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TCI culture and heritage, who should pay to learn it and who should be exempted?
#TurksandCaicos, November 21, 2023 – T.I.D.E.S Training, which stands for Together Individuals Delivering Excellent Service. This is the most recent initiative relaunched by the Department of Tourism Regulation, aimed at educating all workers operating within the tourism sector on the history and culture of our nation.
Cultural heritage implies a shared bond and our belonging to a town or community, which I believe is of some
Whilst I support this initiative and believe there are good intentions, the question many citizens especially native Turks Islanders are grappling with is, should they have to pay to relearn their own history and culture?
Unlike the previous version of this program, which was revised for boat tour operators, not only is the training a mandatory requirement for renewal of business licenses, but attendees will be required to take a passing exam.
Some consider this a slap in the face of those pioneer taxi drivers and tour operators who have dedicated their lives over the years in educating tourists on our beautiful by nature islands. This could also create some anticipatory anxiety especially for those who may not have taken a written exam in over 40 plus years.
You be the judge! In my opinion, with the transformation of the tourism industry in TCI and the vast number of work permit holders, there is certainly a growing need for such training.
Particularly, for those in certain
front-line positions. One would agree persons should be knowledgeable in this area in order to properly represent TCIs culture and heritage.
Furthermore, in order to help offset the annual cost of the recent DMO transition, additional revenue will need to be generated. However, should it come at the expense of native Turks Islanders?
This comes at a time when the government is making efforts to scale back on the amount of red tape that hampers business operations and to make obtaining licenses a more streamlined process.
Why create another barrier to the process? In some cases, business license holders have already deemed certain fees to be excessive and lack value for money and should be reassessed for consolidation in some areas.
With that being said, here are some suggestions to help ease the burden and find common ground.
1. Conduct a train the trainer seminar where business owners and or managers will be responsible for cascading the information to their employees.
2. Invest in commercial advertising to educate work permit holders, natives and tourists alike on our culture and history.
3. Roll out public seminars with mandatory attendance requirements for relevant stakeholders.
4. Consider the return on investment, and determine if this initiative is quantifiable and should be applicable to all employees in every facet of the business. (E.g) persons working as a mate on a boat tour or a front desk clerk at a dive shop etc.
5. Those with “X” number of years working on the frontline of the tourism sector, consider grandfathering them in.
6. Eliminate the testing requirement.
7. Limit the fees to work permit holders and business owners.
8. Encapsulate local history and culture within school curriculum.
When it’s all said and done, government policies should be designed to make business operations more efficient while considering the short and long term impact on the economy and to avoid disenfranchisement of local entrepreneurs.
After all, isn’t this the intended purpose of public consultation, thus producing an accurate microcosm of its society?
Ed Forbes
Concerned citizen of Grand Turk