Ena Harvey called for more integration between the farming sector and tourism. “Tourism is the only market that pays to come to us,” she said at the opening of the Agri Tourism Conference in St. Kitts. She highlighted that a recent World Travel Market survey of British tourists showed that 62% of travelers shunned glamorous foreign restaurants and want authentic experience with real people. She added that food tourism would follow in the footsteps of the development and popularizing of ecotourism throughout the world.
Samuel Powell of Nevis spoke of farmers’ integration with the Four Seasons hotel in Nevis and Eustace Vitalis of Sandals in St. Lucia for the benefit of both community and tourists. Their success has led to more diversification for farmers.
Rosemary Parkinson, author of Culinaria Caribbean book, highlighted that Caribbean cuisine is in fashion in the United States, but taken for granted in the Caribbean, where world cuisines are served to tourists. She advocated that efforts be made to encourage food suppliers to airlines to develop Caribbean food meals to be served on board planes traveling to the Caribbean.
Harvey said that the focus needs to be on integrating local communities to food tourism. She highlighted that carnival works because it is the people’s festival. Carnival, she said, was an event where “we tell the tourists to come and join us”.
Denzel Phillips stressed that agrotourism is a new paradigm for the Caribbean. He said that there was a need to make farmers into hoteliers; fishermen into cruise operators; forest wardens into tourist guides; processing plants into museums; research centers into business; and gardens into learning and entertainment centers. Foremost he said there is a need to turn tourists into farmers. Phillips urged the Caribbean to join the trend towards herbal tourism that requires a new way of thinking.