Tourism is all about the people that visit, right? Give travelers a clean bed and good memories, and they’ll be back. 
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But what about the interactions and experiences it takes to make those memories? How about the people that aren’t even connected to the industry, that live and work and go to the beach in our destinations? Can they shape a visitor’s experience, too?

The friends we gathered at our Montego Bay Lab argue yes. They even consider hospitality workers and locals to be as important as the guests themselves. From the driver on the airport transfer to the checkout clerk at the pharmacy, tourists’ interactions with “regular” locals have an enormous impact on their perception of the destination.
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If locals don’t see the contribution of tourism to their economy (and themselves) it’s easy to regard these visitors—driving erratically, dressed garishly, standing at the order window too long, confused about local customs—as an irritation, and treat them as such.

The challenge to marketers is to show the impact of tourism—in dollars, jobs and outreach—to their community like Jamaica has done. Once it’s understood how tourism directly benefits the community, the more welcoming locals will be. Better yet, if marketers can find a way to bring more business to the community—like Sanovnik Destang has with St. Lucia’s Virtual Agricultural Clearing House (VACH)—it directly impacts even more people, and creates more lasting memories in guests’ minds forever.