Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Module Title: Sustainable Tourism Planning Assessment Title: Coursework Assessment Topic 1: The Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Jamaica Course: BSc (Hons) Tourism Management Student Name: Chan Sze Nga, Celia Shape student number: 127001766 SHU student number: 91207470 ________________ Jamaica is an island which located in the Southwest Caribbean Sea. It is the third large island in the region with incredible scenic beauty and many natural resources. Tourists are attracted to visit not only because of its sunshine and the beaches, but also its rich cultural life. The national motto of this country is ?Out of many, one people? (Gritzner, 2004:11). That means there is an ethnic diversity with different popular culture in Jamaica, such as those Jamaicans? African heritage and British formal behavior. Jamaica has a long history of tourism development like the other countries, and the region as a whole has a huge tourist growth during the 1970s and early 1980s (Trans Africa Forum, 2000). However, the growth decline since 1990s. To reboot and keep the tourism development in a sustainable way, a national master plan was carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the former of Ministry of Industry and Tourism, in 2002. According to the United Nation World Tourism Organization (2011), Tourism development master plan is to formulate a long-term development framework for tourism in ten to twenty years with emphasis on policy and strategy, planning, institutional strengthening, legislation and regulation, product development and diversification, marketing and promotion, tourism infrastructure and superstructure, economic impact of tourism and tourism investment, human resource development, and socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism. The Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Jamaica is a national plan for Jamaica tourism over ten years from 2000 to 2010. ...read more.

Middle

The project may generate a large amount of investment required and ensure the both public and commercial interests are served. This was such a public-private partnership. In planning the physical location for the Jamaica tourism, planners need to take account into the characteristics of each of the resort zones in terms of tourism assets, current settlement patterns, social conditions and the aspirations of the local people. To reduce the degradation of the environment as well as social deprivation, the location strategy aims to prevent overdeveloping the north and northwest coasts and concentrate the growth of accommodation in three resort centers and Kingston and in four smaller resorts for increasing the carrying capacities. A geographical dispersal of hotel resort to the south coast of Jamaica helps to reduce the pressure towards the environment in the north part and to introduce the visitor to the origin cultural heritage. The target for the south coast is based on the results of the South Coast Sustainable Development Study. That study forcefully argued against the development of any large resort hotels in the area. It argues for low density tourism in small hotels, villas, guest houses and apartments. Similarly, no large resort hotels are recommended for Portland and St Thomas parishes because of ecological concerns. The focus would be on providing an up-market, low density tourism experience based on nature and culture. On the other hand, the carrying capacities of those three resort center in Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios has been exceeded. Concentrating new rooms in the resort centers to maximum the levels with carrying capacities may ensure for accommodating projected visitor number with achieving sustainable development. Three out of five main themes of the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Jamaica is more likely to promote sustainability. ...read more.

Conclusion

The local households bring up negative impact. This led to an education from local government to help achieving the environmental sustainability. After six years, Jamaica government made a mid-term review on the key policy of the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development. There are criticisms from some environmental lobbyists. The policy has failed to promote sustainable tourism development because of its poor implementation and the risk of climate change. Especially, when it comes up to some recommendations are being ignored by the public sectors which responsible for monitoring the investment projects. Large hotel and resort development which was not proposed in the master were made and without social infrastructure. This led to a threat to the environmental sustainability. Hurlock (2008 cited Manning 2008) stated that ?we need to look at a change in our strategy of what we are selling out there?. A revision of the master plan may be needed and change the objective of it to developing terrestrial tourism. In conclusion, the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Jamaica which is a tourism plan aimed to change the unsustainable tourism into a sustainable one the past decade. The planning process is very detailed and comprehensive with a long time consultation. Many tourism planning approaches or strategies were made, for instance, the consultation, collaboration and partnerships, planning within carrying capacity and geographical concentration and dispersal. The master plan is made up with the triple bottom line for the sustainable tourism planning, including viable natural environment, sufficient economy and community benefits. Finally, the master plan has been reviewed and found out with problems that not stated in it. It reminds the planner should be take much more effort on it to fine tune the objective and direction of the plan with good measurements within a period of time. If not, the master plan may lose the track and end up as a failure. ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our University Degree Tourism, Transport & Travel section.