The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas can use community-based tourism to empower rural and inner-city communities, a university academic argued yesterday, with two pilot initiatives set to be rolled-out in the fall.

Dr Vikneswaran Nair, pictured, dean of graduate studies and research, and a professor of sustainable tourism at the University of The Bahamas (UoB), said Bain Town and Bimini were being targeted by an initiative designed to reduce poverty in those areas.

Addressing a community-based tourism workshop and panel discussion at the University, he said: “Community-based tourism can empower rural communities in The Bahamas. At the heart of CBD (community-based development) is empowerment. It is a development tool to bring down poverty. A lot of case studies across the world, especially in South Asia, show that CBD does work.

“We are trying to do a pilot plan of a full-fledged workshop in two places, the communities of Bimini and Bain Town, which will start off in fall. This is something we are working in close collaboration with the Tourism Development Corporation” on.

The government’s Tourism Development Corporation has partnered with the University of The Bahamas, using Dr Nair’s expertise, to increase tourism linkages to communities - especially in the Family Islands - through a toolkit specifically developed for each island.

Dr Nair also suggested that The Bahamas should determine what tourists will experience when they arrive. “You don’t want to have a situation where you are going to be docking but, before you come off, they have been given all these negative images,” he added.

“A lot of these travel advisories are sometimes painting a very bad picture. Sometimes you get one small incident and you get a blanket advisory.”