Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 07, 2017 (SKNIS): A number of individuals are currently attending the 2017 St. Kitts Destination Guardian Training workshop, which aims at educating a new cohort of destination stewards in sustainable tourism practices and the impacts of tourism in St. Kitts.
According to Diannille Taylor-Williams, Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, “tourism is everyone’s business.”
“As one of the primary economic drivers on the island, the tourism industry impacts everyone,” said Mrs. Taylor Williams. “At the same time, St. Kitts’ tourism appeal and the sustainability of the sector depends on the shared responsibility of everyone as stewards of the destination.”
The training consists of a two day programme that will include a half-day field component that offers participants the opportunity to apply their sustainability knowledge in real life scenarios.
At the end of the course, participants should be able to demonstrate that they understand the basic principles of sustainable tourism, show their ability to apply their understanding to explain sustainable tourism in St. Kitts and make recommendations for improving sustainability performance. They should also understand the role they play in destination stewardship and sustainable destination management, understand what it means to be a Destination Guardian and show their commitment to act as Destination Guardians.
The group was, on Feburary 07, led on a fieldtrip to “De Strip” where there are several beautification developments taking place such as the installation of paved sidewalks and a resurfaced road.
Some areas discussed during the fieldtrip were preserving the wildlife that exists in the adjacent pond, increasing and maintaining security, having custodians maintaining the area and signage and branding of the area.
After the programme, successful participants will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Participants on the field trip included International Women’s Association of St. Kitts (IWAS), St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network (SKSTMN) and the Parks & Beaches Unit.
The Destination Guardian Training programme is sponsored by the St. Kitts Ministry of Tourism and Sustainable Travel International.
