I watched a film for my 3rd World Poverty class called Life & Debt that basically details how the WTO and the World Bank screws over 3rd world countries. It's all done in the the name of "free trade," though really what it amounts to is big companies hiring cheap labor to drive down prices so local markets can't compete.
The film focused on Jamaica, where tourism is a major industry. A lot of the hardships that the Jamaicans go through has to do with the fact that a lot of these tourist resorts aren't locally owned, and don't utilize local products, so none of the money goes into the economy of Jamaica. The money comes in from foreigners and goes back to to foreigners. With this in mind I thought it would be pretty cool to open a "Fair Trade Resort."
The resort would hire entirely from the local job market, and all of the services in the resort that could be provided by the local economy would be. That is, the resort would buy things like food, alcohol, and linens from Jamaican manufaturers, but if the resort were to provide something like jet skis they would obviously have to be purchased from a foreign manufacturer. Initial construction would be contracted to local companies. Even the band playing in the lobby would be local (You'd be surprised to hear that most performers at all-inclusive resorts aren't locals, but rather acts that are brought in because tourists can more easily associate with their music.)
All this would ensure that the money coming in from tourism would go back to Jamaica, and at the same time provide good jobs for locals and give you, the tourist, a warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing that you're part of the solution.
I think I'm onto something, so don't be surprised to hear that I've moved down to Jamaica after I've graduated and started this little project.
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