Youngsters showing off dance moves at Passa Passa. - File Producers of the popular dancehall brand Passa Passa have said government will need to follow their model if the concept of community tourism is to succeed.
Dylan Powe, chief executive officer for the event says the internationally acclaimed street side show held along Spanish Town Road in western Kingston has been successful only because persons in the community are made to feel a part of the event.
"The reason Passa works is that itis an event run by people from the community with the full corporation of the community," Mr. Powe told The Sunday Gleaner.
On any given Wednesday night persons can journey to Passa Passa for full dancehall entertainment. The roadside show gets into full swing in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Persons from far and wide normally converge for the big street party which is violence-free and where there is a very high chance that patrons will neither be harassed nor robbed.
Mr. Powe estimates that 20 per cent of patrons on any given Wednesday are tourists and that return visits are high.
Mr. Powe said the Passa Passa model is community tourism, and that it should be replicated right across the country.
"When people have a vested interest in the ongoing success of the event they will work to preserve it," he tells The Sunday Gleaner.
"It can't be a situation where people feel like they are excluded. The whole point of community tourism is to make people feel a part," said Mr. Powe who added that he is not certain of the trickle down effect of Cricket World Cup for the small man.
Passa Passa was one of five theme communities the Social Development Commission (SDC) had earmarked as saleable aspects of Kingston during Cricket World Cup: Port Royal for its historical significance, Rae Town for its fish and old hits music, Trench Town for Bob Marley and reggae, and Allman Town for its proposed culture plaza all fit into that grand idea; and community tourism looked to be on the verge of taking off.
However, these plans were shelved as the SDC said it was not getting the full corporation of residents, a move which left persons, especially in Allman Town peeved that they have been short changed because of their address.
One Allman Town resident remarked that they were over-looked because there is the notion that tourism does not belong to them, but rather the rich.
Glorious community chance
Mr. Powe, who had hoped that the SDC would lead the way in getting sanitary conveniences placed onSpanish Town Road and have the local municipality clean the drains and pave the sidewalks said the authorities dropped the ball on a glorious chance of localising tourism.
"People are coming here to experience Jamaica. Look at Passa Passa. It is not an all-inclusive hotel that we are providing. People come for an authentic Jamaican experience and that is what they get in an environment where they feel safe. Once they get that they will come back," Mr. Powe adds.
Describing Kingston as an untapped reservoir of tourism wealth, Mr. Powe said it is up to persons to identity potential markets and for agencies like the Social Development Commission and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDco) to support them.
"Passa came out of nothing, and look where we are today," he said.
And once those potentials have been uncovered, Mr. Powe said "the most important thing is to mek people feel that when a tourist is around it is in their best interest to treat the tourist good.
"If you look at the tourist as a feeding tree they won't come back. They will just spend today and not return."
"People come for an authentic Jamaican experience and that is what they get in an environment where they feel safe."
