Comments

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  Patricia Borns June 5, 2010 at 1:28am

  Jordan, I didn't suggest the net is a substitute for reality, just that it's a bigger, more diverse window, inacurracies et al.. Nor a "huge" backlash, just some, My friends read travel guides (maybe yours), surf the net and otherwise do their homework to travel off the radar. Debbra Brouillette says it best - some are, some aren't (informed).
  
  Where did you read about Jamaica as a Jewish destination?
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  Jordan Simon June 5, 2010 at 1:01am

  Patricia, I agree that the savvier PR/marketing folk are utilizing social media creatively. And they're also targeting niches, from sports to religious tourism (though admittedly it can get a little silly, as when I read of a Jamaican initiative promoting the island as a Jewish destination!).
  
  But experiencing something on the Net is not the same thing as being there. Viewing the Mona Lisa on a laptop ain't the same as seeing it in person (well, at least 20 years ago before all the ropes and crowds, LOL... However you can still commune with Raphael's sublime Coronation of the Virgin at the Brera or Goya Cinco de Mayo series at the Prado in surprisingly deserted rooms).
  
  And while I support the democracy of the blogosphere, information is also often confusing or inaccurate, lacks crucial evocative detail, and blurs the important distinction between knowledgeable experienced travelers (experts, for lack of a better word) and Joe Blow....
  
  I don't necessarily see a huge backlash---and news such as Kingston only reinforces the need for some to stay in "safe" compounds, preferably brand names where they can get rewards points. I have many very intelligent pals who stay at cookie-cutter all-inclusives devoid of a true sense of place that could be plonked down anywhere in the world. Why? Because most Americans generally get 1-2 weeks' vacation a year and understandably want comfort and convenience, one-stop shopping. I love my country but I hate to say it: as a nation we ARE less curious, more demanding, less receptive to cultural interaction. Which isn't to say that there aren't horrific cliche tourists from every country, LOL...
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  Patricia Borns June 5, 2010 at 12:47am

  Americans may be less curious and geographically aware than other travelers as a general rule. But on the positive side, the net is connecting them to the world in new ways and giving them much more textured, specific windows on places than traditional media -- and tourism -- than they've had in the past. No offense intended, but Caribbean tourism organizations have to some extent themselves to blame for dumbing down their offerings to the sequestered, all-inclusive level they thought Americans wanted 20 or 30 years ago. Does anyone else see as I do some consumer backlash to that (even as the cliche American tourist is still out there and will always be)? Yes or no, it's refreshing to see tourist boards, PR reps and media engaging in more meaningful dialogues about place, using twittering, blogging, and streaming media for market education.
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  Debbra Dunning Brouillette June 5, 2010 at 12:38am

  I, too, have found that Americans who haven't done a lot of Caribbean travel, and some who have... but only from cruise ships, have little idea where various islands are located. Even those who have gone to Jamaica may not know where Kingston is in relation to Montego Bay, for example, and people who go on cruises often don't remember the islands they visited afterward. (Hard to believe, but I've asked...)
  
  Caribbean travelers who take time to research their destination possibilities SHOULD be better informed than to lump all islands together, or to think violence in Kingston could affect how safe they would be to fly in to Montego Bay to spend a week at the all-inclusive of their choice. Some are, some aren't...
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  Jordan Simon June 5, 2010 at 12:10am

  I'm afraid I agree with NN. We know, sadly, how deficient most Americans are geographically (many studies bear this out, wherein schoolkids often can't even identify their own state on a map). The Caribbean is viewed as a monolithic entity. Hence, the concern among all member nations and the rush by individual Jamaican resort areas like MoBay and Negril to distinguish themselves. Unfortunately, Patricia, most tourists don't know the difference between various parts of Jamaica, especially if they've never been there.... Allan Chastanet was quoted not so much because he's the St. Lucian Minister of Tourism but as former CTO CEO. He's been a major player regarding tourism for the entire region for years (including stints as Marketing Director for Island Outpost and Air Jamaica---another reason the Observer would seek him out for perspective).
  
  We all know the differences from one island to the next, historically, topographically, culturally, linguistically, gastronomically, etc. It's never been easy conveying the Caribbean's heterogeneity to our readers. Now in these times when outlets want 47-word Twitter-esque write-ups (that fit on a typical cell phone screen), it's well-nigh impossible.
  
  And while the Caribbean nations try to cooperate on larger PR initiatives, they remain competitors, so don't be surprised to see some islands subtly capitalize on the Kingston problem, just as they did after Natalie Holloway's disappearance on Aruba (which impacted overall tourism to the region!)---or just as the ABC Islands take pains to point out that they don't suffer major weather events, the promotional equivalent of hitting below the hurricane belt.
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  Northeast News June 4, 2010 at 11:49pm

  As someone who has specialized in bailing clients out of touchy p.r. situations, I'm not a bit surprised by this. The public lumps different states/provinces together (if there's trouble in Mexico's border towns, you can be sure the public will fear Cancun) and sometimes even entire continents (as in all Africa has civil conflicts, all western Europe except the UK ratted out on us after 9/11, etc.). Are we certain that most Americans can distinguish among different areas in Jamaica -- let alone the Caribbean? Anyway, I like your saying "Maybe some StL PR folks can shed light on it ..." That'd be interesting.
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  Patricia Borns June 4, 2010 at 11:19pm

  It does seem odd.. Maybe some StL PR folks can shed light on it ...
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  David Paul Appell June 4, 2010 at 11:01pm

  Makes sense to me, Patricia. It's just that what I found notable was that it was St. Lucia's tourism minister saying this.
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  Patricia Borns June 4, 2010 at 10:53pm

  Having just returned from Jamaica I can say that the entire country is shaken and hyper-sensitive about what's happened there, and of course deeply concerned about the impact on tourism. My view is that the Observer article is a reflection of this national sensitivity rather than an accurate market forecast. Already marketers and editors are at work promoting the gated resort meccas of Mo Bay and Negril located away from Kingston. (Personally I think the country has far better to offer but that's another subject.) If people are able to distinguish between Kingston and other destinations 3 hours distant, shouldn't they be able to distinguish btw Kingston and USVI, Stl. Lucia, etc?
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  David Paul Appell June 4, 2010 at 9:53pm

  Just came across this from the Jamaica Observer about the impact the bad stuff going down in Kingston on tourism across the Caribbean. Do you agree with this assessment?
  
  "Jamaica unrest said creating problem for regional tourism
  
  LAST week's deadly unrest in Jamaica's capital of Kingston has created a major public relations crisis for the Caribbean, St Lucia's Tourism Minister Allan Chastanet has said.
  
  Chastanet, a former chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the region's tourism product is suffering from the television pictures of burning buildings, soldiers engaging gunmen in street battles and coffins containing bodies being splashed across the globe.
  
  He said when visitors speak of coming to the Caribbean for a vacation, Jamaica is among the first countries that come to mind.
  
  Chastanet said tourists view the Caribbean as a group of countries that are connected and 'there are some people that are not able to differentiate one island from another'."