Daily we see them in increasing numbers — the backpackers. Seemingly wandering aimlessly, as if lost and in need of direction, they have become a part of the Jamaican landscape. Some are barely able to speak English yet trying to speak the local language. They hail from far-flung places: America, Canada and England, but also Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Poland, and almost every country on planet Earth.

They frequent places where authentic reggae music is played late into the night, where the culture is untainted by the love of all things American, and the smell of herb perfumes the atmosphere. They show up at sporting events where the much-heralded and envied prowess of our athletes is on display; at so-called watering holes where local spirits are imbibed; at community cookouts and at eating places that serve jerk and ital food. Mostly, they are seen off the beaten path; away from places that would remind them of the cosmopolitan lifestyle back home. One sees them in remote places, not frequented by tourists, and wonders how they got there or if they have no concern for their safety.We have grown accustomed to seeing the backpackers; sometimes on a lonely trek, other times in a group with other backpackers, and occasionally in the company of a Jamaican who may be serving as a guide or as an itinerant lover. Some of these people we see wandering around as if they have no roof over their head, booked their stay on the island at upscale all-inclusive hotels on the idyllic north coast. When hotel management does its nightly headcount to make sure everyone is safely in their beds — this is not an unusual practice in a country with a reputation for world-leading levels of crime and violence — the bed check reveals some beds are empty. Where could they be? When the “escapees” show up a few hours or days later, with a gleeful look on their face, ask them. The answer is likely to be, “Irie, man. Everything irie.”The backpackers seem to have one thing in common: They are seekers. They are seeking the essence of Jamaica; the thing that makes Jamaica —the birthplace of Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, reggae and Rastafari — special among the countries of the world. They are not here looking for our beautiful white sand beaches to lie in the sun to get a tan, or our majestic mountains which have captivated generations of visitors since Columbus, or the many attractions promoted in glossy brochures. There is no chance that they will find what they are looking for in the packaged vacations designed by destination management companies and tour operators. They are searching for the Jamaican experience; something more than that which meets the eye. They are seeking to touch and be touched by the soul of Jamaica.There are always going to be those who travel to the island to be able to say, “I vacationed in Jamaica.” To be locked away in an all-inclusive hotel gives them bragging rights for spending their vacation in an exotic destination. But even among their number, there is a growing segment that wants to experience the real Jamaica; the Jamaica that is more than just a beach. Along with the backpackers this is a growing market that tourism industry planners, hoteliers and tour operators can no longer ignore.Brian Chesky, the youthful entrepreneur who became a multi-billionaire in just a few short years by starting Airbnb (Air bed and breakfast), saw the trend away from packaged vacations in traditional hotels to unscripted experiences in homes and bread and breakfast accommodations. His online vacation marketplace and accommodation booking service boasts more than three million unique listings in over 30,000 cities and 190 countries. On the Airbnb site, Trench Town is the most requested location in Jamaica. That speaks loudly to a fact few Jamaicans recognise or will admit. Many visitors to our island are being held hostage by our own fears and ideas about what is best for them.Sandals Resorts, the Jamaican global brand which popularised the all-inclusive hotel concept, is not sufficiently appreciated for continuously reinventing itself. Through a subsidiary Island Routes Caribbean Adventures it has ventured into the tour business; taking guests beyond the walls of the all-inclusive to discover communities and mingle with ordinary Jamaicans. In its latest innovation, called Mini-Routes tour, the company offers to visitors an alternative to the impersonal and more restricted bus tour. The visitor takes the wheel of a Mini Cooper motor car, and with family members or friends aboard, driving in a caravan with a lead car ahead, goes at a more leisurely pace with stops at pre-approved vendors and unspoilt villages along the way. Island Routes Vice-President, Sales David Shields gets it. He says the company will soon experiment with visitors driving themselves at will; going when and where they want, without chaperone or guide, just like it used to be in olden days. Shields and his company are also giving direct assistance to a Trench Town-based social enterprise, JaMIN Tours, a group of women seeking to lure visitors to the iconic birthplace of reggae.Gordon “Butch” Stewart’s ingenious all-inclusive vacation concept, which is centred on experiences on the hotel property, saved Jamaica’s tourism industry at a time when problems in the society posed a real risk to the safety of visitors. The problem of crime is still with us, but it has not stopped the world from wanting to get up close and personal with the Jamaican culture, people and experience. Such is the power of Brand Jamaica.  

hmorgan@cwjamaica.com