Tourism, Agriculture, and Identity: Comparing Grenada and Dominica

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between agriculture and tourism in the promotion of economic identity at the turn of the twentieth century and again at the turn of the twenty-first in the case of two Eastern Caribbean islands: Grenada and Dominica. From the beginnings of export-oriented agriculture in the Caribbean until recent decades, agriculture was the dominant economic activity in the islands. Consequently, the economic identity of these islands has also been tied to their agricultural produce. Initially the emphasis placed on sugarcane cultivation in the region gave rise to the idea of the “sugar islands,” but as sugar declined, many islands began the search for a new product that would provide an economic base and a sense of distinction. Now, tourism provides an economic base for the islands, and creating a sense of distinction from other islands has never been more important. This paper examines the divergent approaches in this process for the two islands. In the case of Grenada, the identity created during this early time period has been extraordinarily pervasive, despite a decline in agriculture and growth in tourism starting in the mid-1900s. For Dominica, boom-and-bust cycles in agriculture and the need to develop an alternative to mass tourism led the island to promote a new identity that conceals its agricultural past, despite the continued importance of agricultural industries

Conceptualización del turismo caribeño a través de la de hibridación: Tour de Grenada como producto

From a geographic perspective, hybridity exposes the ways in which different components of  nature and culture are entangled,  effectively creating a new variant, which blurs artificial distinctions. In this paper, the concept of hybridity is applied to the case study of Grenada. While the principal attraction on this Caribbean island is sun, sea and sand, Grenada's tourists also have a range of secondary interests away from the beach. Tourists who might be classified as conventional mass "sun-and-sand," often want to experience more of the island, and many do so through guided tours. Such tours have developed to reflect these varied interests and are therefore difficult to classify within tourism's typically narrow product labels. This research employs content and semiotic analysis of tourism promotional literature, as well as participant observation on guided tours to illustrate the hybrid variants that have emerged in Grenadian tour products, in which elements of agriculture, culture, nature, and others are blended together almost seamlessly. Moving from dualistic classifications of destinations and tourists, towards more complex and nuanced conceptualizations through hybridity, opens new opportunities for meeting the diverse interests of both conventional tourists as well as more niche market visitors.Desde una perspectiva geográfica, la hibridación expone la forma en que se enredan los diferentes componentes de la naturaleza y la cultura, creando una nueva variante, que desdibuja las distinciones artificiales. En este trabajo, el concepto de hibridación se aplica al estudio del caso de Grenada. Si bien el principal atractivo de esta isla del Caribe es sol, mar y arena, los turistas que visitan Grenada tienen una serie de otros intereses lejos de la playa. Los turistas que podrían clasificarse como la masa convencional "de sol y arena", a menudo quieren experimentar más aspectos de la isla, y muchos lo hacen a través de visitas guiadas. Estos tours se han desarrollado para reflejar los diversos intereses y por lo tanto difíciles de clasificar dentro de las etiquetas de productos turísticos típicamente estrechas. Esta investigación cuenta con el análisis de contenido y la semiótica de la literatura de promoción del turismo, así como la observación participante en las visitas guiadas para ilustrar las variantes híbridas que han surgido en los productos turísticos de Grenada, en la que elementos de la agricultura, cultura, naturaleza, y otros se mezclan casi a la perfección . Pasar de las clasificaciones dualistas de los destinos y los turistas, hacia concepciones más complejas y matizadas a través de la hibridación, abre nuevas oportunidades para satisfacer los diversos intereses de los turistas convencionales, así como los visitantes más nicho de mercado.

Conceptualización del turismo caribeño a través de la de hibridación: Tour de Grenada como producto

From a geographic perspective, hybridity exposes the ways in which different components of  nature and culture are entangled,  effectively creating a new variant, which blurs artificial distinctions. In this paper, the concept of hybridity is applied to the case study of Grenada. While the principal attraction on this Caribbean island is sun, sea and sand, Grenada's tourists also have a range of secondary interests away from the beach. Tourists who might be classified as conventional mass "sun-and-sand," often want to experience more of the island, and many do so through guided tours. Such tours have developed to reflect these varied interests and are therefore difficult to classify within tourism's typically narrow product labels. This research employs content and semiotic analysis of tourism promotional literature, as well as participant observation on guided tours to illustrate the hybrid variants that have emerged in Grenadian tour products, in which elements of agriculture, culture, nature, and others are blended together almost seamlessly. Moving from dualistic classifications of destinations and tourists, towards more complex and nuanced conceptualizations through hybridity, opens new opportunities for meeting the diverse interests of both conventional tourists as well as more niche market visitors.Desde una perspectiva geográfica, la hibridación expone la forma en que se enredan los diferentes componentes de la naturaleza y la cultura, creando una nueva variante, que desdibuja las distinciones artificiales. En este trabajo, el concepto de hibridación se aplica al estudio del caso de Grenada. Si bien el principal atractivo de esta isla del Caribe es sol, mar y arena, los turistas que visitan Grenada tienen una serie de otros intereses lejos de la playa. Los turistas que podrían clasificarse como la masa convencional "de sol y arena", a menudo quieren experimentar más aspectos de la isla, y muchos lo hacen a través de visitas guiadas. Estos tours se han desarrollado para reflejar los diversos intereses y por lo tanto difíciles de clasificar dentro de las etiquetas de productos turísticos típicamente estrechas. Esta investigación cuenta con el análisis de contenido y la semiótica de la literatura de promoción del turismo, así como la observación participante en las visitas guiadas para ilustrar las variantes híbridas que han surgido en los productos turísticos de Grenada, en la que elementos de la agricultura, cultura, naturaleza, y otros se mezclan casi a la perfección . Pasar de las clasificaciones dualistas de los destinos y los turistas, hacia concepciones más complejas y matizadas a través de la hibridación, abre nuevas oportunidades para satisfacer los diversos intereses de los turistas convencionales, así como los visitantes más nicho de mercado.

Conceptualizing Caribbean Tourism through Hybridity: The Grenadian Tour Product

From a geographic perspective, hybridity exposes the ways in which different components of nature and culture are entangled, effectively creating a new variant, which blurs artificial distinctions. In this paper, the concept of hybridity is applied to the case study of Grenada. While the principal attraction on this Caribbean island is sun, sea and sand, Grenada's tourists also have a range of secondary interests away from the beach. Tourists who might be classified as conventional mass "sun-and-sand," often want to experience more of the island, and many do so through guided tours. Such tours have developed to reflect these varied interests and are therefore difficult to classify within tourism's typically narrow product labels. This research employs content and semiotic analysis of tourism promotional literature, as well as participant observation on guided tours to illustrate the hybrid variants that have emerged in Grenadian tour products, in which elements of agriculture, culture, nature, and others are blended together almost seamlessly. Moving from dualistic classifications of destinations and tourists, towards more complex and nuanced conceptualizations through hybridity, opens new opportunities for meeting the diverse interests of both conventional tourists as well as more niche market visitors