ANGELA Cleare, a veteran figure in tourism in The Bahamas, has published her second book, designed to be a textbook for schools, on all aspects of the sector.
Ministry of Tourism personnel, representatives of various business sectors, family and friends gathered at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel on Monday to celebrate the launch of ‘Business of Travel and Tourism in the 21st Century; A Caribbean Approach’. The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, in which Mrs Cleare served in senior posts for over 30 years.
Mrs Cleare explained that her inspiration for writing the book came from social studies teachers. They had welcomed her first book, ‘History of Tourism in The Bahamas: A Global Perspective’, but urged her to produce a work book for the classroom since she said there is such scarcity of information on tourism in the Caribbean.
A certified travel counsellor (CTC) and certified hospitality instructor (CHI), Mrs Cleare sees her book as a contribution to the youth of the nation. “The book is about these young people. We want to teach them that tourism is everybody’s business … whether they become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, whatever, they’re still in the tourism business,” she said.
Sharon Poitier, the Assistant Director of Education (Humanities/Social Sciences), referred to the publication as “a remarkable blueprint for the study of tourism”. She added: “Teachers have often opined that it was so difficult to find all of the information required to teach units on tourism. Mrs Cleare has successfully filled that void. She is to be congratulated for this comprehensive, teacher-friendly overview of the growth and development of the tourism industry.”
During the celebration, Cleare took the time to recognise contributors who played a part in making the book a success - Joan Albury, Stuart Bowe, Jeritzan Edwards Outten, E John Delevaux, Maxine Esdaille (the African Diaspora Heritage Trail Bermuda Foundation chairman), Kerry Fountain, Errington Fyfield (St Kitts), Lynn Gape, Dr Judith Gobin (Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad and Tobago), Stephen Hector (Sandals, Jamaica), David Johnson, Eleanor Phillips, Benjamin Pratt, Ruthann Rolle, Dr D Gail Saunders, Dr Andrew Spencer, Ellison Thompson, Vernice Walkine, Vincent Vanderpool Wallace, Philip Weech, Craig Woods, Dr Peter C Yesawich and Gary Young.
“I’m happy that these tourism icons have produced interesting case studies or articles to really bring home the significant aspects of tourism,” Mrs Cleare said. “They are all well-respected experts in the industry, and I am truly indebted to each of them”. She also praised her editors Elizabeth Mackay and Monique Hepburn.
‘Business of Travel and Tourism in the 21st Century: A Caribbean Approach’ focuses primarily on the Bahamas and Caribbean territories, but also includes global tourism insights and statistics. Mrs Cleare acknowledged the contribution of the World Tourism Organisation, the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and the Research Department of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
“We talked about some of the experiences in the Caribbean, both positive and negative,” she said. For example, the secrets of Butch Stuarts’s success in making Sandals the top brand in the Caribbean and the amazing sustainable development achievements of the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad are explored. On the other hand, environmental issues facing the region are among the negative issues discussed. “Unless we take care of our wonderful assets, people are not going to come anymore.”
Sir Arthur Foulkes, in his review of the book, congratulated Mrs Cleare and her contributing partners and noted “I believe this will be not only an indispensable textbook for teachers and students and a handbook for investors and others directly involved in the industry, but also a publication of interest to all of us who are in one way or another affected by the industry. I am particularly pleased to see the attention paid to ecotourism and the relationship between the industry and the environment.”
Obie Wilchcombe, the Minister for Tourism, said that Mrs Cleare has given her entire professional life in service to the tourism industry and that she served with distinction and honour in every major executive and administrative arm of the ministry. He placed an order for books to be distributed to Ministers and Directors of Tourism of the Caribbean who were visiting the Bahamas for Caribbean Marketplace at Atlantis.
The book is available online at www.lulu.com and at all local bookstores.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID