THE UNITED States government, through its United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism project (EAST), is leading the parish of Portland towards 'green destination' status.
The Portland Destination Management Programme for Sustainable Development, launched on Friday at Fern Hill Hotel, Portland, is the vehicle being used to help the parish achieve international recognition and certification from Green Globe 21, the Asia-Pacific-based environmental certification authority.
The Green Globe 21 certification programme, widely known for its performance standard for hotels and tourism businesses, has developed a new standard to certify the environmental and social sustainability of entire destinations. The new 'Green Globe 21 Community Standard' benchmarks communities based on 12 performance indicators and a series of organizational requirements aimed at promoting broad-based consensus within the certifying destination. Through programmes such as Green Globe 21, Caribbean hotel and tourism businesses have been actively improving their environmental and social performance over the last decade and have become more competitive in the international tourism market. As a matter of fact, the region has the largest number of Green Globe 21 certified hotels in the world. EAST, with funding support from USAID and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), has already earned a reputation for its 'greening' of over 70 hotels, attractions and manufacturing operations in Jamaica over the past two years. Over 26 entities including hotels and attractions have been certified.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
This has been achieved largely through the introduction of environmental management systems (EMS) and assistance in preparing for and achieving Green Globe certification.
Now, turning to an entire parish, EAST will work with JHTA's North East chapter to promote an integrated sustainable development approach through the establishment of the Portland Destination Management Group (PDMG). Focus will be on rural development through the empowerment of the local communities.
The multi-stakeholder PDMG is being lead by the Portland Parish Council and the EAST project in conjunction with the JHTA, Jamaica Manufacturers' Association, Social Development Commission, Tourism Product Development Company and the Parish Development Committee. In addition to working towards Green Globe 21 benchmarking and certification, the EAST Project in conjunction with the JTB and the PDMG, will seek to reposition Portland as a primary tourist destination.
The committee will encourage and ensure that development in the area follows strict environmental guidelines and develop benchmarks to monitor energy, water, wastewater and solid waste, air quality, biodiversity and resource conservation while supporting the implementation of EMS in business operations in Portland, the PDMG will also seek to identify new and innovative economic opportunities in the communities.
Another USAID-funded project, the Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project (CWIP) will assist in monitoring the workplan for the programme which is expected to be a model for similar projects in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Given the dependence of the tourist industry on the quality of its geographic and social setting, an integrated destination management approach is expected to provide an effective framework to promote the competitiveness of the tourism industry.
The EAST programme will contribute to making Portland a better destination for visitors and a better place to live for local communities.
