By IAN FERGUSON

Sustainable development for a tourism-dependent nation such as The Bahamas requires that we focus attention on environmental, socio-cultural and economic stewardship. Each of these elements is vital to our sustained growth, but quite often a strong commitment to ensuring the social and cultural authenticity of the host community gets lost in the process.

International guests, more than ever before, are considering the sustainability and authenticity of the countries and businesses they visit and support. Incorporating socio-cultural sustainability into business events satisfies customers’ desire for an authentic experience with a positive legacy.

Socio-cultural sustainability means preserving and celebrating local cultures, including beliefs, practices and traditions, in the host destination. It also ensures that host community members have access to enough resources to keep their families healthy and secure.

All companies need to assess the impact of their corporate policies on the daily life of their employees, while ensuring that their values reflect its truest cultural identity. In a very practical way, this column shares specific things your company can do to promote both internal and external socio-cultural sustainability:

1. Support other local businesses and ensure that, as much as possible, raw materials are sourced and purchased from them.

2. Produce authentic goods that tell the story of your community and country, and then promote those goods and services as indigenous.

3. Host a cultural day to ensure your workforce keeps in touch with their ethnic roots. As people are reminded of their heritage, they will more readily share their experiences wit customers, thereby bringing them into the richness of those experiences.

4. Provide ongoing culturally-rich initiatives for employees and customers that offer a consistent reminder of the community and country they are in.

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organisations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@ coralwave.com.