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CTF
at Green Expo
3rd September, 2003
By Christine Skeete
The Community
Tourism Foundation
(CTF)
plans to use Green Expo
2003 as an opportunity to showcase innovative methods of using
elements of our natural environment to enhance Barbados
tourism product. The Foundation invites one and all to visit
the display of crafts such as bamboo cups, handpainted shak
shaks and other souvenirs that incorporate indigenous
materials that are commonly found around the island.
Visitors to
the booth will also learn about a local agro-tourism project
that has received funding from the CTF. The project entitled
“Youth and Agro-Eco Tourism” is facilitating the cultivation
of land in Marchfield, St. Philip by eight young people, with
training provided by the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN).
The produce is marketed to the private sector, particularly
tourism-related businesses such as hotels.
The CTF is
featuring these eco-tourism enterprises as examples of the
range of possibilities that exist in this niche market. It is
hoped that the crafts and project will encourage others to
consider developing new eco-tourism initiatives.
Founded in
December 2000, the Community Tourism Foundation is a
charitable organisation that partners with the tourism sector
to improve communities through the application of
self-development, enterprise and educational projects that
develop the skills and knowledge of underprivileged
individuals.
The CTF’s
programmes include the Community Innovations Fund, through
which financial assistance is given to community groups to
implement projects like “Youth and Agro-Eco Tourism”, as well
as scholarships that cover the cost of books, uniforms and
other incidentals associated with courses at the Hospitality
Institute of the Barbados Community College.
These types
of programmes work to integrate tourism and communities in
meaningful and practical ways. The CTF views its initiatives
as a vehicle for individuals and communities to develop
sustainable livelihoods.
To this
end, the Foundation has developed a concept of the Community
Craft Expo to give small craft persons direct access to the
visitor market. The flagship expo was set up during the last
winter tourist season at Highland Adventure Centre, which is a
regular stop on island tours for cruise passengers. It has
therefore been an ideal place for artisans to get the
penetration they need into this market.
The CTF
frequently collaborates with other groups in order to reach a
wider cross-section of beneficiaries. The Foundation has
donated computers to the Deacon’s Development Council to equip
low-income people with information technology skills, and
recently partnered with the Optimist Sunshine Club of St.
Michael to host a free annual Personal Development Camp during
the just-concluded summer vacation. Students received
guidance in areas ranging from improved self-esteem to job
preparation.
The CTF’s
programmes are geared towards unemployed young persons from
low-income communities, workers in the tourism sector, single
parents, emerging community entrepreneurs, tourism-related
groups and clubs, and service organisations that work with
disadvantaged people.
The
Community Tourism Foundation is supported by the
Inter-American Foundation and Oxfam Great Britain, and its
local partners include the Caribbean Policy Development
Centre, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, Bridgetown
Cruise Terminals Inc., the Ministry of Social Transformation,
the Ministry of Tourism and Pinelands Creative
Workshop.
The CTF
functions to mobilise resources from the tourism industry to
invest in low-income communities and disadvantaged groups. It
aims to stimulate the participation of the tourism sector in
community development by providing an appropriate and visible
structure through which social investments can have the
greatest possible impact.
(Published in the Daily Nation – Thursday, September 11, 2003)
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