IT prefers praising good practices. But sometimes, it's necessary to bemoan the bad. As National Geographic Traveler's ecotourism editor Jonathan Tourtellot notes in October's Destination Watch column, the Portuguese hotel chain Pestana has begun building a large hotel with a casino on the island of São Tomé and Príncipe, off the central African coast.
The hotel will be built literally on top of a historic fort from the 17th century, says Bruce Potter of the Island Resources Foundation.
São Tomé and Príncipe may be one of the smallest countries in the world (it's about one-third the size of Rhode Island), but it has a rich history. In 1975, the islands achieved independence after centuries of Portuguese colonial rule. In the 1990s, it was one of the first African countries to implement democratic reform and since then has had multiple successful multiparty elections.
The five star, 115-room hotel is set to open in June 2008 with a casino, disco, and private beach. In addition, starting in December, Pestana will begin selling the first group of 51 luxury villas, each with their own pool. While the resort may breathe new life into the local economy, it seems to be at the expense of the country's cultural heritage.
The moral of the story? When possible, travelers should try to learn about the relationship that the hotels they visit have with the local community. It seems that tourism will be an important driver of growth and opportunity in the years ahead, but responsible travelers will know the difference between progress and exploitation.
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Declaring the fort as a protected heritage structure might actually help the local economy by generating tourist interest.
Search for petroleum reserves in the country's waters is already expected to change its social and economic landscape.
Mala Mukunda