By Sir Henry Fraser From The Barbados Advocate

Congratulations to Jamaica! The magnificent Blue and John Crow Mountains have just been inscribed as a World Heritage site – among a list of 27 new sites announced on July 3rd. It brings the list of Caribbean UNESCO sites to 20.

It represents the first World Heritage site for Jamaica and the first mixed (cultural and natural) site for the Caribbean sub-region. It’s one of only 32 mixed sites on the list and Jamaica now joins the iconic Great Wall of China, The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, The Taj Mahal of India and the Acropolis of Athens, as well as our own Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison.

The Blue & John Crow Mountains National Park conserves about 200 000 acres of mountainous tropical rain-forest in Eastern Jamaica – it is a rare example of the tropical “cloud” forest. Most of it is over 3 000 feet, and Blue Mountain Peak is 7 402 feet. The inscription recognises both the natural beauty, the more than 800 species of endemic plants, the world’s second largest butterfly, Papilo Homerus (the Jamaican giant swallowtail butterfly), and 200 species of resident and migratory birds, and the intangible heritage, as home to the indigenous Taino people who fled from the Spaniards, and the escaped slaves, the Maroons, led by Nanny, who formed Moore Town.

It is, in my own humble opinion, the most beautiful part of the English speaking Caribbean, having been to all but three Caribbean territories – (it even surpasses our own Scotland District, and for me that’s quite an admission, but then I’m a hopeless lover of Jamaica, my second home!) I’ve hiked the trails, painted in the magnificent misty mountains and climbed Blue Mountain Peak twice, but that’s another story …

Other sites included in this year’s rather long list of newly inscribed World Heritage sites include the Champagne hillsides of France, Rock art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia, The Singapore Botanical Gardens, Ephesus in Turkey (think St. Paul’s letters to the Ephesians … ) and The Forth Bridge in Scotland.

The Galapagos Islands and the City of Quito (both Ecuador), Rock hewn churches in Ethiopia, Krakow’s historic centre in Poland, the Island of Goree in Senegal and several National Parks were among the first 12 inscribed World Heritage sites in 1978. Of the now more than 1,000 sites on the UNESCO list, the Caribbean is recognised to be under-represented – and has only a handful among the CARICOM countries. The four Eastern Caribbean sites are Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica (inscribed in 1997), Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park in St. Kitts (inscribed in 1999), The Pitons in St. Lucia (inscribed in 2004) and Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison (inscribed on June 25, 2011). Meanwhile Barbados has submitted two additions to the “tentative” list, for consideration by UNESCO. They are the Industrial Heritage of Barbados: The Story of Sugar (cultural) and the Scotland District (natural).

Bermuda, Curacao, Dominican Republic and Haiti have one each, while Surinam has two. Cuba has the lion’s share, with 9 splendid sites – seven cultural and two natural. All are quite extraordinary, with a wealth of dramatic historic buildings, forts, palaces, streetscapes and town squares, They include Old Havana and its fortifications, and the fascinating old town of Cienfuegos, with its almost untouched 18th century buildings. Cienfuegos (City of Fire) was also the first place to use hygiene and order in its urban planning, as developed in Latin America from the 19th century. We saw both of these cities on our official visit to Cuba eight years ago.

And with the “opening up” of Cuba to America, their rich heritage will be a major draw once again. The thaw in relations between the US and Cuba has led to a stunning, immediate 36 per cent increase in visits by Americans to the island, including thousands who are flying into Cuba from third countries like Mexico. The numbers are still modest – little more than 50 000 but with the political change, the richness of Cuba’s “evergreen” historic architecture and Spanish culture, and its abundance of World Heritage sites, the numbers are likely to grow exponentially.

For most Caribbean countries the numbers of tourists from the USA greatly outnumber those from other countries, including Canada. Cuba already receives more than three million “stop-over” tourists, with more than a million from Canada. With the reopening of Cuba to Americans there is little doubt that there will soon be a million or two million Americans drawn to the country which is not only its closest neighbour but one with a rich heritage, and for so long “forbidden”.

There is only ONE approach that Caribbean countries can take to the challenge we will face, and that is to recognise that we ALL have a rich heritage and to capitalise on it. World Heritage inscription rebrands destinations and it can dramatically increase visitors. We must not keep it a secret!

The continuing emphasis on our beaches WILL NOT CUT IT! The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), which does such excellent work, and its members must market the Caribbean as a region of rich cultural heritage – with a wealth of history and amazing sites – as well as picture perfect, pristine beaches. And let’s face it, the Sargassum seaweed has already done some damage to that image, even though it will disappear. In fact, it virtually disappeared from the beach at Carlisle Bay this week. Our new mantra could be something like ”The tropical Paradise with a World of Heritage sites”.

Bouquet and question of the week: Congratulations to Julian “Michael Jackson” White on brilliantly retaining his Road Tennis Crown last Sunday. And the question: Has the National Sports Council taken out a patent on Barbados Road Tennis as yet, before some other country claims it?

(Professor Fraser is past Dean of Medical Sciences, UWI and Professor Emeritus of Medicine. Website: www.profhenryfraser.com)

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