Island Tourism  The Romans used the Isle of Capri as a holiday destination in what may be the earliest example of island tourism.  In relation to modern tourism, there was not much interest in the beach as a place of recreation.  Sand is hard to walk on, it gets in your clothes, food, drinks, it blows in the wind, it gets in your eyes, etc.

Island Tourism  The bulk of island tourism during the 19 th and 20 th centuries was “health” based.  It was believed that “ozone” and salt water bathing would cure an ailing body.  Bathing as opposed to swimming.  As swim suits as we know them today where not yet invented, most swimmers swam in the nude.  When on holiday for a sickness, most tourists “immersed” themselves in the salt water rather than swim  President George Washington brought his sick brother to Barbados.

The rise of Beach-going  By the 1920s, the idea of “going to the beach” had emerged.  Tanning became desirable, associated with spontaneity and sensuality in many of the same ways we do today  The sun was now thought of as a cure all  Beaches of fine sand were preferred  As this idea trickled down through the classes, holidays at the seaside became more and more popular

Jet Travel  The rise of airline travel changed tourism more than any other factor  It reduced travel to the Caribbean from 3 weeks to 8 hours (from most vacationing countries)  Travel agencies soon took over tourism, developing package tours and promoting winter vacations to Europeans and American/Canadians

The Caribbean Fantasy  As tour agents developed tourism in the Caribbean, a new image emerged  Hosts in the Caribbean speak English  The islands are pure and beautiful  Coral reefs, bright blue water, tropical fish, green golf courses, etc  The Caribbean people as a fun loving, carefree, and NICE  Barbados described as “a little bit of paradise,” and “Heaven on Earth”  What is hidden? The history of the Caribbean as a place of genocide, brutality, slavery, the plantation system and underdevelopment.

Modern Island Tourism  By the 1950s most governments had adopted a pro- tourism industry stance  Coupled with the World Bank, the United Nations, and most importantly, the World Tourism Organization, tourism flourished  Some organizations called tourism a sustainable and localized resource.  Some also noted tourism could have almost limitless growth potential because it relied on natural renewable resources.  What is wrong with this assumption? –Think about Ice, air conditioning, pool upkeep, laundry…

Changing Modes of Production  Some advocates argued that developing a large scale tourism industry could help third world countries leap from a resource based (extractive) economy to a service based (extortive) economy.  Not only would tourism raise the standard of living (again, no mention of quality of life) but also act as a way to bond hosts and guests together.  Even the Church condoned touring, arguing it worked similar to missions, in that tourism can bridge the gaps between cultures.  Even in the academy, most critics arguing for the negative social impacts were drown out by calls for tourism development projects.  Economists writing on the subject during this period often “read like a series of press releases” (Crick 1989).

Comparisons  Tourism in Germany represents only 0.17% of the economy, in the UK 1.5%, in Spain 5.2%.  Tourism on islands such as Bermuda represents nearly 50% of the nation’s GNP.  The bulk of Caribbean peoples now work in the tourist industry.

Caribbean…  In the area Gmelch studied the “hosts” are often mix ethnicity residents of the islands, and the “guests” are mainly American, British, and Canadian.  Why? Hint: leisure  Gmelch noted a major flaw in tourism research was: the lack of native’s voice in the discussions

Tourism in Barbados  George Gmelch and his wife Sharon Bohn –Reveals the encounters between hosts and guests as workers and tourists are known in both the travel industry and the academy –In general, the tourism dealt with by Gmelch and others involves travelers from the most developed parts of the world who are traveling and vacationing in economically less developed regions. –The article you read focus on Barbados, but this anthropology husband wife team did research throughout the islands

Discussion  How does television spread culture?  What are the ecological impacts of tourism?  Discuss the host guest relationship…positives or negatives?  Discuss immigration, positives and negatives…