The Future of Tourism is…

When you think of tourism, specifically in the Caribbean, what comes to mind? Is it sunbathing on the beach with a cocktail
at your side? Is it barhopping or playing in the casinos? Does it reflect a true image of the Caribbean life?

The outcome of this design speculates what the Caribbean, taking tourism into their hands and reaping the benefits that help build the economy in different sectors and respects the environment, culture and citizens in hopes to remove the heavy dependency on mass tourism.

What would tourism look like while acknowledging and respecting the islands ecosystem, ancestors, and culture?

The Caribbean’s ecosystem is extremely important because it keeps the region alive, feeds, homes and shelters the locals. Masqueraders in the Caribbean have held significant value in the region as protectors that cleanses the atmosphere of evil spirits to commence a festival. Combining the importance of the region’s ecosystem, the locals concern of tourism, economy, and culture the design sets out to create a botanical garden that promotes ecotourism which respects the culture and boost various sectors in the economy. Known to promote environment conservation and restoration the proposed botanical garden creates local investments in the economy, opens gateway for growing the agriculture sector, gate-keeps the island’s culture and results in leading tourism that is welcoming and accessible to both locals and tourists. The garden is divided into several gardens all with a purpose of helping different sectors and assist in restoration and conservation of the islands ecosystem.

Through various activities that grants approval to the festival, tourists use the island’s volcanic ash to fertilize the soil for planting. Through the tourists planting it symbolizes the tourist leaving their mark on the island in a respectful manner that also benefits the island ecosystem in its food security and or restoration project.

The masqueraders become the guardians of the island as the tourists move throughout the garden they are constantly observed by the masqueraders. This allows the masqueraders to filter any tourists with antisocial behaviours that disrespects the island, culture and its’ citizens. The activities occurring alongside and in the garden are designed around accessing a cultural festival. Access to such festival is denied until granted approval by the masqueraders. The aim is the festivals remains rich in culture and uncontaminated by foreign companies changing the narrative which suits them. In the final act for approval to the festival the masqueraders lead tourists to the leaders where the leaders perform and invite the tourists to join in their traditional masquerade dance of Boillola, Quadrille, Wild Mas and Waltz with the group of masqueraders The joining in dance symbolizes the approval to attend the festival. The masquerader leaders throughout the tourists’ activities observe from the treehouse/lookouts.

These lookouts are 100% natural, built around the royal palm welded in by wood peg. The stairs are constructed from wood locally sourced, dried on site in the stone kiln. With a wooden frame the steps are infused with volcanic ash taken from site by the scientists. Respecting the islands ecosystem produces the garden’s structure of the lookout, threshold, and kiln pushes a sustainable lifestyle being 100% natural. The infusion of the volcanic ash in various formats restructures the view of volcanoes and ash. Infusing the ash into the staircases creates a cycle that creates fertile land. As the masqueraders take their position in the lookouts overtime the volcanic ash will natural grate away by the masqueraders’ feet and fall unto the soil below and act as an continuous cycle of fertilizer to the site. The thresholds wrapped with vine flowers are branches of trees found on site, tied with coconut and palm leaves and tried in the kiln. In addition to acting as the entrance to the next level the choice of vines planted attracts bees, butterflies and birds all useful in pollinating the island and restoring the lost rainforest and endangered flowers.

Through this speculation, the outcome is that the Caribbean region takes tourism into their hands and reap the benefits that help build the economy in different sectors and respects the environment, culture and citizens.