BY ALICIA SUTHERLAND

Observer staff reporter

sutherlanda@jamaicaobserver.com

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — This south central highland town was recently declared the first Peace Town in the Caribbean by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) and SKAL International, which is the world’s largest membership organisation of travelling tourism executives.

Brooks Park Sports and Recreational Complex at the heart of Mandeville was also named a Peace Park. A Peace Garden was started at Brooks Park with 10 Ortanique seedlings. Ortanique, a derivative of the citrus plants orange and tangerine, had its origins in Manchester.

IIPT, a non-profit organisation started in 1986 by American Louis D’Amore, is founded on a vision for “the world’s largest industry — travel and tourism — becoming the world’s first global peace industry”. D’Amore was among those in Mandeville for the official Peace declarations.

Organisers say the purpose was to declare to the world that Mandeville is actively committed to promoting values of tolerance, non-violence, gender equality, human rights, youth empowerment, environmental awareness and sustainable social and economic development.

The ceremony, which was held at Brooks Park, was part of a community-based Tourism Study Tour and Conference of the Caribbean chapter of the IIPT in association with the local-based Countrystyle Community Tourism Network.

“This concept of a Peace Park, although not new, is relatively new to this side of the world…,” mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay told her audience at the Brooks Park ceremony.

“As we approach the 200th anniversary of Manchester as a parish we are adding another accolade to our repertoire; in addition to having the first Golf Course and Tennis Club (and) the first Horticultural Society in the Western Hemisphere. I therefore gladly lend my support in promoting Mandeville as the first Peace Town in the Caribbean. We will no doubt move Mandeville towards becoming the central domain for community and heritage tourism,” she added.

Ramsay told the Jamaica Observer Central that the Manchester Parish Council contributed over $100,000 to the peace plaque that was unveiled and she believes the funds were “well-spent”.

“Let’s start the first peace epidemic in this country, starting with Manchester. Just as how these fledgling trees will grow, so I hope this peace movement will grow. I intend to work very hard for peace,” said chairman of the Manchester Parish Development and the Brooks Park Development Committee Dr Clifton Reid.

To sustain the idea of peace, a group will be organised shortly to be responsible for overseeing projects such as peace games among communities, peace craft, song and poetry competitions, Reid said.

Superintendent Harry Daley, who is in charge of operations for Area 3 (Manchester, St Elizabeth and Clarendon) and was representing minister of national security and Central Manchester Member of Parliament Peter Bunting at the Brooks Park ceremony, said that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is looking at and developing new ways of assisting security and will be more involved in activities such as the Peace Park initiative.

D’Amore said that the IIPT Caribbean Chapter, headed by Diana McIntyre-Pike, is the first and most active chapter.

Also the founder of the Countrystyle Community Tourism Network, McIntyre-Pike has been actively engaged in promoting “villages as businesses”.

She said that the efforts being made in community tourism in Jamaica are not to compete with the rest of the Caribbean.

“We are not competing with the Caribbean. We are one people,” said McIntyre-Pike.

The IIPT Caribbean Community-Based Study Tour and Conference, which was held November 18-23, had among its participants members from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) except Montserrat, representatives of Countrystyle Caribbean Vacations and Tours (COCAVAT) in Denmark and the director of the Miami Cultural Tours.

The tour on November 19 included Resource in south Manchester and Treasure Beach in south-east St Elizabeth. Canoe Valley in the vicinity of Resource and the Treasure Beach Sports Park were also recognised as Peace Parks.

For the Mandeville tour visits were also made to the Creative JA Shop at Reliance Centre in the town of Mandeville, Kariba Guest House on Winston Jones Highway and the coffee factory at Jamaica Standard Products in Williamsfield.

On November 20 the tour was extended to Westmoreland and St James. Beeston Spring Village in Westmoreland and the Indigenous Rastafarian Village in Montego Bay were declared IIPT Peace Parks. Participants also visited a beekeeping farm in Westmoreland. Speakers throughout the conference at the Mandeville Hotel on November 21-22 spoke on a range of topics under the theme ‘Sustaining and Transforming Communities Through Tourism Entrepreneurship’.