Franklyn Anoje's Story
The excitement of going on this international learning experience to Saint Lucia from the very day I was selected to be amongst the team of students and faculty was overwhelming. It was a feeling I cannot really explain or describe. I was happy, grateful and privileged to be selected as a Tourism & Hospitality student who has been taught a whole lot on all aspects of said topics by my awesome instructors Nicole Robinson, Amy Savoury and Shelley Meldrum. I eagerly waited and started my countdown immediately.
Saint Lucia is situated in the Eastern Caribbean Sea and shares maritime boundaries with several neighboring countries:
Martinique: This French overseas territory lies to the north of Saint Lucia and is known for its stunning natural beauty and rich French-Caribbean culture.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: To the south of Saint Lucia, this island nation is made up of the main island of Saint Vincent and a chain of smaller islands called the Grenadines. It shares historical and cultural ties with Saint Lucia.
Barbados: Located to the southeast of Saint Lucia, Barbados is an independent island nation known for its vibrant culture, beautiful beaches, and British colonial heritage.
Dominica: To the north of Saint Lucia, Dominica is known as the "Nature Isle of the Caribbean" for its lush rainforests, volcanic peaks, and natural hot springs.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Further to the northwest, Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, consisting of two islands renowned for their beautiful beaches and historic sites.
The countdown finally ended and there came Sunday May 5th, 2024, a day and date that has been tattooed forever in my heart. The road trip to Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, NS during the early hours of the day was full of excitement and expectations as I drove with a fellow participant (Taylor) who was as excited about the trip as I was. We engaged in endless conversations about the beauty and serenity of the country, our expectations and most importantly the impact the learning experience would have on our learning curves. We got to the airport in record time. The flight from Halifax was scheduled for 3:15am, we checked in and connected with other students and faculty members who were all excited and looking forward to the experience.
We arrived in Saint Lucia at about 3pm and were greeted by unprecedented heat (lol), considering how cold our weather was in Canada just before leaving. Our excitement and the rousing welcome that we were accorded by Mr. Kurt Harris who is the Dean, Academics Partnerships and Internationalization of the host college Sir Arthur Lewis Community College helped us forget the drastic change in climate.
After our greetings and brief introductions, we headed straight to our accommodations called Tranquility Getaway located at Belmar's Lane Morne Fortune, Good Lands, Saint Lucia. It was an interesting ride considering how the road networks were, Zigzag, narrow and scary at first, but they eventually became part of our daily routine.
Below is the summary of my learning outcomes from the visit to Saint Lucia with its theme centered around Blue Economy Tourism and its importance in the local context.
Activities included site visits to various blue economy tourism operations, team-building exercises, in addition to an awesome presentation on learning related to blue economy tourism delivered by Nicole Robinson. She summarily defined Blue Tourism as the sustainable use of marine resources and coastal area for tourism purposes while ensuring the preservation of the ecosystems and biodiversity.
She further stated that there are many considerations for businesses in blue tourism which range from environmental impact to community engagement and involvement, economic viability, to collaborations & partnerships with all stakeholders in the Blue Tourism Ecosystem. Coastal tourism is the largest market segment globally, accounting for 5% of GDP and contributing 6-7% of total employment. Coastal and maritime tourism is expected to employ 1.5 million additional people worldwide by 2030.
Activities within blue economy tourism encompass beach tourism, scuba diving, snorkeling, yachting, coastal cruises, marine wildlife encounters, and coral reef exploration.
Student Challenge: After the presentation, we were grouped and given a blue economy tourism discussion, more of a reflective question that encompasses all that we were taught and had experienced so far in the week. We worked together to find a solution based on information gathered during site visits to service providers and other tourism destinations.
Learning Outcomes:
Applying knowledge, skills, and attitudes in an international setting. Understanding the benefits of cross-cultural collaboration for work-related projects. Building evidence of experiences for portfolio development. Assessing safety and risk related to international travel. Identifying and reflecting on differences and similarities between Canada and St. Lucia.
I want to specially thank the following persons, Zoran Kondali(Our Daddy of the trip) for constantly looking out for us and ensuring we were safe, Nicole Robinson(Our Mummy of the trip) for always ensuring that we had our meals and for the awesome presentation piece on the Blue Tourism Ecosystem, Lacey Morrel-Pierre(Angelic Voice) for always providing us with snacks especially the tasty yummy fried plantain and serenading us with the most captivating musical rendition I had ever listened to at the closing dinner, my fellow students from NSCC(The Incredible 7) - Taylor, Kate, Denise, Sommer, Grayson and Tanner for the high level of courtesy, friendship, respect and mutual understanding and finally the Amazing 6 from SALCC-Natalie, Chloe, Naomi , Halie, Shiayan and Evancia for being so hospitable and welcoming
Conclusion: The benefits of this international learning experience will remain evergreen in my life as the take home benefits are enormous because it brought to bear and into practicality all I was taught in class; I will recommend such learning experience for subsequent students especially those in Tourism & Hospitality.