I've been working with the BNTF for a week now, and we've had a chance to both read about the projects they've been working on and also see the progress they are making in communities around the island. Its promising, but the process is slow and even when projects are completed there is still work to be done in terms of maintenance and upgrades. The resources are strained, the funds are not released fast enough and all of this falls into the hands of the BNTF staff which number less than five. It is clear to them and to us that there needs to be more....of everything.
The communities are small, numbering no more than three or four hundred, and the addition of a safe sidewalk for children to use while en route to school, or a health care centre that is wheelchair accessible makes a difference. It changes their quality of life.
The other night our boss took us to "the strip," a highly developed area on the coast where the hotels are equipped with state of the art casinos, marble floors, and little acknowledgement of the poverty stricken communities but five minutes away. Its the area of St. Kitts where locals are few and far between and fat american tourists and students are a plenty. I struggled with acknowledging that this country relies on the income that these people generate, but wondered how one can visit a place and confine yourself to the luxuries of home, never wondering about the rest of the country, about the parts of the island that haven't been moulded to cater to the accustomed luxuries of home.
There is no blame. If people on cruise ships didn't come Basseterre's economy would suffer a huge blow, and yet with their income, roads still remain unpaved, children go without safe school grounds, and communities live without basic healthcare services. Where is the disconnect, and can it be bridged?
Hey Karla,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. Ive often questioned this same relationship between tourism and community development. Its interesting to see how certain communities benefit entirely off of the income generated by tourist and for other communities the large commercial industries are the only ones holding on to the economic benefits. Its sucks and it tends to be such a fine line, often times dealing with the current state policy and the social histories of the people to resources and land ownership. I struggle with these questions.
Hi Anique,
DeleteI completely agree. The entrepreneurs, fisherman, construction workers and so on of these communities aren't given a fair chance at benefiting from large hotel chains on the island - as places like the Marriott import everything. The government and the population value the tourism industry, even though they only benefit from a minuscule portion of it. Its something they've come to rely on, but all I see is problems with an economy that relies on the strength of the American economy to survive. Accountability isn't demanded by anyone, so the cycle continues and its a very frustrating process to witness.