{"id":4922,"date":"2020-01-06T09:49:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T13:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drealfmgrenada.com\/?p=4922"},"modified":"2020-01-06T09:49:13","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T13:49:13","slug":"bee-keeping-a-growth-industry-in-caribbean-as-it-declines-in-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drealfmgrenada.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/06\/bee-keeping-a-growth-industry-in-caribbean-as-it-declines-in-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Bee Keeping A Growth Industry In Caribbean, As It Declines In US"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the International Monetary Fund projected recently that Guyana\u2019s economy could jump by 86 percent in 2020, it credited recent oil and gas discoveries. But a different buzz is exciting two of the South American nation\u2019s premier industries, agribusiness and tourism. They\u2019re looking to marry their sectors to offer a new attraction to visitors: bees.<\/p>\n

Guyana is not alone. For decades, the Caribbean has counted on its\u00a0pristine beaches \u2014 and Guyana on its lush rainforests \u2014 to draw millions of visitors<\/a>. Now, the region\u2019s countries are increasingly looking to broaden their draw with\u00a0bee tourism<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 also known as apitourism \u2014 at a time the populations of more than 700 North American bee varieties are on the decline, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.<\/p>\n

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Safari guests examine a colony of European bees at an apiary in Canaan, Tobago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Trinidad and Tobago is hosting a bee safari in early 2020, publicizing the event as a way to beat the winter blues while gaining insights into tropical beekeeping. In St. Lucia, the Washington-based Global Environment Facility \u2014 a partnership of 183 nations and civil society organizations \u2014 is backing local beekeepers who are offering four-day bee safaris and one-day bee farm tours.<\/p>\n

Starting in 2020, Eden Farm Tours in Grenada will offer apitherapy spa packages. The company is also trying to launch the Caribbean\u2019s first medical-grade honey. The Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility \u2014 a collaboration of regional private sector firms \u2014 and the Caribbean Tourism Organization recently announced grants of up to $400,000 for innovative new agritourism initiatives, including in bee tourism.<\/p>\n

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IT IS ONLY NATURAL TO SEE HOW WE CAN USE AGRICULTURE AS A BASE FOR PROVIDING SATISFACTORY TOURISM EXPERIENCES.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

DONALD SINCLAIR, DIRECTOR GENERAL, GUYANA\u2019S DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Guyana plans on offering three- to five-day safari tours for tourists to sample the country\u2019s varieties of honey while observing domestic hives. This support from governments and regional and global organizations points to the growing confidence that bee tourism could add to the region\u2019s estimated $56 billion annual tourism revenue, and capture a slice of the global apiculture industry that\u2019s estimated to touch $10 billion by 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuyana has vast agricultural resources and is a strong emerging tourism destination,\u201d says Donald Sinclair, director general of Guyana\u2019s Department of Tourism. \u201cSo it is only natural to see how we can use agriculture as a base for providing satisfactory tourism experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Guyana Apiculture Society plans to take visitors to apiaries near the majestic Demerara and Essequibo rivers, says the body\u2019s vice president, Linden Stewart. Tourists will see bees pollinating blossoms, then visit a honey house to observe the extraction, filtration and bottling of honey with an opportunity for sampling.<\/p>\n

For the region\u2019s beekeepers, tapping into tourism makes sense. \u201cWhen you are in a Caribbean island \u2026 if you are not in tourism, you are not in business,\u201d says Richard Matthias, president of the Iyanola Apiculture Collective in St. Lucia.<\/p>\n

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Gladstone Solomon at his apiary in a forest in Mount St. George, Tobago. Source\u00a0Jewel Fraser<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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For tourists, the Caribbean promises opportunities impossible to find in North America, say experts. Caribbean bees have a very different diet, says Gladstone Solomon, former president of the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers\u2019 Organizations. In North America, bees often have to settle for acres of almonds or other monoculture crops. In the Caribbean, bees forage on a range of nectar sources, from forest trees to shrubs to commercial plants. As a consequence, the honey produced in the Caribbean varies throughout the year, depending on the plants flowering at the time, explains Matthias. \u201cAt some times of the year some flowers may be predominant; at other times there is a mixture of nice floral bouquets,\u201d he says. \u201cAt the end of the year other trees come into flower and the honey tastes like licorice.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Solomon, 70, started bee safaris in Tobago nearly two decades ago, he was a pioneer. Now, increasing numbers of regional players are entering the market. His 11-day safaris target bee enthusiasts and also expose them to local cuisine and a steel band rehearsal in Trinidad. \u201cIt\u2019s not a niche that would be attractive to everyone,\u201d he admits, but it works \u201cin an era where increasing numbers of persons are looking for unique experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, Slovenia is the world leader in bee tourism with resorts and marketing dedicated to the sector. Matthias acknowledges the Caribbean has some catching up to do, but adds that it has advantages. For one, there\u2019s its unrivaled natural beauty. Tourists on the St. Lucia bee safaris visit the island\u2019s famous Pitons \u2014 mountainous volcanic plugs \u2014 mangroves and virgin forest. And Caribbean bee tourism has started receiving significant financial support. The Global Environment Facility has awarded Matthias\u2019 collective a $50,000 grant to establish a tour service targeting the 600,000 cruise ship visitors who come to St. Lucia each year.<\/p>\n

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