Tourism Intelligence International Inc. completed a Tourism Strategy for Montserrat.
Following a comprehensive tour, by the consultants who completed many one on one sessions, facilitated a stakeholders’ workshop in February, they submitted a draft to which comments were sought to be used to create the best path forward for Montserrat Tourism. A strategy was written and approved in early April after a deadline for submission of comments by March 11, 2019.
Here is a brief report of how the workshop in February progressed.
In the course of the February 14, 2019 Montserrat Tourism Strategy Workshop, Dr. Auliana Poon raised the questions, Montserrat’s vision 2050 and Montserrat’s uniqueness. Participants were invited to write on small strips of paper which were then posted on wall charts.
In trying to summarise Montserrat’s uniqueness, participants suggested:
- Hassle free living
- Strangers paradise
- The Montserrat Oriole and Galliwasp
- The active/living beautiful volcano
- The volcano experience
- Buried city
- Clean, reliable water
- Nature lovers’ paradise
- Traditions
- Safety/negligible or low crime rate
- Lowest crime rate regionally
- Dark skies at night for stargasing
- Our collective experience in our specific environment (thus, history, culture, volcano impact)
- It is the way the Caribbean used to be
- Friendly people
- Close-knit
- Tradition
- Peaceful
- 50 shades of green
- Pristine
- Very easygoing lives
- Getting here is an achievement
- Tranquil
- Culture and festival diverse
- No traffic (issues)
- Natural spring water
- Exclusive black sand
The gist of these themes suggests that our key tourism and development assets are tied to our natural and cultural heritage, with particular reference to tranquility, peacefulness, friendliness greenness and the spiciness of a drive-in active volcano experience. At the same time, it was clear that it was a struggle for some participants to see the volcano as a value driver. Perhaps, also, we need to ponder to what extent we suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders, even in the midst of celebrating resilience.
In this context, Dr Poon’s other question on where we hope to be in just thirty-one years’ time, opens up another window on ourselves. In other words, if we now are how the Caribbean used to be, where do we want to go in the next generation?
Participants suggested:
- Innovative
- Pristine
- Vibrant
- The way the Caribbean used to be
- Green, tranquil, inclusive and safe
- Clean, green connected and beautiful
- Clean, green and self-sustaining
- Water, black sand, friendly people
- Alive
- Sustainable 100%
- Carbon neutral
- Crime free
- Developed
- Viable
- Booming
- Family friendly
- Connected, green, thriving
- Dynamic tourism industry
- Competitively involved
- Fulfill the National Vision (buoyant, inclusive, prosperous, God-fearing)
- Wholesome, sustainable
- Crime-free, God-fearing
- Sustainably developed
- Efficient
- Economically efficient
- Green, evolving and receptive
- Highly valued
Here, we may see that there is a desire to keep the best of what we have and to gain self-sustaining prosperity in a green, wholesome, beautiful, God-fearing way.
Now see the completed strategy here:
http://www.gov.ms/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-03-29-Montserrat-Tourism-Strategy-2019-2022.pdf?
