Tourism

Vacation or Exploitation?

Your Vacation

A tropical destination...

A breathtaking location…

This place is like a dream…

Vacation

Vacation

VacationOr…

Exploitation?

While many Caribbean countries count on tourism for

economic growth, tourism’s effects can leave lasting

impressions on the locals’ lives

Think about it

Many Caribbean resorts offer all-inclusive packages, creating a situation in which the locals have virtually

no market to sell their products in

The tourists, many times, never see the local market because of these all inclusive resorts. They have no

reason to go into the local villages

The locals, who have spent days on their crafts, are not making the money they need to live

Most of the products that the country produces, if not exported, are used to fuel the tourist

economy

Not to benefit the country’s own people

Your vacation

Their Exploitation

After failed attempts by the Spanish and the English to colonize Jamaica, the country was left to dig its way out of the

economic hole the colonizers had dug.

After gaining independence in 1962, Jamaica tried to do what it could to turn the country around.

Jamaica is one of the most visited and

impoverished countries in the

Caribbean

In the late 1970s, the Jamaican government was forced to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF),

for help with balance-of-payment assistance, due to a failing economy and dwindling international reserves

The Jamaican government agreed to an IMF stabilization program in which the IMF agreed to

make a loan to Jamaica

This loan required the government to institutionalize a wage freeze and undertake a

large currency devaluation

The US dollar is now equivalent to 60 Jamaican dollars.

$1 = $60

The Jamaican people are still hurting, tourism is not

helping the local economy the way officials say it is.

The wealth is staying in a concentrated industry and is not being used for structural and

institutional repair in the country

Yes, You!

You can help make a difference

Volunteer

Volunteers are need in areas were tourism is not a contributing factor to the community’s economy

Especially where agriculture is the main resource, volunteers are needed to help these people toward a

better future for their communities.

Visit http://www.volunteerabroad.com for more information about volunteering in Jamaica

Teach

There are many opportunities to teach in Jamaica as well as other developing and under-developed countries

Teaching is a great way to experience other cultures while making a positive impact

Visit http://www.oxfordseminars.com for more information about teaching in Jamaica

We can all play a part in helping

If you can’t afford to go to Jamaica or another Caribbean country you can still help by

spreading the word out about tourism and it’s possible

effects on the locals

You can donate money as well

To donate and find out what other ways you can help, visit http://www.helpjamaica.org

We can help

Stay informed

http://laceyjwhite.blogspot.com/

Special Thanks To:• http://www.helpjamaica.org

• http://www.oxfordseminars.com

• http://www.volunteerabroad.com/Jamaica.cfm

• http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=12349

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE_2exvgwp4&feature=player_embedded#!

• http://www.vidoemo.com/yvideo.php?i=bUNPN0xocWuRpZm5zUlU&impact-of-tourism-on-jamaica

• http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Jamaica-HISTORY.html