Seeking Warmth?

Head south to the island of Martinique.

or to Tortola....

or maybe Turks and Caicos?

Or St. Lucia

or.....

Wages in the Caribbean

Summer time means vacations for many.  So if you are heading for the Caribbean, consider some of the prevailing wages of the staff that support your visit.  Here is the current advert for some employment in the Turks and Caicos.

$6.25 an hour seems to be the prevailing wage for laborers and housekeeping staff.

Remember to tip well.

Robbery and shooting in Providenciales, TCI

I have been following this crime story for a few days to see how it played out. I still get news feeds daily from the Turks and Caicos Islands so it is still in media attention.

Well an American tourist was shot during a robbery in Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.  Not sure where exactly but since I know the area well, I can only suspect his 143 A.M. Friday morning walk was in the commercial area and he was heading back to his hotel. (Google this to get more info)

Long story short, after triage in Provo, he was transferred by air ambulance to the States to get the needed treatment for the gun shot.  He is recovering and will likely be transported to his home in Alabama for his needed rehab.

This sad news is nothing new. Crime and tourism is still common, and despite the relative crime-free TCI, the State Department reports "Crime in TCIS is low but increasing."

The point here is that we shouldn't put our guard down when travelling for vacation.  Some research has even found that domestic tourism and international tourism are rated the same as far as safety is concerned (Floyd et al., 2004).

The second point here is an economic one.  The TCI is not inexpensive.  The average summer price (off-season) for hotels in Grace Bay is probably $500 a night.  Consider that when you pick up a local newspaper and see job advertisements offering $6.50-$7.00 US for general labour or housekeeping positions.  What, don't read the local paper while on vacation?

Let me conclude this by saying I hope the gentleman recovers from the crime and that they capture the individual responsible.  But in order for crime to be reduced, we must adopt a more equitable policy in tourism.  The United Nations World Tourism Organization reports:

"Tourism is one of the strongest drivers of world trade and prosperity. Poverty alleviation is one of the greatest global challenges. Despite turbulent times for the world’s economy, these basic facts are unlikely to change. Focusing the wealth creating power of tourism on people most in need remains an immense task and opportunit(y)."


Source: Floyd, M. F., Gibson, H., Pennington-Gray, L., & Thapa, B. (2004). The effect of risk perceptions on intentions to travel in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 15(2-3), 19-38. 

Sapodilla Hill, TCI

It is important to preserve our history and this place is just one of the many places in the world that needs our help.  Remember to take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints and waste nothing but time.

The walking tour is found here.

For the back story see this link.

11th Province for Canada

There has been a discussion for several years for the Turks and Caicos to become the 11th Province in Canada.  This recent report summarizes the idea.

Talk about a neat idea!

I always remember meeting some British citizens in St. Lucia who noted the lack of reasoning when the "Empire" gave up the tropical paradise.  The TCI merger may be a mutually beneficial arrangement for our neighbors to the north.  Oh, yeah, while in St. Lucia, we met President Clinton.

Un-welcome to Turks and Caicos

Un-welcome to Turks and Caicos.  Here is the heading for the Turks and Caicos Island' Sun newspaper:

 TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS FINANCE MINISTER ATTACKS FOREIGNERS,

And I quote:  "In fact, if Misick has his way expatriates who come to the Turks and Caicos Islands to live and work would have to leave their native customs and practices behind."

So I guess it is ok to visit, just not stay and hold onto your heritage!

Turks and Caicos Islands is the fastest-growing destination in region

So sez the Caribbean Journal.  The journal cites Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, but I can't find the data, so maybe it is a press release or something.  While TCI may have a percentage growth, the number of beds found in Cuba, Jamaica or the Dominican Republics probably still out shadow the actual numbers of tourists. In fact, just a few days ago, One Caribbean posted these arrival numbers:

Beaches Resort and Lie Detectors

Employees at Beaches Resort and Spa in the Turks and Caicos Islands are outraged by the hotel's decision to start asking staff to take lie detector tests.

While hotel officials are saying that these tests are not mandatory, employees fear that they could lose their jobs if they refuse to subject themselves to this new policy.

Read the full story at this link.

A different kind of medical tourism

In this case, both the patient and the doctor travel overseas for a procedure.

In this case, despite the $40,000 bill, it was an issue of timeliness.  See the article.

Exporting conch shells banned in TCI

Opps....I have exported Conch shells from TCI and Cayman Islands.  I am lucky I did this before the law changed.  Read this report from the Sands Resort:
http://www.thesandstc.com/blog/laws-regarding-the-exportation-of-conch-shells-from-the-turks-caicos-islands/

Here is a shot of a harvest back in 2011 off of Water Cay, TCI.  On a previous trip I saw a "wall of conch" that must have held a 1,000 shells!

When both political parties object to a tourism project ...

it must be bad.

According to a report in the Turks and Caicos Sun both PNP and PDM object to the proposed construction of a 28 story skyscraper in the Grace Bay area of Providenciales.

"The Progressive National Party (PNP) and the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) have both registered their objection to the proposed 28-storey hotel in Grace Bay, Providenciales. "

Probably an attempt to rejuvenate the sagging economy, this building may increase the capacity to recieve tourists but will redefine the characteristics of the Caribbean island.

da Conch Shack

Hungry for conch? I am partial to cracked conch and this a really good place to get it.

They also participated in our Sustainable Restaurant Study, so take this as a shameless plug for their food.

Hurricane Season is here

Tropical Storm Emily is heading across the Caribbean. Better shutter the windows, stock up fresh water, and if you are vacationing in the D.R., Bahamas or Turks and Caicos, you may wish to cash in that travel insurance.

So summer vacations in the tropics are always a gamble. In 2009, I made travel plans about a week out since hurricanes move slowly, say 15-25 mph.

Should Emily pick up, you can download GIS tracking data.

stay safe!

Indian Cave, Middle Caicos

You'd figure you could escape the heat by going into a cave. Not this one and the skeeters were killer! Shot this clip returning from my surveying Daniel's Cafe on Sustainable Island Restaurant Tourism.

Sustainable Tourism in Restaurants

I was in the local supermarket a day ago, and while I was checking the shelves, two different people commented about the high prices. I paused before replying (something I need to do more often) and said something like "well everything is higher and you have to consider the transportation costs...".

Transportation costs? It amazes me when get strawberries at home in winter. I mean, the berries are being transported 5-7 thousand miles, and they are only a couple of bucks.

But here and now, on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, BVI, the five dollar loafs of bread, "Kraft" cheese going $10 a pound and so on, everything is higher than at home. But on an island EVERYTHING has to come from somewhere else.

I mean, the seafood is local (and fresh, not frozen) and the hydroponic farming does provide some local greens. But be prepared to pay $50 and up for a cut of beef at the dinner table. But who would (or should) when the conch chowder tastes so good!

So this a longer than normal intro is needed to post our research here: Sustainable Restaurant Study. Using the criteria established by the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, we are interviewing restaurants in TCI about the sustainable food practices. More to come....

Summer Vacation

Gosh, besides the roadtrip to Maryland to visit some family and eat steamed crabs, I don't know if a summer vacation is in the works.

We finally went to the Turks and Caicos last summer and fell in love with the island. Even got a chance to drive on the left side of the road, something I wouldn't dare to do on St. Lucia or any other island with steep topography or high populations. But on Provo, I am willing to take the challenge.

Saw this guy snorkeling in Coral Gardens in Grace Bay last summer and hope to say hi again.

The Recollection Phase of the Recreation Experience

Ok, so now you are home, hopefully unpacked, and downloading all the pics and videos to you computer. You dump all the crappy ones (maybe). You know, the ones where you didn't wait for the camera to adjust temperature from the air conditioned room or car to the natural hot and humid air and this caused the lens to steam up. Darn.

Anyway, I am now starting to create a DVD of the photos and video from TCI. I have uploaded a few to my Facebook account, Panoramio (hoping for Google Earth acceptance) and email some to friends.

This is all part of the recollection phase of the recreation experience. I am reliving the experience through the photos, remembering the sights, sounds, smells, the heat, the taste of the great seafood consumed...you get the picture.

enjoy.

it's hot in the Turks and Caicos

duh, of course it is hot. The sun is over head, and except for coconuts, the tallest vegetation is one meter high so there is no shade. According to a sample of one, tourism is at 90% of what it normally might be. Lots of new construction, but lots of empty new stores.

The on-site phase of the recreation experience.