World Tourism Hero Diana McIntyre-Pike is all about community tourism. She has a big heart for peace through tourism and is very proud to have led the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) in Jamaica since its founding.
Diana explains:
Our journey with the PEACE TOURISM niche market started in the early seventies when the Founder/President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT), Mr. Louis D’Amore, discovered us in Mandeville, Manchester, with the Community Tourism program that the late Desmond Henry and I pioneered in Jamaica from my past small hotel The Astra Country Inn.
Lou D’Amore was very impressed with the training, business development, and marketing support we provided for communities, which improved the quality of life in their communities.
He invited us to present on community tourism as one of the success stories at the 2nd IIPT Conference in Montreal, Canada, and it was well received.
The IIPT created its first chapter outside of the USA and the Caribbean and appointed me President. He also launched the IIPT International Community Tourism Network and appointed me the Co-ordinator,
The IIPT taught us the importance of PEACE TOURISM and the Peace Villages program. We have partnered with many through Countrystyle Villages as Businesses and registered communities in Jamaica and the Caribbean region.
Community Tourism was created in 1978 at my small hotel, “The Astra,” in Jamaica and marketed internationally through the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) to assist communities in realizing the direct benefits of tourism in their own environment.
is unlike other rural Jamaican towns: it is cool, it is clean, and there
are no slums. Thanks to energetic promotion by the Central and South Coast
Tourism Organization, the town is a magnet for discerning visitors and an
excellent base for exploring the central hills and the south coast.
This resulted in the IIPT branding Jamaica THE HOME OF COMMUNITY TOURISM.
Community Tourism is holistic. It is not a niche form of tourism but provides for every niche market in an unconventional model. It depends on the appreciation and quality of indigenous resources to generate income and provides a tangible incentive and practical vehicle for community development.
At the first International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) Caribbean Conference, held in Montego Bay in 2003, it was agreed that “community tourism is community development through tourism.”
Hence, the Villages as Businesses programme Manchester Peace Coalition (MPCo) was created as a result of the visit of the Founder/President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT), Louis D’Amore, who participated as the guest speaker in the IIPT Caribbean Community Tourism Conference and Study Tour in 2013.
The Manchester Parish Council registered Mandeville as the first IIPT Peace Town in the Caribbean and the First IIPT Peace Park at Brooks Park Mandeville.
Since then, the Chairman of the Manchester Peace Coalition (MPCo), Dr. Clifton Reid, formed a working committee to develop the way forward, which included detailed research by Dr Herbert Gayle, who identified 18 at-risk communities in Manchester which paved the way forward for focusing on empowering these communities in a holistic development through education and training, sports and recreation and economic projects and marketed for visitors wishing to experience the community lifestyles.
Photo: Planting of trees for Peace Through Tourism at the Mandeville Peace Park with Louis D’Amore and Diana McIntyre-Pike
PHOTO of the Manchester Peace Coalition Team at the IIPT Mandeville Peace Park
The Manchester Peace Coalition (MPCo) officially launched Tuesday, September 20, 2016, at a peace breakfast ceremony—Pastor Glen Samuels, PMI St. James.
To reduce domestic violence, promote better parenting, reduce school drop-out rates, support uniformed youth groups in Manchester and income-generating projects in the targeted communities
The vision of the Treasure Beach Destination Management Organization is that by the year 2030 Treasure Beach will be known throughout Jamaica, the Caribbean, and the world as a successful and model community tourism destination that provides visitors the opportunity to experience Jamaican cultural and natural heritage through immersive experiences delivered by small and micro tourism enterprises.
Through sustainable and effective public-private partnerships, Treasure Beach’s infrastructure Will be improved for residents and visitors alike, marketing of the destination will be heightened, and economic growth and development will be enhanced by increased inflows from tourism throughout the community.
The DMO’s mission is to unite the Treasure Beach community to manage tourism in a way that celebrates local culture, protects the environment, and increases the economic benefits that flow from tourism to the Treasure Beach area.
This will be accomplished through leadership, coordination, promotion, and management of the long-term development and marketing of Treasure Beach.
The IIPT PEACE VILLAGES AND Villages as Businesses® Method:
- Raise Awareness of Local Assets
- Villages As Businesses:
- Showcasing Assets
Sharing Experiences with visitors participating in Pick a project and Adopt a village program staying at any accommodation of their choice and homestays included in communities
The Community Tourism Lifestyle Experience vacations and tours promote peace tourism to visitors, who assist in creating peace by embracing community projects and giving financial support to community businesses.
Thanks to the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) for paving the way forward to PEACE TOURISM!
TRAINING OF COMMUNITY ENTREPRENEURS IN LOPINOT TRINIDAD below has resulted in this village being one of the visitor attractions in the Caribbean. We have trained others in Antigua, St. Vincent, Grenada, Barbados, Dominica, St Eustatius and presented PEACE TOURISM as one of the leading niche markets.
