Image: Planet 4 People

Preserving Cultural Heritage through tourism

“ExpandingThe Socio-Economic Potential of Cultural Heritage in the Caribbean” – Organization of American States

Planet4People was invited by COHERIT to take part in the Sustainable Heritage Endorsement Programme supported by the Organization of American States and implemented in the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, with Haiti participating as an observer.

This project seeks to address four main challenges to the sharing of equitable and lasting benefits to the people of the region from their cultural heritage resources:

  •  Concentration of tourism in resorts and densely settled areas, bypassing the landmarks and culture of rural areas and large segments of the population.
  •  “Generic” souvenirs and performances that do not adequately or respecaully represent the diversity of local craftss, foods, artistic expression, and local knowledge.
  •  Restricted access to the tourism market for local practitioners, small businesses, and marginalized communities.
  • Loss of local skills and traditions due to insufficient financial returns and a consequent failure of intergenerational transmission.

The role of Planet4People was to develop the criteria that would serve as guidelines for the tourism industry and the destinations to implement practices that respect and preserve the cultural heritage of the region.  In addition P4P participated in the Granada Workshop to lead the discussion of the contribution that sustainable tourism can make to poverty alleviation and cultural preservation, if done in the right context.

Goals
  • Sharing of heritage skills
  • Development of tools to improve regional capactiy to protect and promote cultural heritage in the Caribbean
  • Regulate the  management of cultural activities in tourism.
Client
COHERIT and OAS
Category
Country of Project
Grenada
Expected Outcome
  • A set of criteria to protect and preserve cultural heritage in tourism activities.
  • A set of tools to build regional capacity.
  • A workshop to discuss the criteria and the tools and reach a consensus.

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