“Tourism Entrepreneurship –Sustaining and Transforming Communities”
The 1st IIPT International Community Tourism Retreat will be held from June 20-24, 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in association with the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), the Ministry of Tourism, the Jamaica Tourist Board, and Countrystyle Community Tourism Network.
Theme for the Retreat is “Tourism Entrepreneurship – Sustaining and Transforming Communities.”
Participants will include Communities, Community Based Organizations, Non-Government Organizations, Public Sector, Private Sector, special interest organizations, educational groups and international community tour operators and travel agents.
The Retreat will also include a Trade Show, special community tours and the hosting of delegates in communities.
IIPT Caribbean President & Co-coordinator of the IIPT Community Tourism Network, Diana McIntyre-Pike said, “this Community Tourism Retreat will sensitize everyone to the business of community tourism and give us an opportunity to present Jamaica’s two year community tourism entrepreneurship programme, the Ministry of Tourism’s Spruce up Programme to community representatives here and internationally and allow them to interact with established community tourism entrepreneurs.”
Community Tourism encourages the visitor to discover the appeal of indigenous attributes within a community, along with their local resources and talents. Through visitor-community interaction, respective cultures are explored, ideas and information are exchanged and new friends are made. Community Tourism fosters opportunities at the community level for local people to participate more fully in the tourism industry. These opportunities range from establishing bed and breakfast accommodation in a rural home to creating income-generating commercial tourism opportunities for an entire village.
Individuals or communities who wish to be involved in the IIPT Community Tourism Retreat and potential sponsors may contact : IIPT Community Tourism Secretariat : consec@cct-jamaica.com Danielle Cunningham Retreat Co-ordinator, Tel.: 876-371-1490.