Sustainable tourism advocates recognized at Caribbean Tourism Organization conference
October 31, 2024
To get young people interested in farming, Alpha Sennon created a superhero character for them to identify agriculture as a powerful force for social change.
“We created comic books and cartoons because these are things that kids gravitate to,” he said. “But we needed a space for them to go to get a grasp of why agriculture is so important.”
Eight years after founding WhyFarm (We Help Youth Farm) in southwest Trinidad, the Siparia Cousoumeh Group emerged in 2023 to develop the area’s tourism potential. The committee comprises Whyfarm and other stakeholder organizations.
At this year’s Caribbean Tourism Organization Sustainable Tourism Conference in Grenada, Sennon was the recipient of the Community-Based Tourism Award.
“This award validates the work me and others have been doing to promote farming,” he said. “This not glamorous work and sometimes it is very hard. While WhyFarm has been around since 2015 and is doing well, I am constantly pushing for people to come to Siparia and feel that ‘agri-coolture’.”
Kennedy Pemberton presents the award to Alpha Sennon in the presence of Martinique Tourism Authority member Monrose Michelle (l) & CTO Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer Dona Regis-Prosper (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Green Case Sustainable Tourism Director of Operations Kennedy Pemberton and Monrose Michelle of the Martinique Tourism Authority presented the award.
“It is indeed an honour to present this award because this type of work is dear to the heart of me and others who are championing sustainability across the Caribbean,” added Pemberton who was a member of the Judging Committee for this award.
Sennon left the conference feeling good after hearing Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell say that high-level tourism conferences must include farmers, fishermen and supply chain members.
“The fact that the PM is identifying farmers as very important stakeholders in the tourism industry is uplifting,” he noted. “When we are talking about tourism, food is essential and makes the experience. Most times we hear people complimenting the chef after a delicious meal. What about complimenting the farmer who grew the dasheen and breadfruit and went to sea in the middle of the night to catch fish?”
Sustainable Tourism Development Consultant Yvonne Amour accepted the Tourism Education & Training Award on behalf of WildDominique which is a Dominican non-profit organization formed by local ecologists, agriculturists, marine biologists and environmental enthusiasts to preserve the ‘Nature Island’.
Yvonne Amour with the Tourism Education & Training Award (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Two years ago, WildDominique partnered with the Discover Dominica Authority and the island’s Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division to establish a pilot training series, ‘Biodiversity and Conservation in Tourism’.
The training was for tour guides who, by translating scientific information into an enhanced experience for visitors, play an integral role in environmental education.
In addition, the ‘Friend of Conservation’ stamp was awarded to tour guides and operators who are actively helping to showcase environmentally responsible service to potential clients.
“You can’t be in tourism if you don’t wear a conservation hat,” said Amour who volunteers on the WildDominique Board of Directors. “In the face of numerous global challenges, conservation needs to be at the forefront of every individual effort, particularly in tourism where the industry’s success depends on it. Because of our unique biological and geological diversity, we felt that the tour guides need as much information as they can get to do their jobs.”
Located above Anse Chastanet’s 600-acre beachfront estate in St. Lucia is Jade Mountain Resort which Travel Leisure and Conde Nest Traveler have consistently named one of the Top Caribbean resorts.
The Travelife Gold-certified resort was honoured with the Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award.
‘This means more than any other accolade we have received because this is from our peers in our region recognizing us for what we have done and what we will continue to do,” said Property Manager Carl Hunter who received the award.
Carl Hunter with the Excellence in Sustainable Award (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
What makes Jade Mountain unique?
“You have to be there to feel it,” said Hunter who is the St. Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association Environmental Committee Chair. “It was designed to be unique from the outset. We are completely open to nature, the guest experience connects with nature, we have ultra-low energy, we supplement our water needs by harvesting and purifying 100 percent of the water needed for the resort and we have a farm among other things.”
Nevisian Shobaina Prince received a Tourism & Health Safety Honourable Mention Award.
CTO Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer Dona Regis-Prosper (l) presented the Tourism & Health Safety Honourable Mention Award to Shobaina Prince (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Coming from one of the smaller Caribbean islands,” this award means a lot to me,” said the owner of Native Radiance. “We use herbs that are sourced locally to help our clients glow. We have a wide variety of soaps that have been proven to improve skin quality. In addition, we carry oils, shampoos, hair and skin conditioners and treatments for hair growth.”
