Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
conversation and sociability. Or the visitor can
stay in a private home
an excellent way in
which to become acquainted with the culture
and lifestyle of persons in a different locality. In
the Bahamas, visitors can discover the island
group's people and culture in a very personal
way through its People-to-People program (see
Global Insights). This stimulating and exciting
program is organized by the Ministry of Tourism.
It matches Bahamian volunteers with visitors
having similar professions or interests. The
Bahamian host or host family may choose to
take guests to a local theater performance or a
Sunday church service or may invite them to a
home-cooked Bahamian dinner. A wide variety
of other activities may be included, depending on
the interests of the visitor(s). Such opportunities
substantially increase visitor appreciation and under-
standing of the culture they are visiting, and often
bring about lasting friendships.
Other organizations are the People to People
Ambassador Program and People to People Inter-
national that have programs for both students and adults. Visit
www.peopletopeople.com
and
www
.ptpi.org.
—
Experiencing new cultures,
along with their
architecture, food, and
dress, is a strong travel
motivation. This mosque in
the Arab community of
Singapore presents striking
architecture.
Photoby
theauthor.
E
GLOBAL INSIGHT
E
Bahamas People-to-People Program
A
leader in providing a local experience to thousands of
their homes for a traditional meal of peas 'n' rice, fried fish, and
guava duff.
Since the start of People-to-People, the idea has expanded its
outreach program offerings, moving beyond Nassau and Grand
Bahama Island to the out islands of Eleuthra, Exuma, San
Salvador, Bimini, and Abaco. It has created branches geared
toward visiting students and convention attendees. Tourists gain
an informed view of the local culture as well as gain an insight
into the distinctive cultures each island offers.
foreign visitors is the islands of the Bahamas. The
People-to-People program established by the Ministry of
Tourism has created lasting friendships between visitors and
locals since its inception more than 19 years ago. It has
provided an opportunity for visitors to learn hands-on the
culture of the island by interacting with the Bahamians
themselves.
The program matches guests with more than 1,500 Bahamian
volunteers of similar ages and interests for a day or evening
activity, which could include boating, fishing, shopping at the
local outdoor market, attending a local school or church service,
enjoying back-street tours, or, more often, visiting Bahamians in
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
Why did the Bahamas adopt a People-to-People program?
2.
What are some of the rewards of international travel?
THE ROMANCE OF PLEASURE TRAVEL
Perhaps the strongest of all individual travel motivations is simply that of satisfying a need for
pleasure. Travel has the unique quality of being able to satisfy this desire to an extremely high degree.
Not all trips are pleasurable, but some are more pleasurable than anticipated. The planning and
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