Jamaica pushing for its share of faith-based tourism market
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica is actively working to enhance the country's offering to faith-based tourism travellers, a market which has seen significant growth in recent times.
Bartlett said a faith-based tourism committee has already been established, and will have among its objectives, promoting Jamaica to the target group, showcasing the island as the gospel music capital of the world, as well as encouraging the development of attractions that will meet the demands of this target group.
According to the tourism minister, the committee has identified a number of projects to work on which include the possibilities of establishing a religious theme park, developing a faith-based map of Jamaica and promoting faith-based cruises to Jamaica.
"Last week we had a major meeting with the faith-based tourism team who will be driving that niche in tourism which provides the greatest opportunity for the small and medium-sized tourism entities," Bartlett said as he addressed the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Job creation awards ceremony at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston Wednesday.
Goodyear Jamaica Limited was given the PSOJ award for a company in operation for more than 40 years, while Adam and Eve Spa received the Small Business Award.
Bartlett told the private sector leaders that religious travel and hospitality is today a dynamic US$18-billion global industry, attracting more than 300 million travellers, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA).
"The Travel Industry Association of America also reported last November that one in four travellers is currently interested in "spiritual vacations. The appeal spans the ages with approximately one third of each age group 18-34, 35-54, and over 55, expressing interest in taking such a vacation," Bartlett said.
The Jamaican tourism minister said that since 2005 there has been an increase of 38.2 per cent of young urban professionals holding "spiritual trips" in various Caribbean destination, with the average cost for a four-day/three-night faith-based trip being US$2,500.
Though the rise in demand for religious travel may have eluded most of mainstream marketers, Bartlett said it is clearly part of a larger trend toward more interest in religious products of all sorts. "Greeting Card giant Hallmark, for example, reports that the market for Christian products is $8.5 billion in 2006, up from $4.2 billion in 2004," he said.
Bartlett said such travellers will not only come to Jamaica for entertainment and fun but are large groups of volunteers who spend many weeks doing charity work, building schools, refurbishing community centres and administering to the sick.
Jamaica, he said, has been a member of the Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA) for more than 17 years.
This 3,402-member organisation is the premier association in the United States for planners of religious conferences and is responsible for 17,000 meetings annually, totalling 14.7 million participants.
Statistics show that of this number, 15,047 were held outside the US last year, with 11 per cent using resort hotels while the vast majority used community facilities.
Bartlett said the Jamaica Tourist Board has a growing database of religious meeting planners which include some 500 faith-based planners from the US and Canada.
"We work in close liaison with each group coming to Jamaica to make the planning seamless and the visit both productive and enjoyable," he said, adding that they were also now designing special packages to include visits to places of worship in Kingston.
He pointed to the recent visit from Pastor Miles McPherson and his group of 300 for the Miles Ahead Programme.
He said their work in Montego Bay was part of "Best Dressed 50Fest", a multi-event outreach and celebration involving 10 days of ministry, six days of festival events, in three areas - Mandeville, Montego Bay, and Kingston.
May 29, 2008
Faith-based tourism to boost small businesses, says Jamaican minister
Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com
Faith-based tourism to boost small businesses, says Jamaican minister
Published on Thursday, May 29, 2008
Website link: http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/article.php?news_id=8174
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS): Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett has pointed out that the faith-based tourism sector, which the island is in the process of developing, will provide the greatest opportunity for small and medium sized enterprises (SME), and properties.
"It is not only that they are coming for entertainment and fun but there are large group of volunteers who spend many weeks in doing charity work, building schools, refurbishing community centres, administering to the sick and to the weak. It is an area for bed and breakfast and for the small micro enterprises within the tourism sector," he stated while speaking at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's job creation awards ceremony held on Wednesday.
Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett (left), engages in a light discussion with Robert McMillan, Consul of Ireland. Looking on is Diana McIntyre-Pike, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Country style Community Tourism Network. JIS Photo
Bartlett said that faith-based tourism is a huge market of some US$400 billion in value within the United States and it brings together more than 2,700 conventions and meetings throughout the year.
In addition the minister said in supporting various initiatives for growth, the government was committed to a sustainable tourism and natural developmental objectives which keep in sharp focus environmental protection, broadening economic activity, and local empowerment.
Meanwhile, Bartlett said that over the next five to ten years the tourism industry will need some 58,000 additional employees.
"The ability of tourism to generate employment is well established, the current challenge is to quickly and substantially enlarge the pool of highly skilled efficient and competent persons available to meet the demands of the new tourism for Jamaica and the new market place," Bartlett said.
He added that the government will be moving to provide training for some 15,000 new hospitality students over the next five years. Bartlett also noted that a new school of hospitality will be built in Montego Bay by the end of 2009.
"This will provide an opportunity for the middle layer - the sous-chefs and beyond - in the industry. I am determined under my watch to have the tourism industry managed and run by Jamaicans for Jamaicans," Bartlett said.
caribbeannetnews.com
Faith-based tourism to boost small businesses, says Jamaican minister
Published on Thursday, May 29, 2008
Website link: http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/article.php?news_id=8174
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS): Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett has pointed out that the faith-based tourism sector, which the island is in the process of developing, will provide the greatest opportunity for small and medium sized enterprises (SME), and properties.
"It is not only that they are coming for entertainment and fun but there are large group of volunteers who spend many weeks in doing charity work, building schools, refurbishing community centres, administering to the sick and to the weak. It is an area for bed and breakfast and for the small micro enterprises within the tourism sector," he stated while speaking at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's job creation awards ceremony held on Wednesday.
Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett (left), engages in a light discussion with Robert McMillan, Consul of Ireland. Looking on is Diana McIntyre-Pike, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Country style Community Tourism Network. JIS Photo
Bartlett said that faith-based tourism is a huge market of some US$400 billion in value within the United States and it brings together more than 2,700 conventions and meetings throughout the year.
In addition the minister said in supporting various initiatives for growth, the government was committed to a sustainable tourism and natural developmental objectives which keep in sharp focus environmental protection, broadening economic activity, and local empowerment.
Meanwhile, Bartlett said that over the next five to ten years the tourism industry will need some 58,000 additional employees.
"The ability of tourism to generate employment is well established, the current challenge is to quickly and substantially enlarge the pool of highly skilled efficient and competent persons available to meet the demands of the new tourism for Jamaica and the new market place," Bartlett said.
He added that the government will be moving to provide training for some 15,000 new hospitality students over the next five years. Bartlett also noted that a new school of hospitality will be built in Montego Bay by the end of 2009.
"This will provide an opportunity for the middle layer - the sous-chefs and beyond - in the industry. I am determined under my watch to have the tourism industry managed and run by Jamaicans for Jamaicans," Bartlett said.
St. Maarten a terrific candidate for tapping faith tourism market
St. Maarten a terrific candidate for tapping faith tourism market
By Judy H. Fitzpatrick and Hazel Durand
The Daily Herald, St. Maarten
http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/l010/faith010.html
May 28, 2008
PHILIPSBURG - St. Maarten may be only sixteen square miles, but its varied facilities, natural Caribbean setting, strategic location and cultural and religious diversity make it a prime candidate for faith tourism, a multibillion-dollar industry beckoning to be exploited.
With the pressure to find new niche markets to keep tourists flowing to the Caribbean region mounting under the weight of the spiralling fuel and food prices globally, several local stakeholders and faith-based organisations have expressed willingness to go after this fast-growing market.
The International Conference on Religious Tourism tags the worldwide faith tourism segment of the industry at US $18 billion, with religious tourists from North America, where St. Maarten spends much of its marketing dollars, accounting for $10 billion of that amount.
US-based publication The Christian Post has said that now more than ever before, churches are beginning to recognise travel as ministry - an opportunity to experience faith, fellowship and fun, while exploring the world. World Religious Travel Association President Kevin J. Wright is numbered amongst that enlightened group. He said the faith tourism market provided a good opportunity for the Caribbean and the region should position itself to tap it.
"Let the (faith communities) know that you exist and let the travel industry know that you are open to faith tourism," Wright told participants at the just-ended Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) in Puerto Rico attended by close to 100 journalists, editors and industry experts.
Wright, also Chairman of the World Religious Travel Expo, said the faith-based market was no longer a seniors-only small-budget market of people solely interested in pilgrimage. The "new era" in faith tourism, he stressed, represents people of all ages who are looking for multi-vacation experiences and quality products and services.
Willingness
Representatives of several faith-based organisations here believe that St. Maarten is an ideal destination for attracting religious tourism and are willing to do their part to promote it.
Some argue that while St. Maarten may not have religious shrines for pilgrimages, with 104 different nationalities residing here, people from just about every religion can be found in "The Friendly Island." At last week's St. Maarten Community Service outreach programme, for example, it was found that there are 83 Christian churches in St. Maarten.
Some also contend that the newly constructed St. Maarten Festival Village, which can accommodate thousands of people, and which has undergone a remarkable transformation and now features about 80 food booths, a huge stage and improved washroom and other facilities, is a good location for hosting large conventions.
The Festival Village, coupled with the growing number of hotel rooms and St. Maarten's strategic geographic location and airlift ease, adds to the island's allure to the religious travel market.
Many religious groups have already been engaged in activities that attract faith-based travellers without even realising it. For example, many people from neighbouring islands flew in to attend the crusade of televangelist Benny Hinn when it was held here a few years ago.
Also, the just-ended second annual St. Maarten Believers Convention attracted close to 1,500 people, about 10 per cent of whom flew in from abroad, St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation President Wycliffe Smith estimates.
He said that although it hadn't been thought of when the event was conceived, its potential to attract overseas-based religious persons was in keeping with the organisers' goal of "growing" the event. He also spoke of other Christian-organised events that had the potential to attract people from abroad to worship and minister, and to enjoy what the island has to offer.
The Hindu population here has also organised small spiritual camps and other events from time to time, some of which attract overseas-based Indians, explained Hindu spiritual leader Anita Advani who has resided here for many years. One such camp, which featured Indian spiritual leader J.P. Raswani as a guest speaker, attracted about 100 persons, including some from abroad.
Advani said that although St. Maarten had lost out on the niche market for Hindu weddings when the visa requirement for Indians was introduced some time ago, faith tourism was another market that could be capitalised on. St. Maarten, she noted, has "nice hotels" and a large number of Indian restaurants that can appeal to Hindu and other religious tourists.
Since its establishment, the local chapter of Buddhist compassion relief organisation Tzu Chi Foundation has also organised events that attracted large crowds. In 2005, for example, a group of Buddhists from the US visited the island for fellowship purposes as well as to immerse themselves in the island's culture and history.
The Foundation has long-term plans to organise conferences and camps that can attract Buddhists from abroad, said President Sandra Cheung.
Bishop Sam of Thy Kingdom Come Ministries, like Cheung, said St. Maarten had a golden opportunity to become a model for this type of tourism in the region. Sam went a step further, saying faith tourism could help to reignite the island's friendly nature and attract a more "holistic" set of visitors to the island, something he said would be "wholesome" for the destination.
Pastor Lewis Constant of Christ Triumph Church said the island should "explore every avenue," including religious tourism, that could boost its tourism industry.
"The strong faith of our people combined with natural beauty and the many different nations represented here make St. Maarten a perfect place to gather in small and large groups to celebrate one's faith, which is what religious tourism is all about," Lewis explained. Despite the slowdown of the US economy, the large number of Americans interested in religious travel presents a tremendous opportunity for St. Maarten, he said.
Sister Devki Ramsahai of the local chapter of the Brama Kumaris World Spiritual University concurs: "Talking about God in the Caribbean is so easy because nature has a soothing effect on people's minds. We have warm, open and hospitable people and our culture and environment are good to develop faith tourism."
Faith what?
But while some are willing to get on board the faith tourism bandwagon, some have never heard of the concept and are unsure how they can contribute. When approached for their views, Pastor Ludwig Hodge and Iman Yakubu Mohammed said they were not familiar with the concept.
Mohammed said that although the 500- to 600-strong Muslim community here had not organised any huge religious events that could attract overseas religious travellers in recent history, many Muslims here were involved in businesses that catered to the tourism industry. He said too that the mosque in Cay Hill was open to the public and religious Muslim and other travellers also could make use of this facility for prayers when here. While he is unfamiliar with the concept, Hodge said, "All things are possible once God is in it," and religious tourism would work if pursued with faith.
Improvements
While all agree that St. Maarten can position itself as a faith-based destination, Smith said that even with the refurbished Festival Village, there was need for additional facilities to accommodate the sort of huge crowds that large-scale faith conventions could attract.
He also underscored the need for infrastructural improvements and the need for less expensive accommodation. He noted that there had been occasions when religious travellers had had to stay in "makeshift places" because of the high cost of accommodation here.
However, Tourism Commissioner Roy Marlin said the island's hotel inventory included many small hotels that offered economical accommodation to visitors on low budgets.
On the plus side, Smith said the Ministerial Foundation was willing to work along with authorities to help promote the island as a faith-based destination if a firm commitment was made to do so.
Marketing
Cognisant of the potential of this industry, local tourism officials are willing to back it. Marlin, like Tourism Director Regina LaBega who attended the CMEx exchange, contended that local faith-based groups were already tapping this niche through conferences and other events that attracted overseas visitors, many of whom also capitalised on the opportunity to be immersed in the St. Marten hospitality, culture and cuisine.
LaBega said though that more specific marketing strategies could and would be used to promote St. Maarten as a faith-based tourism destination, if the benefits were clearly established. She said all hands would have to be on deck to guard against a repetition of a previous experience that had resulted in the shelving of a proposal to attract religious travellers after local religious groups had protested.
Marlin said several activities could be added to the island's calendar of events to tap the market. This can be done in such a way that it "fills in" for the low numbers recorded in the off season. "I think it's something that can be pursued, but it will need proper planning and possibly involve a team of persons in the ministry and tourism officials," he said.
St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) President Emil Lee said the idea of "developing faith tourism solely for the purpose of tourism seems wrong." He believes that the best way to make St. Maarten an attractive destination to visit is to make it a more attractive place to live.
"We shouldn't modify our beliefs or culture just to attract more visitors. As a matter of fact, more and more tourists are looking for an authentic experience. If it turns out that there is a demand to visit St. Maarten for reasons of faith, naturally, SHTA will assist in whatever way possible to make visiting the island easy and enjoyable."
As the Island Territory ponders its faith tourism prospects, preparations are in full swing for the first international travel convention in faith tourism expo in Orlando, Florida, in October-November. It will provide an opportunity for destinations like St. Maarten to further explore their prospects in this alluring niche market that beckons those of good faith.
By Judy H. Fitzpatrick and Hazel Durand
The Daily Herald, St. Maarten
http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/l010/faith010.html
May 28, 2008
PHILIPSBURG - St. Maarten may be only sixteen square miles, but its varied facilities, natural Caribbean setting, strategic location and cultural and religious diversity make it a prime candidate for faith tourism, a multibillion-dollar industry beckoning to be exploited.
With the pressure to find new niche markets to keep tourists flowing to the Caribbean region mounting under the weight of the spiralling fuel and food prices globally, several local stakeholders and faith-based organisations have expressed willingness to go after this fast-growing market.
The International Conference on Religious Tourism tags the worldwide faith tourism segment of the industry at US $18 billion, with religious tourists from North America, where St. Maarten spends much of its marketing dollars, accounting for $10 billion of that amount.
US-based publication The Christian Post has said that now more than ever before, churches are beginning to recognise travel as ministry - an opportunity to experience faith, fellowship and fun, while exploring the world. World Religious Travel Association President Kevin J. Wright is numbered amongst that enlightened group. He said the faith tourism market provided a good opportunity for the Caribbean and the region should position itself to tap it.
"Let the (faith communities) know that you exist and let the travel industry know that you are open to faith tourism," Wright told participants at the just-ended Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) in Puerto Rico attended by close to 100 journalists, editors and industry experts.
Wright, also Chairman of the World Religious Travel Expo, said the faith-based market was no longer a seniors-only small-budget market of people solely interested in pilgrimage. The "new era" in faith tourism, he stressed, represents people of all ages who are looking for multi-vacation experiences and quality products and services.
Willingness
Representatives of several faith-based organisations here believe that St. Maarten is an ideal destination for attracting religious tourism and are willing to do their part to promote it.
Some argue that while St. Maarten may not have religious shrines for pilgrimages, with 104 different nationalities residing here, people from just about every religion can be found in "The Friendly Island." At last week's St. Maarten Community Service outreach programme, for example, it was found that there are 83 Christian churches in St. Maarten.
Some also contend that the newly constructed St. Maarten Festival Village, which can accommodate thousands of people, and which has undergone a remarkable transformation and now features about 80 food booths, a huge stage and improved washroom and other facilities, is a good location for hosting large conventions.
The Festival Village, coupled with the growing number of hotel rooms and St. Maarten's strategic geographic location and airlift ease, adds to the island's allure to the religious travel market.
Many religious groups have already been engaged in activities that attract faith-based travellers without even realising it. For example, many people from neighbouring islands flew in to attend the crusade of televangelist Benny Hinn when it was held here a few years ago.
Also, the just-ended second annual St. Maarten Believers Convention attracted close to 1,500 people, about 10 per cent of whom flew in from abroad, St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation President Wycliffe Smith estimates.
He said that although it hadn't been thought of when the event was conceived, its potential to attract overseas-based religious persons was in keeping with the organisers' goal of "growing" the event. He also spoke of other Christian-organised events that had the potential to attract people from abroad to worship and minister, and to enjoy what the island has to offer.
The Hindu population here has also organised small spiritual camps and other events from time to time, some of which attract overseas-based Indians, explained Hindu spiritual leader Anita Advani who has resided here for many years. One such camp, which featured Indian spiritual leader J.P. Raswani as a guest speaker, attracted about 100 persons, including some from abroad.
Advani said that although St. Maarten had lost out on the niche market for Hindu weddings when the visa requirement for Indians was introduced some time ago, faith tourism was another market that could be capitalised on. St. Maarten, she noted, has "nice hotels" and a large number of Indian restaurants that can appeal to Hindu and other religious tourists.
Since its establishment, the local chapter of Buddhist compassion relief organisation Tzu Chi Foundation has also organised events that attracted large crowds. In 2005, for example, a group of Buddhists from the US visited the island for fellowship purposes as well as to immerse themselves in the island's culture and history.
The Foundation has long-term plans to organise conferences and camps that can attract Buddhists from abroad, said President Sandra Cheung.
Bishop Sam of Thy Kingdom Come Ministries, like Cheung, said St. Maarten had a golden opportunity to become a model for this type of tourism in the region. Sam went a step further, saying faith tourism could help to reignite the island's friendly nature and attract a more "holistic" set of visitors to the island, something he said would be "wholesome" for the destination.
Pastor Lewis Constant of Christ Triumph Church said the island should "explore every avenue," including religious tourism, that could boost its tourism industry.
"The strong faith of our people combined with natural beauty and the many different nations represented here make St. Maarten a perfect place to gather in small and large groups to celebrate one's faith, which is what religious tourism is all about," Lewis explained. Despite the slowdown of the US economy, the large number of Americans interested in religious travel presents a tremendous opportunity for St. Maarten, he said.
Sister Devki Ramsahai of the local chapter of the Brama Kumaris World Spiritual University concurs: "Talking about God in the Caribbean is so easy because nature has a soothing effect on people's minds. We have warm, open and hospitable people and our culture and environment are good to develop faith tourism."
Faith what?
But while some are willing to get on board the faith tourism bandwagon, some have never heard of the concept and are unsure how they can contribute. When approached for their views, Pastor Ludwig Hodge and Iman Yakubu Mohammed said they were not familiar with the concept.
Mohammed said that although the 500- to 600-strong Muslim community here had not organised any huge religious events that could attract overseas religious travellers in recent history, many Muslims here were involved in businesses that catered to the tourism industry. He said too that the mosque in Cay Hill was open to the public and religious Muslim and other travellers also could make use of this facility for prayers when here. While he is unfamiliar with the concept, Hodge said, "All things are possible once God is in it," and religious tourism would work if pursued with faith.
Improvements
While all agree that St. Maarten can position itself as a faith-based destination, Smith said that even with the refurbished Festival Village, there was need for additional facilities to accommodate the sort of huge crowds that large-scale faith conventions could attract.
He also underscored the need for infrastructural improvements and the need for less expensive accommodation. He noted that there had been occasions when religious travellers had had to stay in "makeshift places" because of the high cost of accommodation here.
However, Tourism Commissioner Roy Marlin said the island's hotel inventory included many small hotels that offered economical accommodation to visitors on low budgets.
On the plus side, Smith said the Ministerial Foundation was willing to work along with authorities to help promote the island as a faith-based destination if a firm commitment was made to do so.
Marketing
Cognisant of the potential of this industry, local tourism officials are willing to back it. Marlin, like Tourism Director Regina LaBega who attended the CMEx exchange, contended that local faith-based groups were already tapping this niche through conferences and other events that attracted overseas visitors, many of whom also capitalised on the opportunity to be immersed in the St. Marten hospitality, culture and cuisine.
LaBega said though that more specific marketing strategies could and would be used to promote St. Maarten as a faith-based tourism destination, if the benefits were clearly established. She said all hands would have to be on deck to guard against a repetition of a previous experience that had resulted in the shelving of a proposal to attract religious travellers after local religious groups had protested.
Marlin said several activities could be added to the island's calendar of events to tap the market. This can be done in such a way that it "fills in" for the low numbers recorded in the off season. "I think it's something that can be pursued, but it will need proper planning and possibly involve a team of persons in the ministry and tourism officials," he said.
St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) President Emil Lee said the idea of "developing faith tourism solely for the purpose of tourism seems wrong." He believes that the best way to make St. Maarten an attractive destination to visit is to make it a more attractive place to live.
"We shouldn't modify our beliefs or culture just to attract more visitors. As a matter of fact, more and more tourists are looking for an authentic experience. If it turns out that there is a demand to visit St. Maarten for reasons of faith, naturally, SHTA will assist in whatever way possible to make visiting the island easy and enjoyable."
As the Island Territory ponders its faith tourism prospects, preparations are in full swing for the first international travel convention in faith tourism expo in Orlando, Florida, in October-November. It will provide an opportunity for destinations like St. Maarten to further explore their prospects in this alluring niche market that beckons those of good faith.
May 26, 2008
Faith Tourism at work in Jamaica
Faith Tourism at work in Jamaica
Website article link: http://www.southfloridacaribbeannews.com/story.asp?ID=3731
By Bevan Springer
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - I have written about the impact of Diaspora-centered tourism for several years - this week in Jamaica I was honored to witness the powerful intersection of both faith and Diaspora tourism.
Imagine the kind of economic impact that the almost 300 volunteers from the youth-focused Miles Ahead organisation had on the western Caribbean island during this past week - www.milesahead.tv.
The volunteers, led by former NFL player Pastor Miles McPherson, who has family ties to the island, stayed in Jamaica for more than a week at the Rose Hall Resort.
During the day, these multicultural volunteers hit the streets, had lunch with the local communities and gave of their time and talent to a number of community projects on the island.
For months they identified the needs of the communities they were serving, they raised funds, organised their ministry efforts, built their teams, sourced materials and equipment, and prayed one for the other as they boarded flights, including national carrier Air Jamaica, to be of service to the people of Jamaica.
Medical experts brought to the island some US$5 million worth of medical equipment, supplies and health care which were administered free of charge at several clinics on the north shore.
Even I took advantage of some medical counsel from one of the doctors on hand, as some of America's top rated medical professionals attired in their medical garb met the needs of patients in the areas of dentistry, internal medicine, optometry, orthopedics, pediatrics, and women's medicine.
Hundreds lined up early each morning to see doctors and nurses to receive treatment for ailments that ranged from the common cold to sexually transmitted diseases.
The impact of this particular ministry will be felt long after the Miles Ahead team returns to their 10,000-strong Rock Church home in San Diego as they leave expensive medical equipment and pharmaceuticals in the hands of the local health authorities to carry on the good work.
But there was more, the trip was not just a medical mission. Volunteers, including former professional NBA and NFL players, including Zack Jones formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets, teamed with local sporting heroes like Paul "Tegat" Davis and Warren Barrett to hold clinics in soccer, volleyball, basketball, netball and strength building.
It was an inspiring opportunity for both the youth and the pros as they laughed and played together. The youth were inspired by the experts, and the experts inspired by the abundance of talent on the island. "The talent among the youth here is tremendous and we should encourage these young people to pursue athletic scholarships in the United States and beyond," said Jones, who counseled that "while they develop their academic skills in school they should also discipline themselves on the courts and the playing fields."
Miles Ahead traveled to Jamaica as part of the Jamaica Broilers Group's 50th anniversary celebrations and three major family-oriented festivals, under the Best Dressed 50 Fest banner, presented in Mandeville, Montego Bay and Kingston. By Sunday morning, Pastor Miles McPherson would have delivered two messages of hope as part of the events which also featured international evangelists Andrew and Luis Palau.
In partnership with the local community, the Miles Ahead team built a 400-foot long, 10-foot-high wall and fence around Farm Primary and Junior High School to provide safety and security to its 900-student campus in Farm Heights. They also renovated the girls' and boys' lavatories which brings dignity to the children.
Other activities included deaf education workshops, school assemblies and efforts aimed to restore local elementary schools. More importantly, Miles Ahead worshipped with Jamaicans at local churches and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ while on the island.
The Jamaica visit this week really demonstrates the true potential of both Diaspora and Faith tourism. "We are so excited to be in a position to make evangelistic, social and economic contributions to a culture that has influenced my upbringing and has helped shape my faith," said McPherson, whose father and grandparents are from Jamaica.
Now, just imagine the kind of impact we in the Caribbean would have if we were to proactively attract these kind of groups to visit our respective territories.
Jamaica has truly benefited socially, economically and spiritually from this visit, and it is clear that faith tourism is the kind of tourism that we shouldn't neglect. Rather, it's the kind of tourism our marketers should actually pursue.
Thank God the Caribbean will now form part of Miles Ahead's future outreach activities, and that the wider world can be inspired by their efforts which are being chronicled on line at www.milesahead.tv.
Bevan Springer, the Director of Counterpart International's Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), is a journalist and communications advisor.
Website article link: http://www.southfloridacaribbeannews.com/story.asp?ID=3731
By Bevan Springer
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - I have written about the impact of Diaspora-centered tourism for several years - this week in Jamaica I was honored to witness the powerful intersection of both faith and Diaspora tourism.
Imagine the kind of economic impact that the almost 300 volunteers from the youth-focused Miles Ahead organisation had on the western Caribbean island during this past week - www.milesahead.tv.
The volunteers, led by former NFL player Pastor Miles McPherson, who has family ties to the island, stayed in Jamaica for more than a week at the Rose Hall Resort.
During the day, these multicultural volunteers hit the streets, had lunch with the local communities and gave of their time and talent to a number of community projects on the island.
For months they identified the needs of the communities they were serving, they raised funds, organised their ministry efforts, built their teams, sourced materials and equipment, and prayed one for the other as they boarded flights, including national carrier Air Jamaica, to be of service to the people of Jamaica.
Medical experts brought to the island some US$5 million worth of medical equipment, supplies and health care which were administered free of charge at several clinics on the north shore.
Even I took advantage of some medical counsel from one of the doctors on hand, as some of America's top rated medical professionals attired in their medical garb met the needs of patients in the areas of dentistry, internal medicine, optometry, orthopedics, pediatrics, and women's medicine.
Hundreds lined up early each morning to see doctors and nurses to receive treatment for ailments that ranged from the common cold to sexually transmitted diseases.
The impact of this particular ministry will be felt long after the Miles Ahead team returns to their 10,000-strong Rock Church home in San Diego as they leave expensive medical equipment and pharmaceuticals in the hands of the local health authorities to carry on the good work.
But there was more, the trip was not just a medical mission. Volunteers, including former professional NBA and NFL players, including Zack Jones formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets, teamed with local sporting heroes like Paul "Tegat" Davis and Warren Barrett to hold clinics in soccer, volleyball, basketball, netball and strength building.
It was an inspiring opportunity for both the youth and the pros as they laughed and played together. The youth were inspired by the experts, and the experts inspired by the abundance of talent on the island. "The talent among the youth here is tremendous and we should encourage these young people to pursue athletic scholarships in the United States and beyond," said Jones, who counseled that "while they develop their academic skills in school they should also discipline themselves on the courts and the playing fields."
Miles Ahead traveled to Jamaica as part of the Jamaica Broilers Group's 50th anniversary celebrations and three major family-oriented festivals, under the Best Dressed 50 Fest banner, presented in Mandeville, Montego Bay and Kingston. By Sunday morning, Pastor Miles McPherson would have delivered two messages of hope as part of the events which also featured international evangelists Andrew and Luis Palau.
In partnership with the local community, the Miles Ahead team built a 400-foot long, 10-foot-high wall and fence around Farm Primary and Junior High School to provide safety and security to its 900-student campus in Farm Heights. They also renovated the girls' and boys' lavatories which brings dignity to the children.
Other activities included deaf education workshops, school assemblies and efforts aimed to restore local elementary schools. More importantly, Miles Ahead worshipped with Jamaicans at local churches and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ while on the island.
The Jamaica visit this week really demonstrates the true potential of both Diaspora and Faith tourism. "We are so excited to be in a position to make evangelistic, social and economic contributions to a culture that has influenced my upbringing and has helped shape my faith," said McPherson, whose father and grandparents are from Jamaica.
Now, just imagine the kind of impact we in the Caribbean would have if we were to proactively attract these kind of groups to visit our respective territories.
Jamaica has truly benefited socially, economically and spiritually from this visit, and it is clear that faith tourism is the kind of tourism that we shouldn't neglect. Rather, it's the kind of tourism our marketers should actually pursue.
Thank God the Caribbean will now form part of Miles Ahead's future outreach activities, and that the wider world can be inspired by their efforts which are being chronicled on line at www.milesahead.tv.
Bevan Springer, the Director of Counterpart International's Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), is a journalist and communications advisor.
Iraq banks on religious travel
Iraq banks on religious travel
Are the Devout Deterred by Violence? Holy Sites Hope Not, Try to Woo Tourists
Article website: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=4866068&page=1
By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY
BAGHDAD
The Iraq Tourism Board isn't exactly a welcoming place.
Located on Haifa Street, once so dangerous it was called Fallujah after the blood-drenched city in Anbar province, its building is hidden behind blast walls. Entrance arcades are bricked up and finished off with menacing shards of glass.
These days, says board chairman Hamoud Al-Yakobi, tourism is a matter of faith. Literally.
"We depend on religious tourism," Al-Yakobi says. "There is no other tourism business here."
Five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, nearly all its tourists are Shiite pilgrims from Iran flocking to holy sites in Najaf, Karbala and other southern cities. Last year, more than 500,000 Iranian tourists crossed the border; 160,000 had come by the end of April this year.
A recent tourism conference in Najaf, home to the shrine of the Imam Ali, focused on building hotels and improving services for the devout, who have been less deterred by continuing violence.
In contrast, the Iraq Tourism Board has no offices in the USA and no immediate plans to woo intrepid Westerners. The latest issue of the board's tourism magazine is printed only in Arabic. Past editions also included English.
Al-Yakobi knows that it would take a leap of faith to get Western tourists back to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates. Ancient Mesopotamia may have been the cradle of civilization, but modern-day Iraq remains a basket case.
"We need more time," Al-Yakobi says, "because of the security situation."
American tourists are not permitted to travel independently in Iraq without an escort and must come as part of an organized group, Al-Yakobi says. Several Iraqi companies offer group tours complete with security.
"Tourists need protection against kidnapping," he says.
They also need basic amenities, many of which are lacking here. Nearly a dozen Baghdad hotels, including the Al-Hamra in the Karada district, claim "five-star" ratings. Discerning travelers might quibble, though, because most luxury hotels don't have dripping faucets, clanking air conditioners and a 12-page room-service menu that rarely can deliver enough dishes to fill one.
There are some signs of progress, however.
Published reports say the Pentagon is backing a five-year, $5 billion plan to build luxury hotels and shopping malls inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Marriott is said to have agreed to build a hotel there. So far, the only groundbreaking being done is by the rockets and mortars that almost daily land inside the international compound.
More solid is a recently announced deal worth $5.5 billion to buy 40 commercial aircraft from Boeing and 10 planes from Canada's Bombardier to give a much-needed upgrade to Iraqi Airway's aging fleet. Boeing also will help Iraq move its airports closer to international standards. Al-Yakobi says new airports will soon open in Mosul and Najaf.
Mosul is near the sites of the ancient cities of Nineveh and Nimrud. Yet as a hotbed of al-Qaeda, this must-see on any tourist itinerary remains a definite no-go.
Barbed wire and blast walls may be the most common sights in Iraq these days, but they are nowhere to be found in tourist brochures and posters put out by the government.
Those pristine southern marshes in southern Iraq? Drained by Saddam Hussein and only now being restored. Samarra's Mosque of the Golden Dome, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam? Bombed twice since 2006, its dome and minarets destroyed. The ancient city of Babylon? Trampled by U.S. and Polish military forces before being handed back to the government in 2005. And those grizzled tea sellers pouring their steaming wares in some exotic bazaar? Few Westerners dare step foot in one these days.
Still, Al-Yakobi doesn't want to discourage adventurous Americans who might be weighing a visit.
"We advise them to come," he says. As long as they don't venture out on their own, "it will not be dangerous for them. We will protect them."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=4866068&page=1
Are the Devout Deterred by Violence? Holy Sites Hope Not, Try to Woo Tourists
Article website: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=4866068&page=1
By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY
BAGHDAD
The Iraq Tourism Board isn't exactly a welcoming place.
Located on Haifa Street, once so dangerous it was called Fallujah after the blood-drenched city in Anbar province, its building is hidden behind blast walls. Entrance arcades are bricked up and finished off with menacing shards of glass.
These days, says board chairman Hamoud Al-Yakobi, tourism is a matter of faith. Literally.
"We depend on religious tourism," Al-Yakobi says. "There is no other tourism business here."
Five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, nearly all its tourists are Shiite pilgrims from Iran flocking to holy sites in Najaf, Karbala and other southern cities. Last year, more than 500,000 Iranian tourists crossed the border; 160,000 had come by the end of April this year.
A recent tourism conference in Najaf, home to the shrine of the Imam Ali, focused on building hotels and improving services for the devout, who have been less deterred by continuing violence.
In contrast, the Iraq Tourism Board has no offices in the USA and no immediate plans to woo intrepid Westerners. The latest issue of the board's tourism magazine is printed only in Arabic. Past editions also included English.
Al-Yakobi knows that it would take a leap of faith to get Western tourists back to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates. Ancient Mesopotamia may have been the cradle of civilization, but modern-day Iraq remains a basket case.
"We need more time," Al-Yakobi says, "because of the security situation."
American tourists are not permitted to travel independently in Iraq without an escort and must come as part of an organized group, Al-Yakobi says. Several Iraqi companies offer group tours complete with security.
"Tourists need protection against kidnapping," he says.
They also need basic amenities, many of which are lacking here. Nearly a dozen Baghdad hotels, including the Al-Hamra in the Karada district, claim "five-star" ratings. Discerning travelers might quibble, though, because most luxury hotels don't have dripping faucets, clanking air conditioners and a 12-page room-service menu that rarely can deliver enough dishes to fill one.
There are some signs of progress, however.
Published reports say the Pentagon is backing a five-year, $5 billion plan to build luxury hotels and shopping malls inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Marriott is said to have agreed to build a hotel there. So far, the only groundbreaking being done is by the rockets and mortars that almost daily land inside the international compound.
More solid is a recently announced deal worth $5.5 billion to buy 40 commercial aircraft from Boeing and 10 planes from Canada's Bombardier to give a much-needed upgrade to Iraqi Airway's aging fleet. Boeing also will help Iraq move its airports closer to international standards. Al-Yakobi says new airports will soon open in Mosul and Najaf.
Mosul is near the sites of the ancient cities of Nineveh and Nimrud. Yet as a hotbed of al-Qaeda, this must-see on any tourist itinerary remains a definite no-go.
Barbed wire and blast walls may be the most common sights in Iraq these days, but they are nowhere to be found in tourist brochures and posters put out by the government.
Those pristine southern marshes in southern Iraq? Drained by Saddam Hussein and only now being restored. Samarra's Mosque of the Golden Dome, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam? Bombed twice since 2006, its dome and minarets destroyed. The ancient city of Babylon? Trampled by U.S. and Polish military forces before being handed back to the government in 2005. And those grizzled tea sellers pouring their steaming wares in some exotic bazaar? Few Westerners dare step foot in one these days.
Still, Al-Yakobi doesn't want to discourage adventurous Americans who might be weighing a visit.
"We advise them to come," he says. As long as they don't venture out on their own, "it will not be dangerous for them. We will protect them."
Contributing: The Associated Press
Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=4866068&page=1
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