Japan helping Falmouth locals to benefit from heritage tourism
MAKING SURE that the people of Falmouth, Trelawny, benefit directly from tourism, the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has committed to empowering the locals by providing a volunteer from the Asian country to impart knowledge on how to develop Falmouth as a sustainable destination for international tourism.
Japanese volunteer Yumeno Tsukamoto, who has experience as a tour guide from working with a sightseeing train company in Japan, explained the relevance of her mission here in Jamaica, which, she said, is to build tourism awareness and heritage protection among the people of Falmouth.
“Sometimes, there are a lot of big cruise ships that stop here, but big tourism companies take the tourists to other places. Local people in Falmouth cannot make money, so I want to try to alleviate this negative impact and I want to spread the positive impacts of tourism,” Tsukamoto told reporters recently during a two-day press tour,
visiting a number of sites across Jamaica, sponsored by the Japanese government.
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Alongside Tsukamoto, the Tourism Product Development Company hosts Jamaican music and dance shows once a week to attract tourists to the town, particularly in Water Square.
“We have soca and steel pan band, folklore and such kind,” she said.
She also expressed her desire to help set up a Usain Bolt tour, which will take persons through
the life of the sprinting legend by visiting his community, school and other spaces in the parish that contributed to his upbringing.
“I want local people to get good profits from the tourism industry. Not only income generation, but also for the tourists and local people to get a chance to know about Falmouth’s history. Sometimes, local people are very excited, more than creative tourists. Falmouth has a lot of historical Georgian buildings and Falmouth has great history, like the courthouse and the parish church,” said Tsukamoto.