Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Programme

Transcription

1 Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Programme Project No. 8 ACP RCA 035 Report of Survey of Residents' Involvement and Attitudes towards Tourism: Barbados, St.Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago For Caribbean Tourism Organisation - Lot 1 Research Capacity 1 March 2007

2 Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Programme Project No. 8 ACP RCA 035 Report of Survey of Residents' Involvement and Attitudes towards Tourism: Barbados, St Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago For Caribbean Tourism Organisation - Lot 1 Research Capacity 1 March 2007 Prepared for: PA Knowledge Limited 2007 The Caribbean Tourism Organization PA Consulting Group 123 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9SR Tel: Fax: Version: 3.0

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. List of Tables List of Charts List of Acronyms Executive Summary Background Introduction Tourism and Impacts Objectives Scope of Work Implementation Methodology The Samples The Instrument Findings Economic Impact Social Impact Attitudes Towards Increased Tourism Development Most Serious Benefits and Problems of Tourism Overall Findings and Recommendations References 9-1 Appendices A-1 APPENDIX A: Questionnaires A-1 i

4 1. LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Sample Characteristics Table 2: What role do you think tourism plays in your local economy in comparison to other industries? Table 3: To what extent is your job dependent on tourism? Table 4: Percent of income due to tourism Table 5: To what extent do you agree/disagree that most of the jobs in the tourism industry are low paying? Table 6: How would you rate the influence of tourism on job opportunities? Table 7: To what extent do you agree that tourists do not pay their fair share for services they use in the country? Table 8: To what extent do you agree that the tourism promotion offered by your country benefits your community economically? Table 9: How would you rate your level of interaction with tourists? Table 10: What is your usual reaction towards tourists? Table 11: How would you rate the influence of tourism on traffic? Table 12: How would you rate the influence of tourism on conditions of roads and highways? Table 13: How would you rate the influence of tourism on overall cleanliness and appearance of the country? Table 14: How would you rate the influence of tourism on parks and recreation areas? Table 15: How would you rate the influence of tourism on safety? Table 16: How would you rate the influence of tourism on educational system? Table 17: How would you rate the influence of tourism on museum cultural centres? Table 18: To what extent do you agree that tourism increases opportunity to learn about our culture? 1-1

5 Table 19: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in high economic benefit to the country? Table 20: To what extent do you agree that you will benefit financially if tourism increases in your community? Table 21: To what extent do you support tourism development in your community? Table 22: To what extent do you agree that your country is a good place to invest in new tourism development business? Table 23: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in increased crime in the country? Table 24: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in crowding in areas of tourism activity in the country Table 25: To what extent do you agree that increase in tourism in the country will improve the overall quality of life? Table 26: To what extent do you agree that your country, the overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts? 1-2

6 2. LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: What role do you think tourism plays in your local economy in comparison to other industries? Chart 2: To what extent is your job dependent on tourism? Chart 3: To what extent do you agree/disagree that most of the jobs in the tourism industry are low paying? Chart 4: To what extent do you agree that tourists do not pay their fair share for services they use in the country? Chart 5: To what extent do you agree that the tourism promotion offered by your country benefits your community economically? Chart 6: How would you rate your level of interaction with tourists? Chart 7: What is your usual reaction towards tourists? Chart 8: How would you rate the influence of tourism on traffic Chart 9: How would you rate the influence of tourism on conditions of roads and highways? Chart 10: How would you rate the influence of tourism on overall cleanliness and appearance of the country? Chart 11: How would you rate the influence of tourism on parks and recreation areas? Chart 12: How would you rate the influence of tourism on safety? Chart 13: How would you rate the influence of tourism on educational system? Chart 14: How would you rate the influence of tourism on museum and cultural centres? Chart 15: To what extent do you agree that tourism increases opportunity to learn about our culture? Chart 16: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in high economic benefit to the country? Chart 17: Will benefit financially if tourism increases in your community? Chart 18: To what extent do you support tourism development in 2-1

7 your community? Chart 19: To what extent do you agree that your country is a good place to invest in new tourism development business? Chart 20: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in increased crime in the country? Chart 21: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in crowding in areas of tourism activity in the country? Chart 22: To what extent do you agree that increase in tourism in the country will improve the overall quality of life? Chart 23: To what extent do you agree that your country, the overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts? Chart 24: Benefits of tourism: Barbados Chart 25: Benefits of tourism: St Lucia Chart 26: Benefits of tourism: Trinidad and Tobago Chart 27: Problems of tourism: Barbados Chart 28: Problems of tourism: St Lucia Chart 27: Problems of tourism: Trinidad and Tobago 2-2

8 3. LIST OF ACRONYMS CARICOM CTO CTPU GDP NSOs TDC WTO Caribbean Community Caribbean Tourism Organization CARIFORUM Tourism Programme Unit Gross Domestic Product National Statistics Offices Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company World Tourism Organization 3-1

9 4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study reports on findings from three surveys on the perceived economic and social impacts of tourism in three (3) Caribbean countries: Barbados, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. It also makes recommendations for future analyses of these residents perceptions of tourism. The data for the study were collected by the National Statistics Offices (NSOs) of Barbados and St. Lucia. Secondary data were used for Trinidad & Tobago, based on a report prepared by Caribbean Market Research Limited for the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company (TDC). All of the studies used national random samples of the following sizes: Barbados 1330; St Lucia 545; Trinidad and Tobago The instrument for this study borrowed from McGehee, Andereck and Vogt (2004) in their studies of tourism attitudes in 12 communities in Arizona. It was adjusted and expanded for context and relevance to the Caribbean (Appendix). In general, respondents from all three countries felt that tourism has a significant impact on the economies of their countries, although the extent of the impact varies among them. For example: More than three-quarters of the Barbados and one-half of the St Lucia respondents felt that tourism played a dominant role in comparison to other industries in their respective countries; more than three-quarters of the respondents from each country said that tourism positively influenced job opportunities; more respondents agree than disagree with the view that the tourism promotion offered by their respective countries benefits their communities economically. However, there were some areas of concern in relation to the economic impact of tourism. For instance, in Barbados almost one in three persons felt that jobs in the tourism industry were low paying. In St Lucia, more people agreed than disagreed with the view that tourism was low paying (36% vs. 29%). In addition, 26% in St. Lucia and 20% in Barbados felt that tourists did not pay their fair share for using public services. Finally, one-third of the persons in St Lucia and one-quarter in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago felt that tourism did not benefit their communities. The general attitudes regarding the social impact of tourism were much more positive than negative for all three countries. For example, the majority of the respondents in all three countries felt that tourism has a positive impact on conditions on the roads; attitudes towards tourism influences on cultural and educational institutions, such as museums and cultural centres, were also favourable; and the majority from Barbados (86%) and St Lucia (58%) said that they made the tourists feel welcome. However, 43% from Trinidad and Tobago said that they made the tourists feel welcome while the majority (57%) said that there was no specific reaction towards them. In all three countries, especially in Trinidad and Tobago, there was strong support for further tourism development. The majority of respondents in all three countries shared the view that the net positives of increased tourism outweighed the net negatives. Furthermore, the majority of respondents in all three countries felt that their countries were good places for future tourism investment. Virtually all respondents from Trinidad and Tobago (97%) followed by Barbados (90%) and St Lucia (88%) agreed with that view. 4-1

10 One area of concern regarding increased tourism was the possibility of increased crime. One in three respondents from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago and one in four from St Lucia expressed this concern. The survey also asked respondents in each country to identify two PROBLEMS and two BENEFITS of tourism. Increased crime and high cost of living were the most common problems to all three countries. In Barbados, many were concerned about the high cost of land and health problems. In St Lucia, they were also concerned with access to the beaches and lack of attention to other industries. In Trinidad and Tobago, they expressed concern about the high cost of real estate and lack of local access to facilities for tourists. Economic development and employment, and greater foreign exchange earnings were the most commonly identified benefits of tourism among the three countries. In Barbados, international exposure and better infrastructure were also identified as additional benefits. In St Lucia, more hotels were seen as an additional benefit. In Trinidad and Tobago, community development was also identified. The report made three recommendations: Educate the public about the importance of tourism to the development of these societies; undertake continuous surveys of public attitudes and perceptions of tourism in each country to track changes in attitudes towards tourism in the Caribbean; use the results of these surveys to address problems that may arise from the industry 4-2

11 5. BACKGROUND 5.1 INTRODUCTION This study was undertaken as part of the Research and Development Component of technical assistance provided to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), and implemented by PA Consulting Group, under the Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Programme, which is administered by the CARIFORUM Tourism Programme Unit (CTPU) and financed by the European Union. 5.2 TOURISM AND IMPACTS The travel and tourism industry is one of the world s largest and a major employer. This industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the world economy and has a significant impact on all sectors of the economy. It provides employment for a large portion of the global population and makes an important contribution to worldwide Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 1998, the travel and tourism industry contributed approximately 8 per cent to worldwide GDP. It is important to note that the World Tourism Organization (WTO) estimates that by 2010, tourism should generate US$10 trillion. In the Caribbean, tourism earnings account for approximately 25 per cent of the region s Gross Domestic Product. By 2000, the region recorded over US$ 18 billion tourism receipts with over 20 million tourist arrivals and more than 12 million cruise passenger arrivals (CTO, 2001). As Andrew (2005) puts it: According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 808 million people travelled to a foreign country in 2005 and spent a total of US$682 billion. International tourism receipts combined with passenger transport currently total more than US$ 800 billion - making tourism the world's number one export earner, ahead of automotive products, chemicals, petroleum and food. In the Caribbean (31 CTO member countries), the equivalent figures for 2005 are 22.5 million stay over arrivals, 19.8 million cruise passenger visits and about US$21.5 billion in expenditure. While this may seem small in comparison to the world total the fact is that the region s tourism arrivals and receipts command a disproportionately larger share of the global total than do their share in the world s population and GDP; CTO member countries with only 1 % of the world s population consistently attract about 3% of global tourism arrivals and world tourism expenditure (p 3). Tourism is, therefore, the single most important industry in CARICOM. Tourism, however, also has both negative and positive impacts on societies where the industry exists. These impacts can affect the sustainability of the industry. The study of impacts of and attitudes towards tourism is fairly widespread globally, especially in industrialized countries. Such studies seek to tap the feeling of the host towards the visitor and also seek to explore the socio-cultural and economic impacts of tourism on the local population. Studies by researchers such as McGehee, Andereck and Vogt (2004) are known for their potential to impact on policy. Others which focus on major tourist cities, such as Bruges, Belgium and London, England have been commissioned by governments in order to ensure a sustainable tourism product; one that has few negative impacts on the communities. In relation to a study on Bruges, Jansen-Verbeke points out: 5-1

12 The accumulation of daily problems such as congested traffic, shortage of parking, crowded walking areas, biased range in retail trade, rising prices, intrusion in the private domain inevitably leads to some antagonism of the local community towards tourism (p. 6). In the Caribbean, some of this antagonism has been discussed in studies of tourism in Jamaica by Brown (2000) and Barbados and Jamaica by Boxill (2002), for example. Most of the studies use attitudinal scales, consistent with those for measuring attitudes. In this study, the McGehee, Andereck and Vogt (2004) questionnaire served as an important guide for the instrument, which was eventually used. 5.3 OBJECTIVES As is outlined in the Terms of Reference (TOR), this study reports on the perceptions and attitudes of residents to the tourism sector. It focuses on their perceived impact of the sector, whether negative or positive, on their lives and communities. Quoting specifically from the TOR this study: will seek to find out what residents know about tourism and how they feel about the sector as a whole, all with a view to determining what policies and measures are required for addressing any actual or latent issues that may be identified. Essentially, it arises from the belief that the perceptions, attitudes and welfare of residents are as crucial to the sustainability of tourism as the ecological, product and visitor satisfaction aspects. The main output from the exercise will be a definitive report on the attitudes of residents to the vital tourism sector, their awareness and understanding of the sector and the perceived impact, whether negative or positive, of tourism on their lives and communities. That report is expected to assist in placing critical information at the disposal of regional decision-makers for instituting the necessary reforms, policies and measures for maximizing the potential gains from tourism and ensuring the sustainability of the sector (p. 2). Specifically the study has sought to: Provide critical information to assist decision-makers in formulating more effective policies on the tourism industry. Produce an effective survey instrument for determining the attitude and involvement of residents in the tourism industry. Evaluate the perceived economic, and social impacts of tourism on locals and residents in the respective five (5) Caribbean countries: Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, St.Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago. Assess, from the survey responses, the perception and attitudes of locals/residents to tourism. Create a template for future analyses of residents attitudes to tourism. 5-2

13 It should be noted that only three (3) countries have been included in this study since there were difficulties in collecting data in Belize and Jamaica and none of the other CARIFORUM countries were in a position to conduct such a survey at that time. 5.4 SCOPE OF WORK In view of the above objectives, the following tasks were to be undertaken: Review the existing literature, including relevant studies on attitudinal survey of residents to tourism in order to gain a thorough understanding of the issues and methodology Identify limitations and possible design flaws in the original survey instrument and propose necessary improvements in order to better achieve the survey s objectives Redesign a survey form to meet the objectives of the study but also accords, in terms of length and design, with the survey structure and methodology of the relevant NSOs Liaise with the various NSOs in order to obtain a feel for their respective survey structures and to assist them in training interviewers to conduct the survey interviews Evaluate the perceived economic and other impacts of tourism on residents in the relevant countries by analyzing the respective survey responses Assess, from the respective survey responses, the perceived involvement of residents in the tourism industry Prepare a written analysis and report on the survey responses based on the above objectives 5.5 IMPLEMENTATION Originally, the study was due to be completed over a period of nine (9) calendar months with completion of the report by December However, it was extended until February McHale Andrew, PA s CTO/CRSTDP Research & Development Adviser, based at the CTO s offices in Barbados, coordinated the entire process. 5-3

14 6. METHODOLOGY 6.1 THE SAMPLES The data for the study were collected by the National Statistics Offices (NSOs) of Barbados and St. Lucia in the latter half of Secondary data were used for Trinidad & Tobago, based on an August 2006 report prepared by Caribbean Market Research Limited for the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company (TDC). All of the studies used national random samples of the following sizes: Barbados 1330; St Lucia 545; Trinidad and Tobago The results therefore allow for generalization to the wider populations of the countries with varying margins of error: Barbados +/- 3%; Trinidad and Tobago +/-3.5 % and St Lucia +/-5%. The details of the three samples are provided in the below tables. 6.2 THE INSTRUMENT The instrument for this study borrowed from McGehee, Andereck and Vogt (2004) in their studies of tourism attitudes in 12 communities in Arizona. It was adjusted and expanded for context and relevance to the Caribbean (Appendix: Barbados and St Lucia). With minor adjustments this instrument may be used in future studies to track changes in attitudes towards tourism in the Caribbean. Table 1: Sample Characteristics BARBADOS ST. LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Gender Gender Gender Male 52% Male 58% Male 47% Female 48% Female 42% Female 53% Age Age % % % % % % % % % 65+ 2% 6-1

15 Table 1: Sample Characteristics Cont d BARBADOS ST. LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Education Some primary 10% Primary 58% Some secondary 3% Education Some Primary 1% Primary 14% Some Secondary 15% Secondary 16% Secondary 59% Tertiary 8% Tertiary 11% None 5% Race African 43% Indian 30% Mixed 36% Total 1330 Total 545 Total

16 7. FINDINGS In this section, findings from the three countries are presented individually to allow for comparisons among them. In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, secondary data were used from another study. It should be noted that comparative data for Trinidad and Tobago were not available for all of the questions. 7.1 ECONOMIC IMPACT This area of the report examines attitudes regarding the economic impact of tourism in the three countries. Focus is on perceived personal, community and national economic impacts of tourism. In general, respondents from all three countries felt that tourism has a significant economic impact on the economies of their countries, although the extent of the impact varies among them. More than three-quarters of the Barbados and one-half of the St Lucia respondents felt that tourism played a dominant role in comparison to other industries in their respective countries (Table 2). Just one percent felt that it played no role in Barbados and almost 14% shared a similar sentiment in St Lucia. On the other hand, only 9% of the Trinidad respondents thought that tourism played a dominant role in their economy. Most felt that it played a minor role but almost 40% thought that it was equal to others. In the case of St Lucia, those who said that their jobs were very dependent on tourism were most likely to support the view that tourism played a dominant role in the local economy in comparison to other industries (Chi Square = 151.9, P=.000; Cramers V =. 26, p=. 000). Table 2: What role do you think tourism plays in your local economy in comparison to other industries? ROLE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No Role Minor Role Equal to others Dominant role Not Stated 1 2 Total

17 Chart 1: What role do you think tourism plays in your local economy in comparison to other industries? Percent No/Minor Equal Dominant 0 Barbados St. Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Over 40% of respondents from Barbados and 30% from St Lucia said that their jobs depended on tourism (Table 3; Chart 2). On the other hand, only 12 % from Trinidad and Tobago said that their jobs depended on tourism. 7-2

18 Table 3: To what extent is your job dependent on tourism? LEVEL OF DEPENDENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Not at all/somewhat not Somewhat Very Not applicable Not Stated/unsure Total Chart 2: To what extent is your job dependent on tourism? Percent Does not depend Depend 0 Barbados St. Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country 7-3

19 With regards to the relationship between tourism and respondents incomes, 26% from Barbados and 16% from St Lucia said that part or all of their income was due to tourism (Table 4). In the case of Barbados, 9% said that between % of their income was due to tourism, while the amount was 5% for St Lucia. Table 4: Percent of income due to tourism AMOUNT OF INCOME BARBADOS ST LUCIA None % % % % 9 5 Don t know Not applicable Not stated 1 1 Total More respondents disagreed than agreed with the statement that most of the jobs in the tourism industry are low paying in the cases of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago (Table 5; Chart 3). As can be seen from Chart 1, respondents in Trinidad and Tobago were more likely to disagree than agree with this statement (58% vs. 18%) when compared to Barbados (34% vs. 30%). However, in the case of St Lucia, more people agreed than disagreed with the view that tourism was low paying (36% vs. 29%). 7-4

20 Table 5: To what extent do you agree/disagree that most of the jobs in the tourism industry are low paying? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated 1 1 Chart 3: To what extent do you agree/disagree that most of the jobs in the tourism industry are low paying? 1 1 Note that for easy reference, the charts with Likert scales, strongly agree and agree are combined into agree ; and strongly disagree and disagree in combined into disagree throughout the report. 7-5

21 Percent Agree Disagree 10 0 Barbados St. Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country More than three-quarters of the respondents from each country said that tourism positively influenced job opportunities (Table 6). Trinidad and Tobago had the highest percentage of those who felt that tourism had a positive influence on job opportunities. 7-6

22 Table 6: How would you rate the influence of tourism on job opportunities? JOB OPPORTUNITIES BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know 8 8 <1 Not Stated 1 2 In relation to how tourists are perceived with respect to their contribution to various services that they use while at the destination, most disagreed with the view that that they did not pay their fair share for services that they used (Table 7, Chart 4). For St Lucia, 39% disagreed while for Barbados the amount was 54%. However, it is noteworthy that 26% in St. Lucia and 20% in Barbados felt that tourists did not pay their fair share for using public services. Table 7: To what extent do you agree that tourists do not pay their fair share for services they use in the country? TOURISTS DO NOT PAY FAIR SHARE OF SERVICES THAT THEY USE IN THE COUNTRY BARBADOS ST LUCIA Strongly agree 3 8 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree 4 6 Don t Know Not Stated

23 Chart 4: To what extent do you agree that tourists do not pay their fair share for services they use in the country? Percent Agree Disagree 10 0 Barbados St. Lucia Country In general, more respondents agree than disagree with the view that the tourism promotion offered by their respective countries benefits their communities economically (Table 8; Chart 5). The highest level of agreement with this view was Trinidad and Tobago (62%) followed by Barbados (61%) and St. Lucia (50%). 7-8

24 Table 8: To what extent do you agree that the tourism promotion offered by your country benefits your community economically? BENEFITS COMMUNITY ECONOMICALLY BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated 1 2 Chart 5: To what extent do you agree that the tourism promotion offered by your country benefits your community economically? Percent Agree Disagree 10 0 Barbados St. Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country 7-9

25 7.2 SOCIAL IMPACT This section examines perceived social impacts of tourism in the three countries. Attitudes regarding socio-cultural and educational impacts, and impacts on the physical environment are examined here. The findings indicate that the general attitudes regarding the social impact of tourism were much more positive than negative for all three countries. One important dimension of the socio-cultural impacts is the interaction level of locals and tourists. When asked to rate their level of interaction with tourists, most persons in all three countries said infrequent or almost never (Table 9; Chart 6). Nonetheless, a not insignificant 41% from Barbados, 26% from St Lucia and 21% from Trinidad and Tobago said that they interacted somewhat frequently and frequently with tourists. Table 9: How would you rate your level of interaction with tourists? LEVEL OF INTERACTION BARBADOS (Percentage) ST LUCIA (Percentage) TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (Percentage) Almost never Infrequent Somewhat frequent Frequent Not stated 1 1 Total 7-10

26 Chart 6: How would you rate your level of interaction with tourists? Percent Almost never/infrequent Frequent 10 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Another aspect of the socio-cultural impacts relates to how people responded to tourists when they met them. The majority from Barbados (86%) and St Lucia (58%) said that they made the tourists feel welcome (Table 10; Chart 7). While 43% from Trinidad and Tobago said that they made them feel welcome, the majority 57% said that there was no specific reaction towards them. In general, few people from any of the countries said that they tried to avoid tourists, thereby suggesting no serious social conflicts with tourists. Table 10: What is your usual reaction towards tourists? TYPE OF REACTION Make then feel welcome BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No specific reaction Try to avoid them Not stated Total Chart 7: What is your usual reaction towards tourists? 7-11

27 Percent Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Welcome them No specific reaction Avoid them Country A third aspect of the social impact relates to overcrowding and densities. One measure of this is how tourism affects vehicular traffic. Only in Trinidad and Tobago is there a majority view that tourism has no influence on traffic (Table 11; Chart 8). The situation in the other two countries is more complex where there are mixed views about the negative and positive impacts of tourism on traffic. Almost one in four of the Barbados and St Lucia respondents felt that tourism had no influence on traffic. However, 26% of Barbados respondents felt that it had both a negative and positive influence on traffic. This percentage was much lower for St Lucia (14%) and Trinidad and Tobago (17%). More people in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago felt that the influence on traffic was more negative than positive. In St Lucia, it was the reverse. 7-12

28 Table 11: How would you rate the influence of tourism on traffic? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know Not Stated 1 2 Chart 8: How would you rate the influence of tourism on traffic? Percent None Negative Positive Negative and Positive 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Yet another dimension of overcrowding is the conditions on the roads. The majority of the respondents in all three countries felt that tourism had a positive impact on 7-13

29 conditions on the roads. Three-quarters of the respondents in Trinidad and Tobago felt that tourism positively impacted on the condition of the roads and highways in their country; more than half of the respondents in St Lucia (57%) and Barbados (51%) are also of this view (Table 12; Chart 9). Table 12: How would you rate the influence of tourism on conditions of roads and highways? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know <1 Not Stated

30 Chart 9: How would you rate the influence of tourism on conditions of roads and highways? Percent None Negative Positive Negative and Positive 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country In relation to how tourism impacted on the quality of the physical environment, the majority of the respondents in Trinidad and Tobago (67%) and St. Lucia (63%) felt that tourism impacted positively on the cleanliness and appearance of the country (Table 13; Chart 10). Barbados, to a much lesser extent (26%), shared this sentiment. In fact, in Barbados, the situation was mixed with a sizeable percentage (23%) saying that tourism also had a negative influence on the environment. 7-15

31 Table 13: How would you rate the influence of tourism on overall cleanliness and appearance of the country? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know Not Stated 10 3 Chart 10: How would you rate the influence of tourism on overall cleanliness and appearance of the country? Percent None Negative Positive Negative and Positive Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country 7-16

32 Another aspect of the physical environment, which is directly linked to the social impact of tourism, is the parks and recreational areas. Overall, most respondents felt that tourism had a positive influence on the parks and recreation areas in their countries: Trinidad and Tobago 76%, followed by 64% in St. Lucia and 55% in Barbados (Table 14; Chart 11). Table 14: How would you rate the influence of tourism on parks and recreation areas? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know Not Stated

33 Chart 11: How would you rate the influence of tourism on parks and recreation areas? Percent Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country None Negative Positive Negative and Positive In relation to public safety, the attitudes across all three countries are mixed, suggesting that tourism is viewed as having both negative and positive impacts on safety (Table 15; Chart 12). The most positive view of the influence of tourism on safety was in Barbados. In both St Lucia and Barbados, fairly significant percentages said that they did not know how to rate the influence of tourism on safety or that it had no influence on safety. 7-18

34 Table 15: How would you rate the influence of tourism on safety? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know Not Stated 1 2 Chart 12: How would you rate the influence of tourism on safety? Percent None Negative Positive Negative and Positive 5 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country In regard to educational impacts, the majority of respondents in Trinidad and Tobago (62%) and St Lucia (53%) felt that the impact was positive (Table 16; Chart 13). In 7-19

35 Barbados, a significant percentage (45%) also indicated that it had a positive influence. Very few saw negative influences of tourism on education. Table 16: How would you rate the influence of tourism on educational system? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know Not Stated 1 3 Chart 13: How would you rate the influence of tourism on educational system? 7-20

36 Percent Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country 3 14 None Negative Positive Negative and Positive Attitudes towards tourism influences on cultural and educational institutions, such as museums and cultural centres, were also favourable. All three countries had overwhelmingly positives attitudes towards the influence of tourism on museums and cultural centres: Barbados 70%, St Lucia 64% and Trinidad and Tobago 62% (Table 17; Chart 14). 7-21

37 Table 17: How would you rate the influence of tourism on museum cultural centres? LEVEL OF INFLUENCE BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO No influence Negative influence Positive influence Positive and negative influence Don t Know Not Stated 1 3 Chart 14: How would you rate the influence of tourism on museum and cultural centres? Percent None Negative Positive Negative and Positive Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Most respondents in Barbados (77%) and St Lucia (64%) felt that tourism afforded visitors the opportunity to learn about their culture (Table 18; Chart 15). 7-22

38 Table 18: To what extent do you agree that tourism increases opportunity to learn about our culture? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA Strongly agree 7 15 Agree Disagree Strongly disagree 1 4 Don t Know Not Stated 1 1 Chart 15: To what extent do you agree that tourism increases opportunity to learn about our culture? Percent Agreee Disagree 0 Barbados St Lucia Country 7.3 ATTITUDES TOWARDS INCREASED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT A third aspect of determining attitudes towards tourism is in relation to how people perceive increased tourism development. While current tourism development may be perceived to be good, it is important to know whether or not locals associate increased social tensions or diminishing economic returns with the expansion of the industry. 7-23

39 In relation to the perceived economic impacts of further development of tourism, the overwhelming majority of respondents in all three countries felt that it would lead to high economic benefit to their country (Table 19; Chart 16). The level of approval was highest amongst Trinidadians (98%), followed by Barbados (89%) and St Lucia (83%). 7-24

40 Table 19: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in high economic benefit to the country? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know 6 8 <1 Not Stated <1 1 Chart 16: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in high economic benefit to the country? Percent Agree Disagree Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago 8 2 Country A smaller majority from each country also believed that they would benefit financially if tourism were to increase in their community (Table 20; Chart 17). Again this feeling was 7-25

41 strongest among Trinidadian respondents (66%), followed by St Lucia (56%) and Barbados (55%). Table 20: To what extent do you agree that you will benefit financially if tourism increases in your community? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated

42 Chart 17: To what extent do you agree that you will benefit financially if tourism increases in your community? Percent Agree Disagree 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Support for actual tourism development in their communities was extremely high: more than 78% in Barbados, 75% in St Lucia, and 92% in Trinidad and Tobago (Table 21; Chart 18). 7-27

43 Table 21: To what extent do you support tourism development in your community? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated 1 2 Chart 18: To what extent do you support tourism development in your community? Percent Agree Disagree Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Interestingly, the majority of respondents in all three countries felt that their countries were good places for future tourism investment. Virtually all respondents from Trinidad and Tobago (97%), followed by Barbados (90%) and St Lucia (88%) agreed with that view (Table 22; Chart 19). 7-28

44 Table 22: To what extent do you agree that your country is a good place to invest in new tourism development business? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree 2 3 <1 Strongly disagree <1 1 <1 Don t Know Not Stated

45 Chart 19: To what extent do you agree that your country is a good place to invest in new tourism development business? Percent Agree Disagree Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country 4 1 In regard to future impacts of increased tourism on social life, two areas were examined: crime and overcrowding in tourist areas. In relation to crime, more people disagreed than agreed with the statement that crime would increase with increased tourism in Barbados (50% vs. 33%), St Lucia (57% vs. 27%) and Trinidad and Tobago (42% vs. 36%) (Table 23; Chart 20). However, it is noticeable that the percentages that agreed were significant, suggesting a mixed picture regarding crime. 7-30

46 Table 23: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in increased crime in the country? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated 1 2 Chart 20: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in increased crime in the country? Percent Agree Disagree 10 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country Most of the respondents in St. Lucia (58%) and almost half in Barbados (47%) held the view that increased tourism would result in crowding in the areas of tourism activity in 7-31

47 their country. On the other hand, the majority of the Trinidad and Tobago respondents (62%) disagreed with this view (Table 24; Chart 21). Table 24: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in crowding in areas of tourism activity in the country? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated

48 Chart 21: To what extent do you agree that increased tourism will result in crowding in areas of tourism activity in the country? Percent Agree Disagree 10 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country In relation to the overall impact of increased tourism on the country, two measures are used: overall quality of life and net benefits. In regard to quality of life, most respondents in all three countries believed that increased tourism would improve the overall quality of life of the country (Table 25; Chart 22). The highest positive responses came from Trinidad and Tobago (83%), followed by St. Lucia (74%) and Barbados (71%). 7-33

49 Table 25: To what extent do you agree that increase in tourism in the country will improve the overall quality of life? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated

50 Chart 22: To what extent do you agree that increase in tourism in the country will improve the overall quality of life? Percent Agree Disagree Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country There was also majority agreement regarding the net benefits of tourism, with most respondents in all countries agreeing that increased tourism was likely to be more positive then negative: Trinidad and Tobago 93%, Barbados 73% and St Lucia 52% (Table 26; Chart 23). However, it is noticeable that in the case of St Lucia, 21% said that it would be more negative than positive, while another 26% said that they did not know. Overall, Trinidad and Tobago was much more upbeat about the benefits of increased tourism, while St Lucia was the least. 7-35

51 Table 26: To what extent do you agree that your country, the overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts? EXTENT OF AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT BARBADOS ST LUCIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don t Know Not Stated 1 1 Chart 23: To what extent do you agree that your country, the overall benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts? Percent Agree Disagree 0 Barbados St Lucia Trinidad and Tobago Country 7-36

52 7.4 MOST SERIOUS BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS OF TOURISM Respondents in each country were asked to identify two problems and two benefits of tourism. Increased crime and high cost of living were the most common problems to all three countries. Likewise more economic development and employment, and greater foreign exchange earnings were the most commonly identified benefits of tourism among the three countries. Both the benefits and problems for each country are shown in Charts 24 to Benefits Chart 24: Benefits of tourism Barbados 70% 65% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 9% 4% 0% Economic development and jobs International Exposure Better infrastructure 7-37

53 Chart 25: Benefits of tourism St Lucia 50% 47% 40% 30% 20% 10% 17% 11% 0% Jobs Foreign Exchange More Development/Hotels 7-38

54 Chart 26: Benefits of tourism Trinidad and Tobago 45% 45% 40% 37% 35% 30% 28% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Jobs Revenue/ Foreign Exchange Community Development 7-39

55 7.4.2 Problems Chart 27: Problems of tourism Barbados 14% 13% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 4% 3% 2% 0% Increase in Drugs and Crime Shortage of Land and High Cost of Living Disease and Health Problems 7-40

56 Chart 28: Problems of tourism 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 16% Increase in Drugs, Crime and Disease St Lucia Lack of Access to Public Beaches 11% 11% Neglect of other Industries 7-41

57 Chart 29: Problems of tourism Trinidad and Tobago 70% 60% 62% 50% 40% 30% 20% 18% 18% 10% 0% Increase in Crime High Cost of Real Estate Limited Access to Tourist Facilities 7-42

58 8. OVERALL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The results from this study show that, generally, there are more positive than negative attitudes toward the tourism sector by citizens of all three countries. Nonetheless, there are concerns about the likely social impact of increased tourism. One of major recommendations of this study is that these surveys be instituted and repeated in each CARIFORUM country every two years. The major findings and recommendations are presented below. FINDING 1 In general, respondents from all three countries felt that tourism has a significant impact on the economies of their countries, although the extent of the impact varies among them. 2 There were some areas of concern in relation to the economic impact of tourism. For instance, in Barbados almost one in three persons felt that jobs in the tourism industry were low paying. In St Lucia, more people agreed than disagreed with the view that tourism was low paying. In Barbados it was felt that tourists did not pay their fair share for using public services. Also, onethird of the persons in St Lucia and one-quarter in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago felt that tourism did not benefit their communities. RECOMMENDATION In view of this finding there is a need to undertake regular surveys (perhaps every two years) of the general attitudes of residents toward tourism. It is important that this be done systematically and professionally by government in order to track changes among the public, using the same or a similar instrument in this study. Positive views can change to negative or apathetic ones quickly. Knowing how the public feel about the impact and relevance of the industry is vital to tailoring appropriate educational and/or ameliorative programmes to ensure the sustainability of the industry. Again, this finding shows the importance of knowing how the public perceive the industry. The finding indicates that there are a number of serious reservations about the industry, which need to be addressed via public policy and/or education. Knowing what the perceived problems are allows for informed and appropriate public policy responses. For example, if indeed from an empirical standpoint tourists do in fact pay their fair share for using public services then there might be the need to educate members of the public about this matter. Intense negative feelings could result in resentment and ultimately disruption of the industry in the long run. 3 The general attitudes regarding the social impact of tourism were much This is an important finding that could be used to assist in encouraging investors and 8-1

59 more positive than negative for all three countries. Economic development and employment, and greater foreign exchange earnings were the most commonly identified benefits of tourism among the three countries. In Barbados, international exposure and better infrastructure were also identified as additional benefits. In St Lucia, more hotels were seen as an additional benefit. In Trinidad and Tobago, community development was also identified. promoting the industry locally. However, a similar finding from a series of surveys over a longer period of time is better than a single cross-sectional survey. 4 In all three countries, especially in Trinidad and Tobago, there was strong support for further tourism development. The majority of respondents in all three countries shared the view that the net positives of increased tourism outweighed the net negatives. 5 Increased crime and high cost of living were the most common problems to all three countries. In Barbados, many were concerned about the high cost of land and health problems. In St Lucia, they were also concerned with access to the beaches and lack of attention to other industries. In Trinidad and Tobago, they expressed concern about the high cost of real estate and lack of local access to facilities for tourists. This is an important finding in relation to a case for future investment in the industry. There has been some opposition to the expansion of the industry in many countries of the Caribbean. Evidence of public support for expansion should make it easier for policy makers and investors to undertake the expansion of the industry. However, it may be useful to poll residents on the type, scope and pace of investments in order to garner community support for such and avoid investments that may alienate the resident population. It is important that policy makers use the findings from the study in order to address the concerns that have been identified by the respondents. The social problems identified are serious and have the potential to escalate, thereby negatively impacting on future developments in the tourism sector. The essential conclusion from the exercise is that regular attitudinal surveys should be an integral part of research and public relations management in all national tourism offices in the region. The Bahamas has been conducting attitudinal surveys since 1996 with the result that they now know much more about Bahamians and residents views and perceptions of the vital tourism industry. This has helped to shape national tourism 8-2