POLICY DIALOGUEINNOVATION NATIONS:

Exploring the Strategic Opportunities in Canadian-Caribbean Relations

DIASPORA TOURISM & INVESTMENTSPresented by, Sherma Roberts, Yanique Hume, Natasha Mortley and Keith NurseCarleton University, Ottawa, Canada. 21 October, 2010Hosted by the Canadian International Council and Centre for Trade Policy and Law. Research

conducted by Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados (Lead Agency) www.shridathramphalcentre.org and Centre for Trade Policy and Law, Carleton University, Canada (Partner Agency) www.ctpl.ca Funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre www.idrc.ca

Country Global City % of Global City population

Absolute *** figure

Guyana Toronto 3% 62,733

Dom. Rep. New York *9% 460,556

Jamaica London 4% 77,616

Suriname ** The Netherlands

2% 338,678

Diasporic Populations in Global cities

Source: MPI statistics of foreign-born populations in global cities

* Larger even than Chinese population in NY (6%)•*Population distributed throughout several cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague) •***Absolute figures reflect only those who are foreign-born and does not account for 2nd and subsequent generations.

Country Three or more times a year

Twice a year

Once a year

Once every two years

Once every three years

Travel little

Never

Guyana 5.8 12.1 26.7 18.4 10.7 26.2 0

Dom. Rep.

11.6 24.5 33.3 10.9 3.4 16.3 0

Jamaica 4.5 24 40 14 1.5 8 8

Frequency of immigrant travel to home, country.

Country Less than US$1000

Less than US $2000

More than US $2000

Guyana 45.8 41.1 13.1

Dom. Rep. 35.8 50.7 13.4

Jamaica 37.0 37.0 26.0

Amount spent per trip, percent

Source: Manuel Orozco 2003-4 survey of immigrants in the US

Typology of Diasporic Tourism

Diasporic Tourism and the Diasporic Economy

Thrice Diasporized Tourism Spaces

Nostalgic diasporic tourism

Ance

stra

l dia

spor

ic

tour

ism

Intra-diaspora

tourism

Key Stakeholders in Diasporic Tourism

7

Diaspora Enablers:

- Migrants

- Diasporic Entrepreneurs

-Gov’t Agencies

-Remittance firms

-Home Town Assoc

- Tour operators

-Telecoms

- NGOs

Facilitators & Intermediaries:

- Hoteliers

-Tour operators

-Tourism Agencies

- Cultural Agencies

-Airlines

-Cruiseships

-Diasporic newspapers

- Diasporic websites

-Travel Agencies

Diasporic Tourists:

-Stayover

- Cruise

- Cultural

-Festival

- Heritage

-Eco

-Educational

-Medical tourism

- Short-break

P

Policy Recommendations

Regular Innovations1. Improve and increase

employee industry training

2. Develop, adopt and enforce industry standards

3. Prioritise safety and security

4. Improve communication and confidence among industry players

Niche Innovations1.Prioritise marketing and product development2.Audit current destination products3. Create and combine existing products in new ways 4.Harness diaspora tourism potential through stimulation of entrepreneurial opportunities

Revolutionary Innovations1.(Re)visit collaborative and strategic alliances- eg Air Canada, tour operators, cruise companies2.Create an integrated destination management system3. Make environmental management a pillar in transforming the industry4.Increase destination awareness and reach out to 2nd generation through all social media fora

Architectural Innovations1.Create or partner with Centres of excellence for research and knowledge transfer – eg Ryerson, PEI, UWI2.Redefine the legislative and regulatory infrastructure to encourage tourism investment3.Integrate tourism in the national policy agenda 4.Develop a clear statement of intent on a diaspora strategy

Policy Recommendations:Planning

Policy Recommendations:Marketing

Policy Recommendations: Enterprise Development

Telesur• Largest mobile phone provider in Suriname

• Invested in the Dutch market:

• Main USP is calling at reduced prices both to and in Suriname and also within the Netherlands.

• SIM card has both a Suriname phone number and a Dutch phone number in one SIM card

• A special benefit for its subscribers is that no roaming fees are applied when making use of the Dutch phone number in Suriname.

• Source: van de Roer (2010) Telesur: Company Profile. Telecompaper.

Q1 2009 Q3 2009 Q1 2010

No. of Customers 17,500 19,500 27,000

Market Share 0.7% 0.8% 0.9%

Laparkan• A Caribbean diasporic conglomerate• Largest investments in the region in freight (sea and air)• Money transfer:

• The second largest remittance company in Guyana) and travel agencies.

• Offices located in all the major Caribbean diasporic communities in the US and Canada along with offices in most Caribbean countries.• Majority shareholder in the Guyana National Industrial Corporation. which offers wharf operations and transportation logistics services for containerized and break bulk cargo for imports and exports• Owner of the largest department store in Guyana (Fogarty’s).• Laparkan is the largest employer in Guyana after the government.

http://www.laparkan.com/