A few weeks ago I read on Travelmole Newswire about the Turks and Caicos islands (an archipelago of 40 islands and cayes located 914 kilometres from Miami southeast of the Bahamas), giving the Caribbean region its “first green island” as part of the government’s sustainable tourism program. Premier Michael Misick told journalists that “Any new development will be consistent with that philosophy (of sustainable development)”

The future green island is Salt Cay, once the center of the Bermudan salt industry. It is recommended as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and occupies a surface of 2.5 mile, which makes it one of the smallest of the 9 inhabited islands. I was curious about knowing more about the whole archipelago, so here follows a brief overview of the development on the main islands, according to the Turks and Caicos tourism website (with some personal considerations):

1 - Providenciales (38 square miles) is the most developed island and the international flights hub. It offers superb beaches and all modern conveniences, including luxurious hotels, villas and condos, numerous restaurants, spas and shopping facilities, and a championship caliber golf course (please note that the islands have limited natural fresh water resources and private cisterns collect rainwater for drinking, which makes you wonder about the sustainability of such a golf course).

2 - Grand Turk (6 square miles) is the capital island of the Turks and Caicos, its historical heartbeat, and home to a state of the art luxury cruise ship center (about the sustainability of the cruise ship industry I would recommend reading Chapter 8 of Leo Hickman, The Final Call)

3 - North Caicos (41 square miles) has undergone a development transformation, with several luxury resort properties underway. It is evolving as a ‘getaway’ from the more developed Providenciales and boasts the largest flock of Pink Flamingos in the islands (they surely must be thrilled about the island’s transformation!)

4 - South Caicos (8.5 square miles) is the fishing capital of the islands and attracts visitors for its fishing, birdlife, history, fresh seafood dishes and diving. (we can only hope that there are some fishing and diving regulations…)

5 - The largest of the islands, Middle Caicos is 48 square miles of natural beauty. Frigate Bird colony resides on south side of the island and you will also find Flamingos, Egrets, Sand Pipers. A large blue hole just offshore in shallow water features an abundant variety of marine life. The island’s Northwest Point is a combination of beautiful inlets, marshes, mangroves and in land ponds, which serve as a haven for bird life. (This sounds to me like a perfect green island! Any sustainable development plan for this one?)

6 - Parrot Cay is a thousand acre island hosting the ultra luxurious and very private vacation hideaway Parrot Cay Resort and Spa, called by some the world’s most exclusive resort. Movie stars enjoy the solitude and anonymity (bless them!)

7 - Pine Cay had no permanent population until The Meridan Club was built here in the 1970s. It is a privately owned island and the club presents itself as ‘an environmentally sensitive resort. From their website: ‘Barefoot informality, sensitivity to the natural environment and a commitment to strictly regulate development compliment an alluring tropical setting’.

8 - Ambergris Cay was uninhabited for nearly five centuries. Now approximately 100 estate sites from one to ten acres are offered through the Turks and Caicos Sporting Club development. Also here, they say an environmentally sensitive and sustainable development plan is being strictly adhered to. Amenities will include a small five-star hotel and spa, yacht club, comprehensive concierge services and extensive security. Access is limited to a deep water marina and a runway suitable for corporate jets.

There are also two cayes once inhabited which are now under development: West Caicos will become the future home of the most exclusive Ritz Carlton community in the world, and Dellis Cay is currently under contract to the O Property Collection for the development of a multi-use property which will be run by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

With this broader picture in mind, I feel the government should show a more serious commitment in the preservation of this environmentally sensitive archipelago, a part of which was designated a Ramsar site in 1990 (the Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, vital for the preservation of the coasts from hurricanes and of the aquatic and bird life), and yet it seems that nothing can stop development, with international hotel groups buying whole cayes and making them off-limits by the locals but accessible to corporate jets.

The islands are presently a British overseas territory and their economy is based on tourism, fishing, and (suprise!) offshore financial services. By a nation that is so proud in lining up amongst the world leading countries in the fight against environmental exploitation and for a more equitable distribution of the wealth you would expect some more radical initiatives than ‘the dedication of a wee island to sustainable development’.

Resources:

Article on Travelmole Newswire
Turks and Caicos islands on Wikipedia
Turks and Caicos tourism website

Last month I found myself in need of a ‘small airport book’ and decided to go for the ‘No-Nonsense Guides to Tourism’ by Pamela Nowicka, published by New Internationalist

If you are a responsible traveller and already realise that lying on a beach with a margarita is not going to alleviate world poverty, this book will not tell you anything new, despite one of those ‘sensational one line reviews’ on the cover saying Find out how the world really works!

On the other hand, if you have never thought about the negative impact of tourism on the host countries and on the local people, like the exploitation of natural and human resources in the developing countries, after you have finished reading this book you will probably feel a miserable and guilty tourist (yes, you got it; you do not even deserve to be called a traveller).

But do not despair, this feeling will not last long, as eventually no one is willing to forgo a well deserved holiday. After all, travelling has been a privilege of the jet set for the past couple of centuries and only recently it has become affordable to the masses; why should we not consider it as one of our democratic rights?

The author is trying to open our eyes about the fact that the ‘positive impact of tourism on the world development’ is a myth, and that we should change our attitude in our role as vacationers and show more consideration towards our hosts, from whom we expect polite manners and smiling faces even when we behave like new colonialists giving them absolutely no reasons to smile. I absolutely agree with her on this and in more than one occasion she made me think about my own attitude as a traveller.

She goes on saying people should think about travelling less, and about being more discerning when they travel. Again, I agree 100%. This bad habit of flying from London to Paris for a proper croissant must really stop and low cost airlines do not help. But then she keeps on highlighting all the negative aspects of tourism, saying that even responsible travel in the end does not help much and concluding that the ultimate remedy is just taking as few holidays as possible and stop destroying the environment jetting off around the world.

At the end of the book, I felt really disappointed. Maybe because I am optimistic by nature, but I found this guide a total waste of an occasion to inform that there are many effective ways to change our travel behaviour, and that ethical travel is growing and can bring some fresh air to tourism. By not focusing on what can be changed and not presenting sound alternative options after having explored in depth the faults of the industry, the only response she can get from the reader is a shoulder shrug, either of indifference or resignation.

Well, it’s about time I sponsored a child; I’m not going to miss the money, 20-30 quid can go in an instant living in London, so why not put the money to good use? I received an email from World Vision recently and I have to say, Sierra Leone does sound like a shit hole. The kids there need some help, I can provide it, so I’m going for it.

I logged on to their site, which provides excellent options!, and found the perfect candidate. Fair enough, I had to reject 3 before I found him, but I finally got there, so I can’t complain. Consider the following; I blindly allowed World Vision to select candidates for me, but the first child was from the Dominican Republic! Do people not go there on holiday? This wouldn’t do, so I changed some of the search criteria so I would only receive kids from Africa. Things improved at this point, however, and I don’t want this to sound crude, the girl was just a little over weight. Now, can she really be in as much need as they say? I didn’t think so either, so I pressed on.

The next one was close, but no cigar. He was about right; clearly looked in need, but the name didn’t quite fit, I could hardly pronounce it, how could I possible speak about him if I couldn’t pronounce his name? Well, after a while, a gem of a kid came up, with a reasonably English sounding name, and I am now the proud sponsor of Jonathon! I even have a fridge magnet.

Obviously I am kidding, but this is exactly what went through my head when I went on to World Vision’s site. It almost stopped me from sponsoring as I found it hard to believe that anyone with a mind to try to help someone out would actually use search criteria to try to find the most needy, or more to the point the best fit for them. I did the random search with no criteria and sponsored the first kid that came up on the screen. The mere thought of skipping past him filled me with anger that the choice was even available!

It would be great to get some stats from World Vision to see how people go about finding their sponsor children and whether anyone seriously uses the search functionality provided to break the children down in to he/she, country, age etc…. I seriously hope, for my sanity alone, that most people do the same thing I did and just provide the money and let World Vision do the choosing.

Ignoring my rather cynical view of some people and their desire to ‘help’, I am making no joke about charity or World Vision, providing a little for those who have nothing is not hard, takes just a few minutes and makes a massive difference, do sponsor if you can: Worldvision

One of the highlights of San Cristobal de Las Casas is the Na Bolom Centre. This museum/hotel/restaurant/shop is mentioned in every travel guide, and it was the house of the Danish archaeologist and anthropologist Franz Blom and his Swiss wife Gertrude Duby Blom, a photographer who arrived in Chiapas to conduct a report on the Lacandones, and eventually became the protector of this indigenous community and of their environment.

In occasion of my first visit to San Cristobal I spent a whole afternoon in the museum, and I was really fascinated by the story of the Bloms. There is an interesting collection of reports, photos and objects from their expeditions in the Lacandon jungle; of their first contact with the Lacandones, and their interest for the indigenous culture and traditions.

They eventually founded the Na Bolom cultural association, which was aimed to support the Lacandon community through many interesting projects which are still up and running to date. After the death of Getrude the association has been run by a patronato, and it has changed administration and management a few times in the past few years.

While in San Cristobal a few days ago I heard some voices about the fact that Na Bolom ‘was not the same as before’ and rumours about Lacandones not being paid fairly for their handcrafts (which are sold in the shop), and not being as welcome in the hotel-restaurant as before (Gertude explicitly disposed that the Lacandones should be Na-Bolom’s guests while staying in San Cristobal at any time, as they periodically travel to town to sell their handcraft).

Of course rumours and voices must be always taken with a pinch of salt: aid projects are not easy to run, and sometimes some members of a community benefit more than others, which generates complaints.
However, as I was so fascinated by the Na Bolom story and really liked this organisation, I decided to carry on a little investigation… I went to the Na Bolom shop and had a look at the prices of the handcraft there, which were not cheap. I asked one of the girls at the counter how much of the revenue would go to the Lacandon artist, and how the remaining amount would be used. I also asked her if she was personally involved in any of the aid projects supported by the organisation. She said she was a nurse working on the project for free medical aid to the Lacandones, and gave me a very positive feedback about it.
She also told me Na Bolom would keep only the 15-20% of the handcrafts, paying the artists a fair 80%. The other girl though corrected her on this, saying Na Bolom keeps the 45% of the revenue for each piece of sold handcraft. Quite a discrepancy in the information… although, I still think it would be fair if this 45% is spent entirely in the aid projects (once deducted the basic expenses, of course).
Unfortunately, there was no way for me to get to know this information, but I have no reasons to doubt the money made by the Na Bolom shop (and by the hotel-restaurant) is responsibly managed and assigned to these projects.

After a couple of days I left San Cristobal for a trip in the Lacandon jungle. Near the eco-lodge I was staying, some Lacandones were selling their handcraft. I asked them what they thought about Na Bolom, and this time the feedback was not that positive… A few artisans said they do not take their pieces to Na Bolom anymore, as they do not get paid as fairly as before. Plus, they were receiving complaints all the times about the quality of their handcraft by the Na Bolom representatives, who were trying to buy the pieces for less and less, saying they would be difficult to sell in the shop due to their poor quality.

Another member of the community said he was no longer asking for hospitality at Na Bolom while in San Cristobal, as most of the times he was told the rooms were occupied by paying guests, and the few times he stayed there he felt not welcome at all. Another lady said that when Trudi was alive (this is how the Lacandones still affectionately called Gertrude Blom) they could go there and eat any time, whereas now there are strict rules in hospitality and food distributions, with someone taking notes of their names, the times they go in and out, and everything they eat.
More comments followed, some also positive. For example, almost everyone agreed that the medical project was actually benefiting the community, and although they would take advantage of that only when they are really sick (the Lacandones still use their traditional healing methods), they were always given medical help when requested. Well, it was good to hear that, but I was also a bit sad in hearing some of the negative comments, especially because I had the impression that the Lacandones are quite proud people, who do not like much to ask for help unless it is really needed.
Furthermore, most of the complaints I heard started with “things are not the same as before”, meaning there was initially a good relationship between Na Bolom and the Lacandon community which somehow deteriorated, which is a pity.

My ‘investigation’ ends here; as I said, it was only based on rumours and all I wanted was listening to some more voices and collecting them; it would be great if others could be heard on this blog…

The main reason of my trip to Chiapas was meeting the local guides I work with and finding new contacts. I was walking around San Cristobal with one of our tour providers, when I found an ecotourism centre called Sendasur. I thought it was another local operator, but he explained to me Sendasur is actually an association created by the private initiative of 16 community centres and 4 ecotourism operators (including his own company) to promote the development of eco and sustainable tourism in Chiapas.

I think this reality is just brilliant, and it is the perfect example of how private businesses can cooperate towards a common goal, generating profits with some ethics without the need of any support by the government or NGOs.

What I also like about Sendasur is that it managed to put together various ethnic communities, who now work together for the conservation of their environment.

Their mission states: “we are committed to preserve and revitalize our natural and cultural environment, and to help the development of alternative and sustainable tourism in Chiapas. We work together for equality and tolerance, as we are convinced that our strength comes from our differences.”

I am really happy gloCaltravel is now working with Sendasur, and I wish there were more associations like this in other Mexican states. They would help outbound eco-operators like us a lot, offering updated information about different community and ecotourism projects.