By Antonio Carmona Báez
For decades now, the search for economic diversification and drive to overcome the tourist-based, single pillar economy has been on the agenda of some political leaders, scholars and critics of unsustainable market practices. The main arguments: mass tourism, accompanied by cruise ships and holiday resorts, benefits only a few; it does not offer economic stability, as it propagates informal and seasonal jobs -bringing in high numbers of undocumented workers; it is ecologically irresponsible, producing more waste than the islands can handle; and it makes the local population vulnerable to global shocks caused by climate change and pandemics. Somehow, neither the arguments nor the political will to move away from tourism were strong enough to convince voters and workers that a change must be forced. We had to experience COVID-19 first hand, see our ports closed and figure out how to survive.
Together with efforts to contain the deadly coronavirus, access to food became the principle concern of both government -for those who fall through the holes of the social safety net, as well as for most citizens who buy the bulk of their daily intake at supermarkets where up to 90% of food stock is imported. Going out to eat at restaurants, for the time being, is not even an option. And through the catastrophe, much of the discourse pronounced from the lips of economic and political leaders is reduced to hopes of being able to open our ports once again, to allow the almighty dollar to circulate on the ground. The most troubling aspect of the pandemic crisis is that no one knows what exactly is going to happen, and if there ever will be a vaccine “so that we can go back to normal”. But as celebrated Indian writer and social activist Arundhati Roy wrote in here long read found in the Financial Times on 3 April:
“nothing could be worse than going back to normal. Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew.” *
The question is: what will it take to break with our dependent past and put our imagination to work? In St. Martin, economic diversification was always translated into the diversification of tourism. We have looked into alternative activities for those cruise ship tourists spending 6 hours on land (two zip-lines!), attempted to expand in timeshares realty, marketed the island as the culinary capital of the Caribbean and even sought agritourism and eco-tourism as ways by which new markets are created. And while the intentions of green-friendly entrepreneurs do have a place and an important role to play in the re-imagination of our world, it is essential to understand that in order to develop our country, we should not return to having tourism as that economic base. It is simply unsustainable. This statement is especially true if we look at how tourism has played out through the last four decades in the Caribbean; but it is just as valid when thinking about having to depend on high-end, more intellectual or culturally oriented tourists who are also barred from traveling.
This is not to say that there is no hope for green tourism in the future. However, before establishing agritourism, we need agriculture. Prior to making our island(s), attractive to archaeologists and nature lovers, the population needs to get to know and love their country first, and discover what is under our ground and in our waters. If we are willing to make some cash on marketing our culture, we must get to know our culture and make artistic production accessible to all. Eco-tourism can be considered as supplementary -but only after a solid base of production for needs, and not so much for profit, is established. This re-imagination, of course, requires collective efforts in public-private partnerships and the inclusion of all sectors of the community, incorporating also the voices of those who came to work informally and without papers, and are now stranded on our shores. Education, too, is paramount in this process of change and search for alternatives. No longer should we be training our youth to serve the economic interests of big resort and hotel owners. Education should be geared towards shaping the new economy by producing critical thinkers.
The COVID-19 pandemic is indeed a portal, an opportunity by which we can transform our society to be more just, equitable and sustainable. When we think of economic diversification, and the move away from tourism-dependency, we must think of what is beneficial to the land, to the people present here and now, and to future generations. It compels us to a radical break with our past. The time is now.
*Arundhati Roy (2 April 2020), “The pandemic is a portal.”
https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca
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