Running head: FINAL REFLECTION PAPER 1

Travel and Tourism Seminar

Reflection Paper

Sharmori Richardson

International College of the Cayman Islands

BE-434

Seminar on Travel and Tourism

Instructor: Melisa Bent-Hamilton

Due date: August 31, 2018

Introduction

Tourism is defined as the commercial organization and operations of holiday visits to

various destinations (Stevenson, 2011). In simpler terms, it’s when people travel for multiple

purposes such as business, education, and leisure. If you view the tourism industry from an

economic or a financial perspective, you will truly understand the importance of the industry to

many Caribbean islands today; but to fully experience the travel and tourism industry one must

travel by plane or by cruise. In this reflection paper, I will highlight my travel and tourism

seminar experience onboard the third largest cruise in the world, Royal Caribbean Allure of the

Seas.

Travel and Tourism Topic Exploration

The topic I chose for the Seminar on Travel and Tourism was Chapter 13 of the textbook,

Casino Gambling. A casino is a building or a room used for social amusements; specifically, for

gambling (Tony et al., 2013). The United States’ (U.S) casino industry has a very controversial

history. The U.S saw rapid growth in casinos several years after the establishment of the first

casino in New Orleans, but due to the negative impact the industry had on the country, the

government decided to ban all casinos in 1910 (Reece, 2009). It was not until 1931, when the

government of Nevada realized that casinos could provide a source of revenue for the state, thus

improving the economy of the United States and discovering the pros of the casino industry.

Today, all cities in the U.S except for Hawaii and Utah legalized casinos to increase the GDP of

their states as well as the entire country.

U.S casinos are heavily regulated and taxed by the state, and they are owned by publicly

traded corporations such as Harrah’s Entertainment and MGM Mirage. As it relates to revenues,

casinos generate revenue through games some of the games such as poker, lotteries and slot
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machines which accounts for two-thirds of casino revenue in the United States. They also

generate revenue through non-gaming revenues such as entertainment, retail, food and beverages

and rooms and more (Reece, 2009). An example of this can be the Las Vegas Strip, which

provides hotels and casinos for tourist that travels to gamble. With that being said, casinos have

proven to be a revenue generator for U.S. states. Because of religious beliefs, the Cayman

Islands restricts gambling, but I believe casinos can be a great benefit to the islands.

Seminar Experience (Main Highlights)

The first day of the seminar was a very informative day in Nassau Bahamas. We had a

presentation from Dr. Michelle McLeod, the acting programme director at the center for Hotel

and Tourism Management at the University of West Indies, Nassau Bahamas. Dr. McLeod’s

presentation was very informative as she highlighted the history of Caribbean tourism. One part

of her presentation that I found to be very interesting was the number of tourism associations that

were created and failed. “The reason for these failures is that many Caribbean islands did not

want to release information about their tourism products” (M. McLeod, personal communication,

August 13, 2018). When Dr. McLeod mentioned this, I feel if the islands cooperated, the

Caribbean would be indeed the best tourism region in the world. Following the presentation at

the University of the West Indies, we visited the main attraction in Nassau, The Atlantis Resort.

Because of time, we only got to explore the aquarium, which I found was amazing since it was

my first time. I saw many fishes that I’ve never seen before in my life. After exploring the

aquarium, we traveled back to the ship, where we prepared for the night activities and our next

destination.

The second day of the seminar was a hot day in Cozumel, Mexico. Instead of learning

about culture and heritage at this destination, we examined the customer service of the local
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vendors. From keychains to handmade clothing, the vendors had a variety of locally made

souvenirs that were worth buying. Although there were local products available, the customer

service of the local vendors seemed to be a bit unpleasant as they kept harassing the tourist to

purchase their goods. Apart from the pushy customer service, I found that Cozumel was relaxing

and enjoyable as we all got WIFI to contact our families.

The third day was an adventurous day in Roatan, Honduras. We spent the entire day at

one the best tourist attractions in Roatan, Gumbalimba Park. Gumbalimba Park is a family-

friendly attraction in the island of Roatan that offers its visitors the opportunity to mingle with

friendly white-face Capuchin monkeys and free-flying exotic birds as well as zip lining through

the mountains” (Roatan, n.d.). I found that the nature walk around the part was amazing,

especially bonding with the monkeys and parrots, but my most favorite part of the Gumbalimba

Park experience was the ziplining. At first, I wasn’t going to do it as I am afraid of heights, but

as I received encouraging words from our instructor, Ms. Bent-Hamilton, and classmate Tyana

Walton, I did the activity and enjoyed every moment of it. This experience was the highlight of

my trip. It also reminded me that our mind is a powerful tool and if you believe in yourself you

can accomplish anything.

The fourth day of the seminar was more of a historic day as we toured the Chacchoben

Mayan Ruins, in Costa Maya, Mexico. These historical sites were used as a ceremonial ground

for the Mayans thousands of years ago. What made the tour more interesting is when our tour

guide expressed his passion for the historical architectures as a foundation for the Mayan culture

and heritage. It showed that he valued the different resources that made the Mayan culture so

unique, which I found is rare among the Caribbean Islands as the Governments focus on

modernizing the island to compete with major countries such as the United States. With that
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being said, this tour taught me to appreciate your culture because, in a matter of seconds, it can

be forgotten. Following the tour, of the Mayan Ruins, we returned to the pier, where we tasted

some of the best foods and beverages that Costa Maya had to offer. After eating, we went back to

the ship and prepared for night activities.

My seminar experience was one that I will never forget. Not only did I learn about these

destinations, but most of the classmates and I bonded like a family. I am pleased with the first

Travel and Tourism Seminar by Sea, and if I had the chance, I would do it all over again.

Application of Learning

The seminar on travel and tourism was phenomenal. The course has again taught me so

much about the culture, heritage and why these islands are the top tourist destinations in the

Caribbean. Having such knowledge will help us to create an excellent tourism product for our

end-of-quarter final project.

The information learned on this trip can also open new opportunities for you. For

example, an employee from guest services and I had a conversation about jobs, and they

mentioned that there are many financial and accounting employees on board and that it is

straightforward to secure an accounting job opportunity onboard the ship. This knowledge will

be beneficial to me as I may consider applying for short-term employment with one of the cruise

lines in the United States of America.

Limitations

Two limitations were present throughout the seminar on Travel and Tourism. The first

one can be experiencing one night at one of the islands. I feel that we would have gotten more of

a tourist experience at one of the destinations. There are Caribbean cruises that stay at

destinations overnight therefore, I think the college should look into those cruises to give future
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students a more tourist experience at one of the destinations. The last limitation that I found is

the lack of support and teamwork between some students in the group. Even though we’ve gotten

closer as a family at the end, I feel that the group was divided as well as some students targeted

other students that made them feel uncomfortable. I strongly believe that students lack teamwork

in seminars they can fail the course. With that said, I believe instructors should plan a mandatory

teambuilding exercise to equip students with skills to be successful in this course.

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on my learning experience throughout this seminar, I’ve learned a

lot from the first day in Nassau, Bahamas down to the last day in Costa Maya, Mexico. Ms.

Bent-Hamilton and Mrs. Demercado-Crisp made my last seminar and last quarter at the

International College of the Cayman Islands one to remember. I will truly miss seminars like this

and will value all of the information obtained at the various destinations. Lastly, learning about

the tourism products of these tourist destinations allowed me to vision what the Cayman Islands

as well as my homeland, Anguilla tourism products will appear in the near future. With that

being said, I feel that the Caribbean tourism industry will be the top tourism industry in years to

come.
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References

Reece, W. (2009). The Economics of Tourism. Boston: Pearson.

Roatan. (n.d.). Gumbalimba Park. Retrieved from Roatan: https://roatan.online/gumbalimba-

park/

Stevenson, A. (2011). Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.

Tong, H. H., Y., & Chim, D. (2013). The relationship between casino proximity and problem

gambling. Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health, 3(1), 1-17. doi:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2195-3007-3-2