Caribic Vacations Group Captivated Orange Bay Tour

Left to Rt. First Row: Keith (Keith J Tours), Tour Specialist, Diana McIntyre-Pike, Community Tourism Consultant), Pamela Brown (Owner, Pamela’s Restaurant), Naomi Daley (Travellers Beach Resort). Second Row: Paula Townsend (CEO Caribic Vacations); Lebawit Girma (Rough Guides Writer), Natalee Brown (Tour Guide), Sharon Parris-Chambers (PanaCarib Business Solutions), Hopeton Gooden & Marcia Brandon not pictured (Training Partners Consultant, Center for Excellence and Sustainable Living).Next to Hopeton, Ellen Wilson (Regional Account Manager). Back Row: Kain Bakkar (Acct. Manager, Olympia Tours) and Karen Williams Boreland.

Caribic Vacations Group Captivated Orange Bay Tour October 17, 2017. Orange Bay, Hanover, Jamaica. On , October 3, 2017, Diana McIntyre-Pike, Community Tourism Pioneer and founder Countrystyle Community Tourism Network, invited Caribic Vacation’s Olympia Tours Ltd. on a site visit to Orange Bay to get first-hand experience of the community-based tour. The tour designed by Ms. McIntyre-Pike four years ago, has attracted scores of visitors from Europe, the United States, and Canada. What keeps visitors coming back repeatedly are the children at the Church Hill Primary School. Every stop on the tour, receives a contribution from the cost of the tour.

The tour allows the visitor to get a personal view of the country lifestyle and to meet native Jamaicans. The Community/Host guide Natalee warmly greeted the visitors, informing them of local sights and landmarks, then took them to the first stop of the Orange Bay Community tour which is the beauty salon. They meet the salon operator, who is trained in cosmetology & spa services. The group made their way next to the bar hop for beverages. Followed by a one-hour stop at Church Hill Primary School. Diana informed that “this is the visitor’s favourite stop, so we had to make it one hour long and many of them wish to make further contributions to the school.” Everyone smiled.

On arriving, the visitors were cheerfully greeted by students – Alden, Moresha, Oneika and others at the vehicle and taken to the school for the tour. Greeting guests at the point of entry and accompanying them throughout the school is part of the Living Values Education Programme, which was offered as an enrichment programme through the Guidance Department. We met the Principal, Delando Murdock and visited individual classrooms. Visitors enjoyed introducing themselves, playing games, doing exercises and observing the classrooms lessons.

Before departing the community for lunch, visitors stopped by the 198-year-old St. Augustine Anglican Church. Mr Hugh Myrie long-time member and community guide recounted the history of the edifice while the visitors soaked in the peaceful ambiance.

The group returned to Pamela’s restaurant for authentic Jamaican lunch of ackee & salt fish with callaloo, and brown stew fish, and other entrees. They walked a few paces to an adjacent bakery for dessert of coconut drops, cakes, and gizzada to accompany the journey back to their various destinations.