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JAMAICAN ROOTS EXPERIENCE BENEFITS LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Wednesday, 17 Apr, 2010
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Tourists can now experience the roots of Jamaican heritage in central Jamaica. They will be treated to a community welcome in a private home where they will be entertained by both the young and old from the community while sampling local food.
Examples of two popular villages are OLD ENGLAND village, Manchester where tourists will be hosted by a Rastafarian family and also BEESTON SPRING village, Westmoreland near Sandals Whitehouse Westmoreland where tourists can spend the day with the community. They will walk around the community with the citizens and be led by hands of friendship while discovering the roots of rural Jamaica, old churches and more. Stories will also be told of Jamaica from the older citizens and tourists will enjoy genuine rural hospitality.
The IIPT Caribbean/Countrystyle Tourism Village Programme was developed to create economic opportunities for community persons interested in investing in their communities by offering community tourism products and attractions that build on unique natural, cultural and human capital.
It aims to market authentic lifestyles, people and experiences. It views the tourism product of the Caribbean as relating not only to specific ‘resort areas’ or traditional tourism establishments but to the entire country. All participating Villages/Communities are encouraged to stimulate entrepreneurship and identify unique opportunities, such as natural or man-made beauty or traditional cultural practices, within their local environment.
The Caribbean is the most tourism dependent region in the world. If it is not managed in a sustainable way, it will compromise the future. The Village Programme sees communities as destinations essential to the diversification and sustainability of the industry. Community Tourism, the Village Community Experience tours and Homestays respond to a growing demand for more responsible and mutually beneficial relationships between host and visitor. They open up new niches, most notably for the nature-culture-adventure-wellness traveler and allow visitors to enjoy the community lifestyle while on vacation. Marketed as ‘the community experiences of the Caribbean,’ the Village Programme offers packages and tours tailored to suit each visitors’ interests and budget.
Village hopping country cuisine community experiences in the central and south area of Jamaica teach tourists to cook Jamaican cuisine in a natural setting with the community. Then eat with them afterwards and enjoy the taste of rural Jamaican food. Examples of Country cuisine in villages include: preparing Jamaica’s national dish – ackee and saltfish with spicy calaloo, dumplings, bammy, fried plantain in Mandeville, Manchester and Rastafarian cuisine in Old England Village with Angel & Honey and family.
Tourists will enjoy sampling some of the tasty fruits of Jamaica in season at Porus village, Manchester – naseberries, ortaniques, starapples, tangerines and more including Plantain tarts, coconut gizzarders from the community shops and hot peppered shrimps and fried fish and bammy in Middle Quarters village, St. Elizabeth with Billy Kerr and his family
The South Manchester villages trip helps tourists to discover many of Jamaica’s fruits trees and farm products then take a country walk together with nature and with the community. The trip includes
Community welcome and get together with refreshments at a private home with family
Highlights tour of Mandeville including shopping, coffee factory, private home garden, historical points of interest and a village experience near to enjoy tasty rural country fruits
Lunch at The Astra Country Inn & Restaurant with community entertainment
On the Hopewell Hanover Community experience, guests will discover the heritage of Hopewell Village ( home of the famous Round Hill Hotel) located in the parish of Hanover on the north west side of Jamaica. There is a personalized community tour including community welcome in a private homestay with refreshments, tour of a community botanical garden and a private home garden, visit to the historical Methodist Church in the centre of Hopewell and lunch at the Sky Beach Bar and Seafood Grill while being entertained by the community.
All tours include the best Jamaican community hospitality and service, a contribution towards the Desmond Henry Community Tourism Entrepreneurship Fund and can be offered from anywhere in Jamaica. Countrystyle can also offer other community experiences tours in the programme in other areas of Jamaica on request.
For further information and for designing special interest tours and vacations, please contact: Diana McIntyre-Pike [email protected]
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