Tourism in SC

Today we took a little tour of the island and explored the different tourism ventures that are underway here. Here’s where we started… (a view from our front steps):

First, we looked at the locally owned, low capacity, extremely expensive (even relative to everything else around here which is already about a 300% markup from US prices), Ocean and Beach Resort. This resort is actually the only one on the island that's in operation right now, which is not to say that they necessarily have any patrons yet. Almost the entirety of the tourism industry here, as I'm learning, is in a very early (and optimistic!) planning stage of development. For example, there are parking lots with more spaces in them than there are cars on the entire island. Anyway, a feature on the menu at the O&BR is fresh lobster with a slice of American cheese melted over it! Elch.

The second spot we visited was the East Bay development, which has a higher capacity (probably close to 200), is owned by a French Canadian, and is still pricey but offers a higher standard of accommodation for your buck. (On a side note, East Bay will serve as SFS's emergency hurricane shelter, should we need one. At least until it's actually in operation, which could be a while.)

And finally, we stopped at High Point, which is a high-rise located at the very tip of the handle of South Caicos (see map). At this spot, you have almost a 360-degree view of the ocean! The plan for High Point, which is co-owned by three non-local gentlemen, is to divide the building up into condos, sell them off to whatever wealthy individuals from around the world are buying, and then offer local rental and management services to the owners for a fee.

We had an interesting discussion about the probable environmental impacts of the various developments here, and talked in particular about what the per capita impact of each of them will likely be once they are in full operation at maximum capacity. We also learned about some of the conservation efforts that have been suggested in conjunction with development, which a few of the owners seem amenable to. The future customers they hope to attract, after all, may very well be willing to pay extra to know that, in some small way, they're "going green".

So far, much of our discussions here at SFS have focused on the tension that exists between preserving the sanctity of the natural environment, and improving the quality of life for humans through development, growth, and industry. I've been a little disappointed though, that we have hardly talked at all about issues of inequity and social injustice. For example, it's a glaring fact in my mind that in South Caicos (as in so many other parts of the world), it is white, formally educated, well-to-do individuals from developed countries with more than their share of social capital, who come into the lands (or seas) of relatively poor, developing, non-white, underprivileged and underrepresented people to suggest to them how they should (or shouldn't) use their own natural resources. I do understand the argument that natural resources don't adhere to political borders, or even regional boundaries, as in the cases of air and water, and that we all have a stake in preserving what's left of our wild species and pristine areas. I just think that (we) environmentalists often have a hard time imagining how different our value systems and priorities might look if we didn't have the luxuries and freedoms that we do. Luxuries and freedoms, in fact, that development itself has provided us. More specifically, it is a luxury for many of us to have our basic needs so thoroughly met that we can choose to set aside certain resources, which exist in excess of our subsistence- and even leisure-use requirements, to remain untapped. The residents of South Caicos are not so fortunate, however, and so they're extremely excited about the idea of having a booming tourist industry here. They’re also considerable less worried than SFS is about how the ecosystems of the region may be altered in the long run as a result. I can't blame them.

Now we're back at the center, and I'm sitting on my back porch enjoying a cool breeze after being out in the hot sun all morning. There's so much more I could write about now, but I've got to get ready for Activity Night tonight-- a trivia game! In general though, I've really been enjoying the lectures and field trips here so far. They've been interesting and provocative, and have also made me think more seriously about teaching. I'd love to lead my own interesting and provocative discussions on this stuff!