BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN JAMAICA

Tourism Analysis Vol 12 pp 1ndash13 1083-542307 $6000 + 00Printed in the USA All rights reserved Copyright 2007 Cognizant Comm Corp

wwwcognizantcommunicationcom

BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN JAMAICA

LEVENT ALTINAY TURGUT VARdagger SUZETTE HINESDagger and KASHIF HUSSAINsect

Department of Hospitality Leisure and Tourism Management Business SchoolOxford Brookes University Oxford UK

dagger Department of Business Administration Izmir University of Economics Izmir TurkeyDaggerHilton Hotel London UK

sectDepartment of Educational Sciences Eastern Mediterranean UniversityTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Many destinations have recognized the importance of implementing sustainable tourism develop-ment However for many developing countries worldwide economic social and physical chal-lenges pose great hindrances to sustainable development The aim of this article is to investigateand evaluate the difficulties of implementing sustainable tourism development practices in JamaicaThe primary research is based on qualitative analysis to find out the obstacles regarding the imple-mentation of sustainable tourism development based on three themes namely financial constraintssocial instability and lack of coordinated tourism planning The overall results revealed that interms of sustainable practices there are several initiatives being implemented by both public andprivate sectors but they lack management cohesiveness and in some cases collaboration Alsoif sustainability is to be achieved in a developing country it will require effective financial man-agement of all industries and a serious concentration on social sustainability

Key words Sustainable development Social sustainability Stakeholder Developing country

ecological processes biological diversity and lifeIntroductionsupport systems (p 2)

The World Tourism Organization (1998) hasdefined sustainable tourism development as The idea of sustainable development appears to

have caught the imagination of many tourism re-tourism development that meets the needs of searchers and policy makers Many tourist destina-present tourists and host regions while protecting tions in both developed and developing countriesenhancing opportunities for the future and man-

have recognized the importance of tourism devel-agement of all resources in such a way that eco-opment that meets the needs of the present and atnomic social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled

while maintaining cultural integrity essential the same time ensures future use However to

Address correspondence to Dr Levent Altinay Department of Hospitality Leisure and Tourism Management The Business SchoolOxford Brookes University Gipsy Lane Campus Headington Oxford OX3 OBP UK Tel +44 (0) 1865 483832 Fax +44 (0) 1865483878 E-mail laltinaybrookesacuk

1

2 ALTINAY ET AL

date extensive research has been undertaken on 2003 translated to a 66 increase in real GDP ofMiscellaneous Services (Travel and Tourism Intel-sustainable tourism development in developed

countries highlighting the successes but there is ligence 2003) In Jamaica over 60 of the laborforce is employed by the service sector industrylimited research on the implementation of sustain-

able tourism development in developing countries The Trade Hotels and Restaurants industry em-ployed 32856 persons in 2002 At present an esti-(Tosun 2001)

Jamaica which is classified as a developing mated 30512 persons are employed in the accom-modation sector (Jamaica Tourist Board 2003)country with having middle income of a GNP per

capita of US$2800 and GDP of US$78 billion Jamaicarsquos travel and tourism is expected to gener-ate JMD$2073 billion (US$33007 million) of(World Bank 2002) as a tourist destination has

started several initiatives in an effort to achieve economic activity (Total Demand) in 2004 (WorldTravel and Tourism Council 2004)sustainable tourism development One major ini-

tiative is the formulation of the Master Plan for Jamaicarsquos tourism is presently showing signs ofsignificant growth as visitor arrivals are steadilySustainable Tourism Development (2002) Theincreasing although the destination is still beingchallenges however make the implementation ofplagued with problems such as high crime rate andsustainable tourism development a very slow andlittle financial resources (Jamaica Tourist Boarddifficult process Clayton (2003) argues that the2002) Ninety percent of all tourists visiting Ja-most significant obstacle to the lack of successfulmaica originate in North America with about 75implementation of sustainable tourism develop-coming from the US Europeans and Latin Ameri-ment in some Caribbean (developing) countries iscans make up the remaining 10 (Table 1) Cana-the financial constraints Therefore in many casesdians and Europeans tended to stay longer thanthe emphasis on the economic benefits of tourismAmericans whose average stay was roughly 1development supersedes the need for sustainabil-week (Jamaica Tourist Board 2002) The visitority Font and Ahjem (1999) argue that there is aprofile is dominated by the holiday market whichnatural contradiction between the commercialis in turn characterized by a ldquocouples culturerdquogains of tourism and the ongoing preservation ofwith children and singles being excluded fromthe environment and other components of tourismmany all-inclusive resorts (Travel and Tourism In-This argument introduces the question of how re-telligence 2003)alistic it is for Jamaica to achieve sustainability

In Jamaica the accommodation sector com-This study seeks to investigate the obstacles thatprises of 163 hotels 125 guesthouses 26 apart-inhibit the implementation of sustainable tourismments and 363 villas (Dunkley 2004) Most ofdevelopment in developing countries Jamaica inthe islandrsquos accommodation is located in the mainparticular therefore helping to fill the present re-resort areas Montego Bay Negril and Ocho Riossearch gap in tourism development in developingJamaica is widely identified with the all-inclusivecountriesresorts that account for around a fifth of the is-landrsquos bed capacity and almost 70 of roomBackground to the Countryrsquos Tourism Industrynights sold (Table 2) The number of noninclusive

Jamaica is the third most important Caribbean room nights sold has stagnated in recent years buttourist destination in terms of stopover arrivals between 1996 and 1999 the number of all-inclu-after Cancun Mexico and the Dominican Repub- sive accommodations grew by 20 A study bylic It is the largest English-speaking Island in the the Jamaica Tourist Board for the period 1997ndashCaribbean and has a total land area of 4442 square 1998 found that all-inclusive hotels on averagemiles (10991 km2) (Jamaica Tourist Board 2004) maintained occupancy rates of 73 but the two(Fig 1) Tourism is a significant contributor to the dominant operators Super Clubs and Sandalscountryrsquos economic development The total visitor boast of average year-round occupancy rates ofexpenditure was US$1233 million in 2001 and 90 and above (Travel and Tourism IntelligenceUS$1209 million in 2002 (Jamaica Tourist Board 2003) In 2003 the average occupancy of all-

inclusive hotels was 693 and 385 for non2002) Higher tourist arrivals and expenditure in

BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 3

Figure 1 Map of Jamaica

all-inclusive hotels The number of rooms on the uncertainty and risk in relation to the effect of arange of human activities on global environmentsisland has been somewhat stagnant for the last 10

years but this is expected to change significantly To rectify these problems fundamental changeswere required in our style of living The conceptas an estimated 5000 more rooms will be con-

structed in the next 4 to 5 years mostly all-inclu- of sustainable development came from this real-ization It was first mentioned in 1987 in a reportsive hotels (Jamaica Tourist Board 2003)published by the World Commission on Environ-

Sustainable Tourism Development ment and Development (McKercher 2003)There are differences in attitudes towards sus-

During the 1980s it became apparent that ma-tainable tourism in the way in which it is defined

jor global environmental changes were occurringSome advocates of sustainable tourism tend to de-

suddenly and silently and that these changes hadfine it as a parochial sectoral term emphasizingnot been predicted by scientists The world alsogrowth in order for viability to be maintained Inbecame more aware that there was an element ofcontrast to parochial definitions many authorshave tended to define sustainable tourism in broaderterms transferring the principles of sustainable de-Table 1velopment into the context of tourism needs (HardyTourist Arrivals by Regions and YearsBeeton amp Pearson 2002) Most of the definitions

Change of sustainable tourism highlight sociocultural and2002 2003 20032002 environmental preservation a high level of com-

munity involvement and planning that considersMarket region 1266366 1350285 66USA 925629 969699 48 present and future use (Liu 2003 Ritchie ampCanada 97413 95265 minus22

Crouch 2003) Some definitions also indicate thatEurope 179089 218500 220sustainable tourism must contribute to the eco-Latin America 11864 10886 minus82

Japan 4664 4182 minus103 nomic stability of the host region or communityOther countrie 47707 51753 85

(Ritchie amp Crouch 2003 Twining-Ward amp But-Source Jamaica Tourist Board (2003) ler 2002)

4 ALTINAY ET AL

Table 2

Accommodations Sectors by Number of Rooms Nights Soldand Occupancy in 2001 2002 and 2003

Change2002 2003 20032002

Tourist accommodation 24239 24625 16Hotel rooms 16723 16986 16

All-inclusive 9930 10001 07Non-all-inclusive 6793 6985 28

Other rooms 7516 7639 16Guest houses 2637 2774 52Resort villas amp cottages 3814 3798 minus04Apartments 1065 1067 02

Hotel room nights sold 2830604 2971885 50Average hotel room nights available 5101240 5134455 07Average hotel room occupancy 555 579 43

All-inclusive hotels 662 693 47Non-all-inclusive 383 385 05

Source Jamaica Tourist Board (2003)

Lavery (2002) describes the three main princi- nation must develop its own strategy for sustainabletourism development tuned to its own ecologicalples of sustainable development asconstraints (Ritchie amp Crouch 2003) For eco-bull Social and Cultural Sustainability ensures thatnomic sustainability the tourism strategy must be

development increases peoplersquos control overcapable of meeting the economic needs and aspira-

their lives is compatible with the culture andtions of the residents over the long term with con-

values of the people affected by it and main-sideration to benefits also to the national or state

tains and strengthens community identityeconomy and the tourism industry Socioculturalbull Economic Sustainability ensures that any devel-sustainability must consider that the presence and

opment is economically efficient and that re-influence of tourists may create varied impacts on

sources are managed so that they can supportthe host society and its culture Therefore the

future generationsstrategy must minimize the adverse impacts andbull Ecological or Environmental Sustainability en-foster preservation of culture and a healthy so-

sures that development is compatible with main-ciety

tenance of the ecology biological diversity andRitchie and Crouch (2003) approached sustain-

long-term management of resourcesability from similar perspectives identifying theintegration of sociocultural factors the economyHall (2000) also provided a summary of sus-

tainable tourism principles and values (Fig 2) and environmental management The authors ar-gued that there are four primary pillars of sustain-The author argues that tourism must be integrated

within the wider planning processes in order to ability and that appropriate policy and manage-ment solutions must be found for each of them ifpromote certain goals of economic social and en-

vironmental enhancement true sustainability is to be achieved The authorshighlighted that political sustainability is rarelyIn relation to ecological sustainability residents

of destinations have the most at stake in protection identified as a pillar of sustainability but stressedits importance It can be argued that if sociocultu-and preservation of their natural environments

The tourism industry also has an important role to ral economic and ecological sustainability areachieved then political sustainability can beplay in minimizing harm to the ecology but also

(and perhaps even more importantly) by provid- reached There is little consensus on how one de-termines political sustainability (Ritchie amp Crouching an economic incentive that encourages preser-

vation and protection This implies that each desti- 2003)


Different stakeholders have different important ism planning and development in developed anddeveloping countriesroles in achieving sustainable tourism develop-

ment Partnerships or collaborative efforts be-tween stakeholders especially public and private Different Approaches to Tourism Planningsectors and the community provide benefits to all in Developed and Developing Countriesgroups and facilitate the principles of sustainabil-

It has been argued the tourism development inity However reaching the point of effective coor-developing countries is directly dependent on trendsdination and cooperation is not easy as differentin developed countries Some supporting the the-stakeholder groups have conflicting views and in-ory of dependency go as far as claiming tourismterests in tourism planning and development Foris another form of colonialism This suggests thatexample the private sector tends to use a market-less developed countries exhibit reliance upon ex-oriented approach while the public sector tends toternal factors and as such derive their growthtake a supply oriented (resource-based) approachfrom corresponding growth in the developed re-to tourism development There is a natural contra-gions (Sharpley amp Telfer 2002) Developed coun-diction between the danger of destroying the envi-tries are far less dependent on tourism as a vehicleronment (what the tourists come to see) and com-to economic stability than developing countries asmercial wishes (both in terms of private profitresources from other industries have been used tomaximization and governmentsrsquo urges for moredevelop tourism Employment figures obtainednational incomes through taxes balance of pay-from World Travel and Tourism Council (2004)ments) (Font amp Ahjem 1999) This contradictionsupports this argument as the report shows thecreates complications for the development of sus-high dependence of developing countries on tour-tainable tourism in any destination The following

section of the article compares and contrasts tourism for economic stability The World Travel and

Figure 2 Sustainable tourism principles and values Source Hall (2000p 14)

6 ALTINAY ET AL

Tourism Council indicated that employment from tinually reveal a myriad of seemingly intractableissues surrounding basic tensions between thetourism is 26 of total employment in the Baha-

mas 14 in Croatia 20 in Barbados and 11 economy and the environment Such tensions am-plify the need to consider tourism within the dy-in Jamaica These figures differ significantly to

that of developed countries for example tourism namics of major restructuring the redistribution ofrights and resources and the recognition of a cul-accounts for 4 of total employment in the United

Kingdom and 4 in Canada (Mowforth amp Munt tural dimension to sustainability By framing sus-tainable tourism between the two opposing poles2003)

Tourism planning in developing countries pos- of economic and environmental quality this is fol-lowing a traditional pattern of environmentalistsesses several similarities but many differences

to tourism planning in developed countries While debate and is failing to penetrate the deeper andmore meaningful value systems upon which boththe nature of planning seems to be somewhat de-

centralized in developed countries the opposite depend This is not to say that continued refine-ment of economic instruments should be neglectedprevails in many developing countries where

tourism planning is mainly centralized and most in order to affect sustainability in tourism In aneffort to achieve sustainability tourism plannersdecisions are made by Government and not by all

the stakeholders involved in tourism While acting and researchers should be looking for ways ofhandling the more intangible and nonsubstitut-in good faith governmentsrsquo intervention has had a

number of negative impacts For example many able cultural dimensions of sustainable tourism(Robinson 1999) Tosun (2001) identified severalgovernments have focused upon developing resort

complexes as highly developed ldquooasesrdquo in ldquodes- challenges in moving towards a sustainable tour-ism development in developing countries Theertsrdquo of underdevelopment Often these have been

largely self-contained with little multiplier effect challenges are the priorities of a national econ-omy a lack of a contemporary tourism develop-in the local community and the region Also the

focus has been on encouraging large tour opera- ment approach the structure of public administra-tion system the emergence of environmentaltors and developers to develop tourism at the ex-

pense of smaller local enterprises (Swarbrooke matters and overcommercialization and the struc-ture of international tourism systems1999) Figure 3 indicates some of the common

problems of tourism planning in developing coun- In the Caribbean several islands have carefullyrevised the nature of tourism development andtries

Many developing countries although faced have identified the importance of sustainabilityThe Caribbean region also has taken several initia-with many constraints have sought to develop

tourism in a sustainable and meaningful manner tives to foster sustainable tourism developmentfor example the Caribbean Blue Flag project theHowever moves towards sustainable tourism con-

Figure 3 Shortcomings of planning approaches to tourism development Source Tosun andTimothy (2001)


EAST Project and Caribbean Hotel Environmen- development cannot be done in a sustainablemanner by outside investors Their interests aretal Management Initiative among others Coun-

tries such as Costa Rica and Belize have imple- not the same as those of the local communitiesrdquobull Disconnect between policy and practice Sev-mented effective eco-tourism and community-

based tourism projects and many other islands are eral participants were concerned that althoughgovernment policy documents articulate thenow developing sustainable tourism plans Ja-

maica is the island with the most hotels and attrac- need for sustainable tourism development com-munity participation and a more equitable dis-tions that are Green Globe Certified based on re-

sults presented by the Caribbean Alliance for tribution of the benefits arising from tourismthis has not been realized in practiceSustainable Tourism (2004) The documentation

of a 5-year Master Plan towards ensuring sustain- bull Narrow definition of tourism Concern was ex-pressed that hotels are the primary focus of tour-able development has been completed The objec-

tives of the Master Plan are ism policybull Education and research needs Academics are

bull Identify potential tourism markets generally concerned with macro issues whilebull Identify priority areas or regions for tourism de- practitioners are usually more interested in poli-

velopment in Jamaica and for those areas or re- cies and practices that make good businessgions determine the socioeconomic impact of sense This raises a question as to how the twotourism perspectives can be married to facilitate the for-

bull Identify finance and investment needs mulation of responsible tourism policybull Provide the incentive framework that will at- bull Lack of integrated tourism planning The eco-

tract private investment nomic dependence of the Caribbean on tourismbull Facilitate the sustainable development of the in- is a serious policy issue As one of the partici-

dustry (Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism pants noted ldquothis partly reflects the success ofDevelopment 2002) the tourism industry but also reflects the under-

performance of other sectors of the economyrdquoThe implementation of the Master Plan how-ever has been a slow process due to several chal-lenges for example it requires major capital in- Research Designvestment and a high level of stakeholder

The aim of the primary research was to obtaincommitment and collaborationan in-depth insight on the present nature of tour-At the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourismism development in Jamaica and examine the chal-Trends roundtable discussion (cited in Harrisonlenges of implementing a sustainable developmentClayton amp Jayawardena 2003) some of the chal-plan With this in mind a qualitative researchlenges of developing Caribbean countries were in-method for data collection was used This was alsodicated by regional researchers and industry prac-based on the fact that this research study has antitioners as followsinductive approach with a base of phenomenology

bull The exclusive nature of tourism Tourism in Ja- (Packman amp Attanasio 2004) The qualitative re-maica has developed primarily in the form of search undertaken in this study is a deemed an ap-resort enclaves As a result although local peo- propriate approach (Goffee 1996) It captures theple have considerable opportunity for employ- full complexity of social phenomena through de-ment in the industry their participation in tour- scriptive analyses that focus on the details and nu-ism development and investment activities as ances of peoplersquos words and actions (Qualitativewell as in accessing the product (issues of af- Research 2004) The sample of the study consistsfordability and availability were raised) appears of tourism industry experts like top administratorsto be limited of the concerned public offices representatives of

bull External influence on tourism One participant related nongovernmental organizations and localnoted that ldquoconfidence in our ability to do things administrators working in Jamaica at various orga-

nizations Semistructured interviews with 13 keyourselves has been lost Major destination

8 ALTINAY ET AL

informants from the public and private (hotels at- (2003) suggested strategies for qualitative analy-sis the findings from the literature review weretractions craft and private sector lobbying com-

mittee) in the tourism industry were conducted in used to establish key themes These key themeswere used in the primary research and in the anal-order to collect qualitative data (Table 3) The

sampling technique utilized was purposive sam- ysis The qualitative findings were collected andcategorized in themes namely tourism planningpling (Churchill 1995) In qualitative research the

small sample size is sometimes questioned but as and development and challenges to sustainabletourism development This meant that informationPatton (2002) highlighted purposeful samples

must be judged according to the purpose and ratio- from various questions was merged to form sub-themes under the specific categories Saunders etnale of the study and not on the basis of logic

purpose and recommended sample sizes of proba- al (2003) refer to this technique as unitizing datasuch an approach is also called content analysisbility sampling A set of interview questions were

developed based on the key themes generated (Berelson 1954) The categories and subcategor-ies were rearranged and reorganized as the analy-from the literature review The interview schedule

was divided into three sections as follows Tour- sis proceeded Some categories were also inte-grated to give greater depth to specific themes forism Planning and Development Sustainable Tour-

ism Development and Stakeholder Collaboration example the critical issues facing Jamaica as atourist destination was integrated with the obsta-in Sustainable Tourism The questions developed

were open-ended questions some of which had cles to sustainable tourism developmentSeveral patterns evolved from the primary re-subquestions in order to allow for greater probes

and detail The draft set of questions were docu- search especially regarding the views of the pub-lic sector in comparison to the private sectorrsquosmented and it was decided that the same sequence

would be used for each interview Each section views The information generated from the litera-ture review was then compared and contrastedhad two to four questions starting with general

tourism planning questions and ending with more with the primary research findings At this stagethe theories from previous research on tourism de-specific questions regarding stakeholder collabora-

tion velopment in developing countries and theachievement of sustainable development wereBased on Saunders Lewis and Thornhillrsquos

Table 3

List of Interviewees and Organizations Represented

Interviewees Organization Job Title

R1 Chukka Blue Adventure Tours Attraction Chain Co-ownerR2 Relax Resort and Johns Hall Adventure Small Hotel and Attraction Owners and OperatorsR3 Sandals ResortsmdashJamaicarsquos largest all-inclusive hotel chain General ManagerR4 St James Craft Market Craft Trader Craft Association PresidentR5 Winston Dear and Associates Developer President of Chamber of CommerceR6 Tourism Product Development Co Ltd Director of StandardsR7 Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) Project CoordinatorR8 Ministry of Industry amp Tourism Politician Minister of StateR9 University of West Indies Senior Education Officer specializing in Sustainable

TourismR10 OTF Consulting ComdashMy Jamaica Cluster Programme an Business Development Manager

NGO working in the areas of group marketing productdevelopment and responsible tourism for a network ofmembers

R11 Ministry of Local Gov Commercial Dev and Sport Team Leader of Institutional Capacity Building Unitformer Secretary Manager of the St James (MontegoBay) Parish Council

R12 Ministry of Industry amp Tourism Tourism PlannerR13 Tourism Product Development Co Ltd Director Human Resource Development


compared with the Jamaican scenario Several the significant financial constraints Jamaicarsquostourism development is following the trend as ar-similarities and a few differences emerged The re-

searcher used analytical aids such as self-memos gued by Swarbrooke (1999) in that there is agrowing trend towards large hotel developmentsand summaries during the interview process while

transcribing and formulating the findings (Saun- undertaken by mostly foreign investors who ap-pear to have little regard for the social and envi-ders et al 2003) These aids allowed the re-

searcher to document reflections and additional in- ronmental preservation of a small developing des-tination such as Jamaica This type of tourismformation in the categories followed in the

primary research and analysis development contributes to the established view ofJamaica as a mass tourism destination with a largenumber of all-inclusive hotels Many of the all-Findings and Discussioninclusive hotels in collaboration with tour whole-

The discussion about the obstacles to the imple-salers have mastered island holiday packaging

mentation of sustainable tourism development isOther negative social impacts of tourism develop-

developed according to three themes namely fi-ment highlighted by the respondents were the evi-

nancial constraints social instability and lack ofdence of cultural dilution due to the American and

coordinated tourism planningEuropean influences and the increased prevalenceof HIVAIDS and prostitution in resort areas

Financial ConstraintsUnfortunately at the same time there is little

emphasis on encouraging small to medium com-Tourism development impacts both positivelyand negatively on Jamaica There was a high level munity-based local projects All of the representa-

tives agreed that the nature of tourism develop-of consistency among the responses given on theimpacts of tourism development All respondents mentmdashthat is the trend towards mass all-

inclusive tourismmdashhas led to reduced multiplieragreed that the most important positive impact isthe economic benefits received from tourism de- effects and linkages as it has stifled the develop-

ment of community tourism and benefits tovelopment Tourism has facilitated employmentfor many Jamaicans and improved the standard of smaller sectors such as craft and restaurants This

was further confirmed by two private sector re-living in several communities through the multi-plier effect The economic benefits were also spondents who stated that the small hotel and craft

sectors did not benefit significantly from the in-linked to the infrastructural development in resortareas increased revenue to Government and creased visitors arrivals This was attributed to the

lack of marketing of small hotels and lack of col-expansion of the private sector The linkages toother sectors and industries such as agriculture laboration among stakeholders involved

The fact that Jamaica was developed and mar-and manufacturing were also emphasized by pub-lic and private sector respondents Other signifi- keted mainly as a mass tourism destination would

create major obstacles to sustainable developmentcant benefits of tourism development indicated bysome respondents included increased environmen- This mass tourism concept was also linked to the

emphasis on hotel development as the main formtal awareness as tourism has facilitated severaltraining programs in most sectors of tourism and of tourism development Mass tourism develop-

ment and sustainability are not naturally compati-many communities One respondent further advo-cated that through the development of the private ble and this poses a greater challenge of imple-

menting sustainable tourism developmentsector in tourism it has forced Government au-thorities to acknowledge the benefits of tourism The research on developed and developing

countries reveals that many destinations haveto the countryrsquos economy and therefore has beenplacing greater emphasis on this major foreign ex- identified that without a sustainable method of de-

velopment the resources of the destination willchange earnerTourism is Jamaicarsquos major foreign exchange before long not exist Both primary and secondary

data have indicated that developing countriesearner and is one of the leading sources of em-ployment for many Jamaicans However due to such as Jamaica have the desire to develop tour-

10 ALTINAY ET AL

ism in a sustainable manner but the economic munity-based tourism as lack of funding technicalexpertise and general tourism awareness Twoconstraints outweigh the need for sustainability

The definition of ldquosustainable tourismrdquo provided private sector respondents highlighted the reluc-tance of some private sector companies to developby the Country Commission (cited in Ritchie amp

Crouch 2003) states that it is tourism that will attractions centered on communities due to thethreat of crime and harassment of visitors Inter-sustain local economies without damaging the en-

vironment on which it depends This definition estingly on the other hand two other private sec-tor respondents proudly discussed the benefits ofimplies the importance of ensuring a balance be-

tween maintenance of a destinationrsquos resources community-based attractions One respondentstated that communities were not homogenousand the local economy In the case of Jamaica

there is no ldquowinndashwinrdquo situation as there is no easy groups therefore each community has specificsocial and physical characteristics This fact wasway to create a balance between using tourism as

a major vehicle to economic stability and at the highlighted as an important consideration whentrying to determine the level of involvement ofsame time ensuring sustainable development be-

cause this creates a natural contradiction as ar- communities in tourismPublic sector respondents stated that it wouldgued by Font and Ahjem (1999) The economic

benefits of tourism were recognized by the gov- take a long process of extensive and ongoing col-laboration and awareness training for more com-ernments and key decision makers of these coun-

tries This is led to rapid development and the ad- munities to be integrally involved in tourism Gov-ernment acknowledged the importance ofvent of mass tourism in the Caribbean Tourism is

seen as the answer to the economic ldquowoesrdquo of the community-based tourism in achieving sustain-ability and satisfying consumer demand Respon-country as it is presently the industry with the

greatest potential for growth unlike agriculture dents also highlighted that training and awarenessprograms in some communities are presently be-bauxite mining or manufacturinging undertaken by Tourism Product DevelopmentCompaniesSocial Security

Contrary to the arguments of the existing litera-All respondents indicated that social instability ture discussed in the literature review which gen-

manifested by the high crime levels was one of erally presented environmental sustainability asthe most critical social obstacles to sustainable the most important component of sustainable tour-tourism development Some respondents ex- ism development the primary findings revealedplained that the high crime rate was directly linked that social sustainability is the most critical com-to high unemployment rate and increased drug ac- ponent to Jamaicarsquos tourism developmenttivity They further stated that the involvement ofthe local community to the tourism planning is a Lack of Coordinated Effortkey to the reduction of the crime rate and the suc-cessful sustainable development Ten of 13 re- It was clear that both the tourism government

agencies and the private sector were fully awarespondents stated that local communities were notinvolved in tourism or had minimal involvement of the long-term benefits of sustainable tourism

development and were taking some importantThere were conflicting arguments as some re-spondents sought to lay blame on the government steps in support of greater stakeholder collabora-

tion and increased community involvement inon the nature of tourism development and thecommunities Three respondents both from private tourism and environmental preservation The de-

velopment of the Master Plan was one such initia-and public sectors suggested that the presence ofall-inclusive hotels in most resort areas created an tive which clearly outlines the role of the public

and private sectors and proposes community-isolation of tourism where only a selected ldquofewrdquoare involved in tourism therefore excluding the based tourism projects However both public and

private sectors representatives thought that tour-wider community A respondent from the publicsector identified major hindrances to greater com- ism operates in a vacuum and lacks collaboration


and integration The acknowledgement of the im- duce this alleged corruption and mismanagementThe primary research revealed that compla-portance of tourism development to the country

by the government was also questioned by the cency coupled with the lack of willpower is an-other obstacle to sustainable tourism developmentprivate sector as tourism development does not

appear to be an integral part of the national plan in Jamaica Tosun and Timothy (2001) describe itas lack of consistency and continuity in planningonce again an indication of an emphasis on tradi-

tional tourism planning approaches policies and a myopic approach to establishinggoals of tourism development planning in devel-Private sector respondents identified some other

major obstacles such as lack of government sup- oping countriesInterestingly one private sector respondentport and understanding corruption and lack of ef-

fective management Public sector respondents clearly stated the reluctance to get involved in col-laborative projects because of the evident lack ofthought that some significant obstacles were the

overdependence on tourism for economic stability true collaboration where all the issues are openlydiscussed by all stakeholders in the appropriatelack of willpower and lack of awareness of the

benefits of tourism to Jamaica Both public and forum Although it was generally suggested that itwas difficult to collaborate with both sectors andprivate sector respondents also stated the lack of

funds and high interest rates were stifling the ef- the community there were mixed views as somerespondents stated that it was not difficult if thereforts to sustainable development

The existing literature indicates that developing were common goals and a high level transparencywas established among the stakeholders A keycountries face many other obstacles that make the

implementation of sustainable tourism develop- public sector respondent quickly pointed out thatthe level of collaboration was steadily improvingment very difficult and in some cases impossible

Some of the major obstacles that impede sustain- This was attributed to the increased business andthe recognition by key industry personnel that col-able tourism development in developing countries

are financial constraints as stated previously so- laboration is the best way to achieve results Oneprivate sector representative forcefully voiced thatcial problems and the established traditional ap-

proach to tourism planning The primary research it was very difficult to collaborate especially withgovernment agencies All respondents saw therevealed similar arguments to the existing litera-

ture presented by Tosun and Timothy (2001) and need for greater collaboration Some of the im-provements suggested by both sectors wereHarrison Clayton and Jayawardena (2003) which

indicate that a lack of integrated tourism planning bull Greater awareness of tourism by the generalthe priorities of the national economy and signifi-

publiccant budgetary constraints are the challenges or bull Greater level of trust and confidence in stake-limitations of developing countries Undoubtedly

holder groupssustainable tourism development requires effective bull Less dependence on government to developmanagement of all resources and adequate fund-

tourism projectsing It can be argued that the high level of central- bull Less corruption and more transparency amongization (an element of traditional tourism plan-

stakeholdersning) of tourism planning does not help to create bull The development of common goals coupledtransparency and foster collaboration The primary

with will powerresearch respondents alleged that there is corrup- bull Greater communication among stakeholderstion and mismanagement in the public sector Theprivate sector expressed that there would be signif-

Conclusionsicant benefits if Jamaicarsquos tourism planning al-lowed integration and greater collaboration as key This research has sought to evaluate the chal-

lenges facing a developing country such as Ja-decisions would be made with greater involvementof the private sector The private sector has sug- maica in its efforts towards the implementation of

sustainable tourism development The primary re-gested that restructuring and merging of govern-ment agencies involved in tourism will greatly research reiterated that each developing tourist desti-

12 ALTINAY ET AL

nation is unique but has similar challenges The tion A key ingredient to the success of sustainabledevelopment is to make changes by looking back-development and management of a destination must

carefully consider all the economic social physi- wards and fixing the longstanding problems(Hardy et al 2002) After which further develop-cal and environmental characteristics in order to

ensure preservation and continuance of these es- ment that is sustainable can be undertaken Interms of Jamaicarsquos tourism development bothsential components of the destination In the case

of developing countries there are challenges that public and private sectors should carefully exam-ine the way in which decisions are made with re-make the process of sustainable tourism develop-

ment very difficult and in some cases unrealistic gard to the community involvement and correctareas that previously presented problemsJamaica is not exempt of these challenges some

of which can be solved with effective planning The research revealed that tourism planning ap-proaches in developing countries in most casesand management

As the case of many other developing coun- lack the use of contemporary planning approachesthat involve integration collaboration and ongo-tries the urgent need for economic stability out-

weighs the emphasis to implement sustainable ing community involvement in tourism develop-ment Similarly in Jamaicarsquos case the highly cen-practices The present concept of mass tourism de-

velopment to boost up the tourism revenues is not tralized type of tourism planning and the lack ofcollaboration among stakeholders involved act ascompatible with sustainable development Con-

straints such as lack of financial resources and hu- deterrents to sustainable development Many as-pects of sustainable development have beenman expertise lead to development that is short

sighted unstructured and showing little connec- sometimes unknowingly implemented in severalsectors of tourism but lacked action planningtion between documented policy and the actual de-

velopment In developing countries these con- management and cohesiveness In the case of Ja-maica many plans are developed without exten-straints are closely linked to the overdependence

on tourism for economic stability and the underde- sive research on the social and economic impactsThis haphazard approach to sustainable develop-velopment of other industries or sectors of the

economy It can be concluded that the present ment can render the efforts of the SustainableMaster Plan as redundant Different categories oftrend of developing mass tourism makes it very

difficult to foster sustainable tourism development stakeholders involved have different criteria forsuccessful tourism development creating a con-encompassing the entire destination

Social sustainability is critical to the develop- flict of expectations Therefore there needs to betourism development that balances supply-drivenment of Jamaica as a tourist destination as the

present problems relating to crime illegal activity (public sector) and market-driven (private sector)expectations in order to bring about greater col-and unemployment are seriously affecting the im-

age of the destination In many cases tourism de- laboration and eventually full implementation ofsustainable development This change will requirevelopment is not supported by the necessary infra-

structural and social development Also social a serious national effort with the input of the en-tire population If this is to be done it will be adisorder in the form of a high crime rate and the

presence of illegal activity is adversely affecting gradual and sometimes exhausting process thatwill involve revising and restructuring of tourismthe image of the country as a tourist destination

All these factors contribute to the social mayhem planning approaches and a reduced dependence ontourism as the savior to economic problemsin Jamaica at present It can also be concluded that

for sustainable tourism development to be success- This research has sought to investigate the na-ture of tourism development in developing coun-fully implemented in Jamaica a high level of

awareness of the entire population on the benefits tries and highlight some of the ldquorealrdquo challengesfacing Jamaica as a developing tourist destinationof effective tourism planning is required The

mindset that tourism development can be as used in its efforts to achieve sustainable tourism devel-opment However greater empirical insights area political vehicle has to be eroded in order to ob-

tain the maximum benefits of effective collabora- needed on whether sustainability requirements can


Lavery P (2002) Tourism planning England ELM Publi-be unique to destinations considering the vast dif-cationsferences between developed and developing coun-

Liu Z (2003) Sustainable tourism development A cri-tries In addition a deeper understanding on howtique Journal of Sustainable Tourism 11(5) 459ndash475

developing countries can create a balance between Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development (2002)economic benefits of tourism and sustainable forms A synopsis Jamaica Ministry of Industry amp Tourism

McKercher B (2003 November 3) Sustainable tourismof development is needed Most of the secondarydevelopment Guiding principles for planning and man-data highlighted the shortcomings of tourism plan-agement Presentation to the National Seminar on Sus-ning approaches of developing countries and thetainable Tourism Development Bishkek Kyrgystan andlack of sustainable development So far very littleHong Kong

research provided recommendations on how sus- Mowforth M amp Munt I (2003) Tourism and sustainabil-tainability can be achieved by correcting the exist- ity Development and new tourism in the third world

London Routledgeing problems and implementing changes in thePackman A amp Attanasio J S (2004) Theoretical issuescontext of a developing country In terms of sus-

in stuttering New York Psychological Presstainable practices in Jamaica the challenges of im-Patton M Q (2002) Qualitative research and evaluationplementation can be further examined with special

methods London Sage Publications Incemphasis on the local community perspective Qualitative research (2004) Retrieved from httpencyclo

pediathefreedictionarycomQualitative+ResearchReferences Ritchie B amp Crouch G (2003) The competitive destina-

tion A sustainable tourism perspective WallingfordBerelson B (1954) Content analysis In L Gardner (Ed)CABI PublishingHandbook of social psychology Theory and method

Robinson M (1999) Collaboration and cultural consent(pp 488ndash522) Reading MA Addison-WesleyRefocusing sustainable tourism Journal of SustainableCaribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (2004) Carib-Tourism 7(34) 379ndash397bean in the lead of environmentally conscious tourism

Saunders M Lewis P amp Thornhill A (2003) Researchbusiness Retrieved from httpwwwcha-castcomChurchill G A (1995) Marketing research Methodologi- methods for business students Harlow Pearson Educa-

cal foundations Fort Worth The Dryden Press tion LimitedClayton A (2003) Policy coherence and sustainable tour- Sharpley R amp Telfer D (2002) Tourism and develop-

ism in the Caribbean International Journal of Contem- ment Concepts and issues Clevedon Channel Viewporary Hospitality Management 15(3) 188ndash191 Publications

Dunkley L (2004) Tourism product development com- Swarbrooke J (1999) Sustainable tourism managementpany Status of JTBlicensedexpired amp never licensed Wallingford CABI Publishingentities report Jamaica Ministry of Industry amp Tourism Tosun C (2001) Challenges of sustainable tourism devel-

Font X amp Ahjem T (1999) Searching for a balance in opment in the developing world The case of Turkeytourism development strategies International Journal Tourism Management 22(3) 289ndash303of Contemporary Hospitality Management 11(23) Tosun C amp Timothy D (2001) Shortcomings in plan-73ndash77 ning approaches to tourism development in developing

Goffee R (1996) Understanding family businesses Issues countries The case of Turkey IInternational Journal offor further research International Journal of Entrepre- Contemporary Hospitality Management 13(6) 352ndash359neurial Behaviour and Research 2(1) 36ndash48 Travel and Tourism Intelligence (2003) Country reports

Hall C (2000) Tourism planning Policies processes and Jamaicarelationships New York Harlow Prentice Hall

Twining-Ward L amp Butler R (2002) Implementing sus-Hardy A Beeton R amp Pearson L (2002) Sustainable

tainable tourism development on a small island Devel-tourism An overview of the concept and its position

opment and use of sustainable tourism development in-in relation to conceptualization of tourism Journal ofdicators in Samoa Journal of Sustainable TourismSustainable Tourism 10(6) 475ndash49610(5) 363ndash387Harrison C Clayton A amp Jayawardena C (2003) Sus-

World Bank (2002) Annual report Retrieved from httptainable tourism development in the Caribbean Practi-wwwworldbankorgannualreport2002Overviewhtmcal challenges International Journal of ContemporaryMiddleIncomeHospitality Management 15(5) 294ndash298

World Tourism Organization (1998) Guide for local au-Jamaica Tourist Board (2002) Annual travel statisticsthorities on developing sustainable tourism MadridJamaica Ministry of Industry amp TourismAuthorJamaica Tourist Board (2003) Annual travel statistics

World Travel and Tourism Council (2004) Travel andJamaica Ministry of Industry amp Tourismtourism forging ahead the travel and tourism economicJamaica Tourist Board (2004) Facts and figures on

Jamaica Jamaica Ministry of Industry amp Tourism research Retrieved from httpwwwwttcorg

2 ALTINAY ET AL

date extensive research has been undertaken on 2003 translated to a 66 increase in real GDP ofMiscellaneous Services (Travel and Tourism Intel-sustainable tourism development in developed

countries highlighting the successes but there is ligence 2003) In Jamaica over 60 of the laborforce is employed by the service sector industrylimited research on the implementation of sustain-

able tourism development in developing countries The Trade Hotels and Restaurants industry em-ployed 32856 persons in 2002 At present an esti-(Tosun 2001)

Jamaica which is classified as a developing mated 30512 persons are employed in the accom-modation sector (Jamaica Tourist Board 2003)country with having middle income of a GNP per

capita of US$2800 and GDP of US$78 billion Jamaicarsquos travel and tourism is expected to gener-ate JMD$2073 billion (US$33007 million) of(World Bank 2002) as a tourist destination has

started several initiatives in an effort to achieve economic activity (Total Demand) in 2004 (WorldTravel and Tourism Council 2004)sustainable tourism development One major ini-

tiative is the formulation of the Master Plan for Jamaicarsquos tourism is presently showing signs ofsignificant growth as visitor arrivals are steadilySustainable Tourism Development (2002) Theincreasing although the destination is still beingchallenges however make the implementation ofplagued with problems such as high crime rate andsustainable tourism development a very slow andlittle financial resources (Jamaica Tourist Boarddifficult process Clayton (2003) argues that the2002) Ninety percent of all tourists visiting Ja-most significant obstacle to the lack of successfulmaica originate in North America with about 75implementation of sustainable tourism develop-coming from the US Europeans and Latin Ameri-ment in some Caribbean (developing) countries iscans make up the remaining 10 (Table 1) Cana-the financial constraints Therefore in many casesdians and Europeans tended to stay longer thanthe emphasis on the economic benefits of tourismAmericans whose average stay was roughly 1development supersedes the need for sustainabil-week (Jamaica Tourist Board 2002) The visitority Font and Ahjem (1999) argue that there is aprofile is dominated by the holiday market whichnatural contradiction between the commercialis in turn characterized by a ldquocouples culturerdquogains of tourism and the ongoing preservation ofwith children and singles being excluded fromthe environment and other components of tourismmany all-inclusive resorts (Travel and Tourism In-This argument introduces the question of how re-telligence 2003)alistic it is for Jamaica to achieve sustainability

In Jamaica the accommodation sector com-This study seeks to investigate the obstacles thatprises of 163 hotels 125 guesthouses 26 apart-inhibit the implementation of sustainable tourismments and 363 villas (Dunkley 2004) Most ofdevelopment in developing countries Jamaica inthe islandrsquos accommodation is located in the mainparticular therefore helping to fill the present re-resort areas Montego Bay Negril and Ocho Riossearch gap in tourism development in developingJamaica is widely identified with the all-inclusivecountriesresorts that account for around a fifth of the is-landrsquos bed capacity and almost 70 of roomBackground to the Countryrsquos Tourism Industrynights sold (Table 2) The number of noninclusive

Jamaica is the third most important Caribbean room nights sold has stagnated in recent years buttourist destination in terms of stopover arrivals between 1996 and 1999 the number of all-inclu-after Cancun Mexico and the Dominican Repub- sive accommodations grew by 20 A study bylic It is the largest English-speaking Island in the the Jamaica Tourist Board for the period 1997ndashCaribbean and has a total land area of 4442 square 1998 found that all-inclusive hotels on averagemiles (10991 km2) (Jamaica Tourist Board 2004) maintained occupancy rates of 73 but the two(Fig 1) Tourism is a significant contributor to the dominant operators Super Clubs and Sandalscountryrsquos economic development The total visitor boast of average year-round occupancy rates ofexpenditure was US$1233 million in 2001 and 90 and above (Travel and Tourism IntelligenceUS$1209 million in 2002 (Jamaica Tourist Board 2003) In 2003 the average occupancy of all-

inclusive hotels was 693 and 385 for non2002) Higher tourist arrivals and expenditure in















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Table 2


Change2002 2003 20032002































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Table 3



































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Table 2


Change2002 2003 20032002































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Table 3



































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Table 3



































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Table 3



































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BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN JAMAICA

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Transcript of BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN JAMAICA