Citation
Ingram, H. (2003), "Book Review: People and Tourism: Issues and Attitudes in the Jamaican Hospitality Industry, by Professor Hopeton Dunn and Dr Leith Dunn", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 199-200. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm.2003.15.3.199.2
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
The central message that comes across from the (rather pleasantly pink) pages of this book is that tourism is important to Jamaica and it must be better understood. In fact, tourism is the Caribbean’s biggest earner, accounting for one third of total output and a quarter of all jobs. While the growth forecast for the Caribbean is healthy, Jamaica has experienced sluggish growth from 1995 to 2000, perhaps reflecting issues such as rising levels of crime, drugs and visitor harassment. The authors use a national research study to map Jamaican attitudes, and a case study in Negril, Jamaica to analyse visitor harassment.
This book is the result of community effort. For example, the Foreword is written by the chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Introduction by James Samuels, a Jamaican hotelier. Similarly, the Dunns represent both academia and practice: Hopeton is a consultant and lecturer, while Leith is a sociologist and development consultant. There is a rich source of research data here including community meetings and focus groups, more importantly with some reflective and interesting interpretation from the main authors. The final interpretation is neatly supplied by Chandana Jayawardena, who reinforces the link between residential communities and tourism. He points out that some communities receive few direct or indirect benefits from tourism, and may harbour a resentment in which tourism is “a necessary evil”.
In summary, there is a rich vein of research evidence in this book which takes a fascinating look at the role of attitudes of both residents and visitors as determinants of the future of the tourism industry.