A new book highlighting key issues and new approaches in transforming the Jamaican tourism industry will be launched at Devon House in Kingston on April 4.

The book, entitled People and Tourism: Issues and Attitudes in the Jamaican Hospitality Industry, is written by University of the West Indies Lecturer, Dr Hopeton Dunn and sociologist and researcher, Dr Leith Dunn.

It is the product of extensive field research and data analysis conducted by the authors over several years in Jamaica’s resort communities and in the industry nationally.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the Jamaica Tourist Board, and with the assistance of the Negril Resort Board, hoteliers, vendors associations and tourism workers islandwide.

The data presented in the book make a strong argument for greater people involvement in the industry. The book advocates the creation of new people-driven attractions, faster development of cultural and environmental tourism products and calls for continued emphasis on community tourism especially in non-traditional areas.

The issues analysed in the book include:

* The impact of crime and violence on

resort communities;

* Sex and tourism;

* Visitor harassment;

* Perceptions of all-inclusive properties;

* Treatment of local people in

Jamaican hotels;

* Drug use and tourism;

* The economic impact of the industry;

and

* The quality of local services and

infrastructure affecting tourism.

According to the cover notes, the book is a remarkable case study of a people and an industry in transition. Some of the findings and analyses have already had an impact on policy-making in the industry, and the overall work has clear implications for building a more sustainable hospitality industry in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

The book, published by Arawak Publications, will be officially launched by Tourism Minister Portia Simpson Miller, and will be available at all bookshops islandwide.