Description

GUEST

Diana McIntyre-Pike, President/Founder, Countrystyle Community Tourism Network & Villages as Businesses

Through her work, Diana provides unique community lifestyle experiences through tailor-made travel packages. These packages combine Caribbean culture, heritage and lifestyle using diverse accommodations, unique island attractions, delicious local cuisine and family/community hospitality transportation services.

Trained in Tourism Management, Hotel Management, Catering Operations and Marketing, Diana developed the Villages as Businesses programme to empower member villages through tour design, training management and marketing support so their residents can profit from community tourism.

She has shared her vision and expertise by partnering with local universities such as the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus, as well as through her consulting services in community tourism to several other Caribbean countries.

During her over 44-year career pioneering Community Tourism, Diana has received a number of awards, such as a Community Tourism Activist Award in 2016 by the African Diaspora Tourism Network, Atlanta. She was also inducted into their hall of fame.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Jamaica is branded as the home of community tourism by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT).
• Diana grew up in the guest house business in Savanna-la-mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica.
• She always wanted to do drama – she love dancing and art – but was encouraged to leave behind the dramatic arts and instead pursue a more realistic career in tourism by her brother.
• Diana became one of the first women to study tourism in Jamaica. She views Jamaica as one of the greatest gems in the world.
• “Jamaican people are some of the most talented people in the world!”
• She encourages Jamaicans, including her relatives and friends, living abroad to be marketing ambassadors for the island.
• “To overcome the difficulties, I just take things day by day.” Despite great personal and financial loss, after losing her hotel, she relied on her spiritual strength to guide her through and maintain her resilience.
• “Community tourism is not a niche market. Community tourism is the way tourism should be developed.”
• About success: “When you work, and you work honestly, and you work with passion… if you don’t have passion for what you do, then don’t do it, because it’s not going to come out right.”
• In partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus, Diana now has an accredited online Community Tourism Entrepreneurship Programme which can be taken by students across the Caribbean.
• Tourism is a lifestyle, not just about hotels and tours. It’s about agriculture, arts, cuisine, culture and much more.

RESOURCES

www.peacetourism.org/caribbeantours

iiptcaribbean@yahoo.com

caribbean@peacetourism.org

www.villagesasbusinesses.com

www.accesscommunitytourism.com

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Thank you for listening! Feel free to email us at tallawahpod@gmail.com with your feedback or questions. We appreciate your support, so do let us know how we can ensure your Tallawah experience is “100”. If you know a Jamaican who is dominating, let us know and they may be our next guest!

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