Cristina Jönsson

Understanding the Dimensions of Pro-Poor Tourism

This book sets out to give a comprehensive overview of tourism and poverty. Regina Sheyvens responds to the lack of studies and publications on the potential contribution of tourism to poverty alleviation and examines how tourism can uplift the well-being of the poor. The book is based on the author’s fundamental belief that the sustained presence of high levels of inequality and poverty in the world is an insult to humanity. The eight chapters of the book shed light on debates around tourism in developing countries and pay particular attention to the contribution of tourism to poverty. The author clarifies the complex, multidimensional phenomenon of poverty through a comprehensive discussion of tourism development and poverty alleviation. In chapter one the author introduces the potential of Pro-poor Tourism (PPT) and the concerns about what PPT can achieve and how it can impact on people’s livelihoods. It contains a good discussion on trends in global tourism and draws attention to the potential in the growth of tourism to developing countries. The meaning of poverty and its dimensions is thoroughly discussed in chapter two. Theoretical underpinnings of PPT are discussed in this chapter as well as the possibilities of PPT to assist the poor to be respected members of their community and to be able to contribute to family life and other social group events. In building capabilities of the poor, PPT strategies are discussed from the point of view that it should facilitate the empowerment of the poor and assist them in securing their rights and gaining greater control over their lives. The author is of the view that there is potential for tourism to direct more of its benefits to the poor and, therefore, the book pays particular attention to governments, development agencies, tourism organization bodies and large tourism companies who have the power to make a difference in the contribution of tourism to poverty alleviation. Major critiques of tourism in developing countries that developed in the 1970s are the focus of chapter three. The purpose of this chapter is to raise awareness of

Attracting visitors to ancient neighbourhoods – creation and management of the historic city of Plymouth, UK

All heritage tourism development has impacts and it is therefore not surprising that the academic study of heritage and culture management has long focused on the consequences of tourism. There are...

Promotion Tools Used in the Marketing of Sport Tourism Experiences in a Mature Tourism Destination

Originality/value Few studies in this area have been undertaken in the Caribbean. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining the implementation of sport tourism offerings to attract visitors to Barbados.

New perspectives in Caribbean tourism

Daye, Chambers and Roberts respond to the lack of Caribbean tourism studies by Caribbean nationals by taking an emic approach to this edited book. The book is a collective of independently researched studies by Caribbean nationals who have attended and/or are currently lecturers at the University of the West Indies. The authors clarify the complexity of Caribbean tourism in the Anglophone Caribbean, mainly Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada. The 13 chapters incorporate ideas and perspectives from the Caribbean perspective, which are not represented in existing epistemologies of tourism in Caribbean destinations. The authors write a good introduction, providing an understanding of Caribbean tourism and its contribution to contemporary changes in the Caribbean societies. The book follows a standard academic format, which makes it somewhat less attractive to general readers. Obviously this kind of book, which collects studies bound together by their geographical location and origin rather than a theme (other than the quite broad theme of tourism, of course), is not designed to be read from cover to cover by the average reader. Instead, its various contents will be of value to different readers looking for information on different subjects. Thus, it is perhaps worth approaching it from that angle, rather than trying to judge the book as if it were a homogenous entity. In Chapter 1, Daye re-visions Caribbean tourism by interrogating the stereotypical images of the Caribbean holiday experience. The study presents an investigation of strategies that may be further explored in order to enhance the Caribbean brand in order to sustain its tourism industry. A country-specific, stereotypical image is that of Jamaica: the island’s Bob Marley tourism product is a brand that has a great international appeal. This, and the Jamaican national identity, is the focus of Niaah and Stanley-Niaah’s chapter. In this case, Bob Marley, Reggae and the Rastafari movement is argued to be ‘exploited’ in its development and has developed into the essence of the Jamaican tourist product. The chapter closes by discussing the ironic elevation/demotion of the ‘rebel’ Bob Marley as the principal tourist attraction and the most highly acclaimed citizen of Jamaica. Jamaica’s tourism product is further discussed in Chapter 4, where Webster defines and substantiates the existence of Jamaican vinyl tourism, a subset of Reggae tourism. A detailed explanation of Reggae and its subgenres is given, along with a comprehensive profile of the extensive body of producers, labels, singers and musicians of Jamaican-recorded music. Buyer motivation and demand in this informal, discrete part of Jamaica’s tourism industry is examined, and Webster concludes that vinyl tourism is well established, yet it is a nonrenewable niche within a niche. The links between tourism, cultural nationalism, race and politics in Trinidad and Tobago is discussed by Ramcharitar in Chapter 5. The islands’ complex cultural