. The
ecological criteria should focus on rules to protect biodiversity and the efficient use of use
resources. Social criteria should focus on rules that will assist and protect human values
and needs and support the rights of people to live in healthy environments. Economic
criteria should center on assessing the ways in which tourism will assist the residents of
the destination and provide an adequate material standard of living for them.
The environmental element of the code program should focus on waste reduction,
energy conservation, and water conservation. A key element to the code’s success is
therefore the education of both the stakeholders and the visitors to the destination.

Implementation, monitoring and control

Once the codes of responsible conduct are approved by the stakeholders and the
residents of the destination have had time to familiarize themselves with the codes,
then the approved plan can be implemented. In this stage, all parties concerned should
develop and implement monitoring systems designed to assess the effectiveness of
their operational practices in meeting specific sustainability goals. Information
gathered during this stage should be compared with against baseline data generated
during the data gathering stage. As necessary, corrective actions should be taken to
ensure that the process stays on course.

Summary and conclusion

The long-term sustainability of Caribbean tourism rests on the ability of tourism policy
makers working collaboratively with all stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of
maximizing the benefits derived from tourism, while at the same time minimizing
costs. The ameliorative framework and code of responsible conduct presented is geared
towards maximizing the benefits, in a sustainable manner. Hence, the framework
presented can facilitate in tourism policy planning in that it will assist destinations to
create a sustainable tourism industry. In fact, it behooves Caribbean tourism policy
and development managers to adopt or implement the collaborative framework since
mismanagement of tourism will ultimately lead to both economic and ecological
decline. The adoption of the framework will ensure that in the long run, the industry
will remain competitive, and the needs of all stakeholders are addressed while at the
same time, protecting the tourism resource. Conversely, if tourism policy makers do not
implement sound policies, it will ultimately lead to a situation where the tourism A Caribbean
resource is degraded to the point where the incremental returns from tourism becomes perspective
negative. This is especially important since Caribbean tourism relies on the natural,
cultural and physical environment and hence, the availability and quality of its tourism
resource must be of excellent quality. Hence, the responsibility of effectively managing
tourism resources clearly becomes the responsibility of all stakeholders working
collaboratively to maintain and protect these resources while at the same time 581
maximizing the benefits derived from tourism.
To ensure that the processes and framework are adhered to, the following actions
must be undertaken and emphasized by policy planners.
(1) Acknowledge, promote and strengthen existing partnerships and programs
which recognize, protect and enhance tourism resources.
(2) Encourage the development and funding of new partnerships and programs
where knowledge, stewardship and/or enjoyment need to be strengthened for
tourism resources.
(3) Provide opportunities for all stakeholders to endorse and participate
voluntarily.
(4) Advocate the establishment of a coordinating mechanism with both financial
and human resources, to integrate the actions of all contributors and to act as
the force which drives the framework.
(5) Explore innovative and effective techniques for public involvement in
recreational resource research, planning, decision making and implementation.
(6) Encourage the incorporation and integration of strong policies and appropriate
recreation and tourism development policies in pertinent policy and planning
documents.
(7) Implement government and self regulatory approaches aimed at guiding the
management of tourism operations towards sustainability.
(8) Implement preservation initiatives such as those geared towards protecting and
preserving the tourism resources.
(9) Implement carrying capacity strategies aimed at maintaining the balance
between social and ecological monitoring programs.
(10) Focus on facility operations such as those focusing on energy installations, and
solid waste reduction.
(11) Communication must be a key element in implementing the program. This
requires effective two-way communication between the policy makers, acting as
the conduit between all stakeholders.
(12) Education is also essential. Stakeholders must be educated in why is required in
order to ensure total buy in. Hence, project workbooks and other material must
be developed and distributed.

To secure buy in from stakeholders, policy makers and government official must
emphasize the fact that it is in the best interest of all parties to work collaboratively
and make compromises as in the long term, it will ultimately lead to economic benefits,
and a high level of prosperity in host communities. Further, emphasis must be placed
IJCHM on the fact that economic, ecological and social imperatives are inseparable as they
pertain to tourism development. Additionally, tourism policy makers must emphasize
18,7 the fact that the framework and codes of conduct are simply ways of transferring the
basic principles of sustainable tourism development into action. To ultimately secure
buy in, policies must not be developed unilaterally by government officials. Instead,
documentation reviews, town meetings and interviews must be undertaken with key
582 stakeholders and assurance that their views and ideas will be incorporated into the
policy planning.
Further, stakeholders must be assured and convinced that they ultimately have
more to gain than loose by following the framework and codes outlined. The central
tenet however remains that there must be a shared appreciation and commitment of
what needs to be done to achieve satisfaction for all participants. Stakeholder buy in
can also be secured by offering incentives. Although the incremental benefits from this
approach should be incentive to adopt this framework, it is simply not sufficient, and
hence policy makers must offer tangible benefits to ensure absolute buy in. For
example, incentives could be offered to operators who adhere to the framework and
code of responsible conduct. For example, at the operations levels, incentives such as
tax breaks could be offered to hotels and restaurants that implement waste reduction
and energy management programs.
The framework outlined in this paper offered an approach that cab be adopted by
Caribbean destination managers and tourism policy makers. The framework was
designed to balance the need for economic viability with ecological sustainability.
Hence, the framework offered a collaborative approach where all stakeholders within
host communities have the opportunity to fully participate in the ameliorative process.
This participative approach will ultimately lead to the long-term viability of the
tourism industry in the Caribbean, as stakeholders will be able to see the benefits that
can be derived from working together to preserve their tourism resources.

References
Bramwell, B. and Sharman, A. (1999), “Collaboration in local tourism policymaking”, Annals of
Tourism Research, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 392-414.
Butler, R.W. and Boyd, S.W. (2000), Tourism and National Parks: Issues and Implications,
John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
Jamal, T.B. and Getz, D. (1995), “Collaboration theory and community tourism planning”, Annals
of Tourism Research, Vol. 22, pp. 186-204.
Jayawardena, C. (2003), “Performance of tourism analysis: a Caribbean perspective”,
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality management, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 176-9.
Mason, P. (2003), Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management, 1st ed., Butterworth-Heinemann,
New York, NY.
World Travel & Tourism Council (2004), The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism on
Jobs and the Economy, World Travel & Tourism Council, London.

Corresponding author
Leonard A. Jackson can be contacted at: jacksonl@cookman.edu

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