Win-win-win for farmers, the hospitality industry and tourists

Tourism is the lifeblood of many tropical island economies. In 2012, tourism accounted for 27% of gross domestic product (GDP) in Jamaica, 39% in Saint Lucia and in Barbados, 48% in The Bahamas, and 77% in Antigua and Barbuda, to name but a few.   But in many cases, few of the benefits accrue to the local economy, and this is especially true of the agricultural sector. “In tourist restaurants in the Pacific islands, you can find Japanese food, Italian food, French food – but no island dishes,” said Samson Vilvilfare, a Vanuatuan working at CTA. This is contributing to declining interest in traditional foods among island people – if it is not good enough for the tourists, the thinking goes, it is not good enough for us. And this in turn is eroding markets for local farmers and debasing the diet, with all the health consequences that go with it.

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