SHANGHAI REPORT
CARICOM Countries at Shanghai World Expo 2010
By Clairvair Squires
Portfolio Manager
Social Sector Division
Shanghai is an amazing place, and the host country has left no stone unturned in presenting this wonderful city to the world in all its splendour. The projected number of visitors to the Expo of 70 million already seems understated since during my first five days, the figures were just below the projected daily average of approximately 400,000. This figure is expected to increase significantly during July and August.
The Expo site is colourful and supports vast numbers of visitors as they go between pavilions, rest rooms, restaurants, buses and shops. The crowd management is commendable, as buses are always available. These vehicles are in keeping with the required environmental quality management promoted by the Expo. There are no emissions as all the vehicles are powered by electricity which is not generated by oil. Management of wastes is very sound, and litter control ensures that the site remains pristine.
Most visitors are from China, with a passion to get their ‘Expo Passports’ stamped as evidence of their visit to each pavilion or booth. The host country is promoting internal tourism. Many persons have never left China, so the Expo is a grand occasion for them to see displays of other countries and interact with the peoples of those countries. The security is deliberately thorough and on-going; no one escapes, not even security officers.
There is a Caribbean flavour in the CARICOM Joint pavilion, based on the feature of a pan player and the sounds from the Jamaica booth. It is located next to the Square of the Americas, and stands to benefit from the flow of visitors who seek out the pavilions of Canada and the United States of America.
Guyana and Barbados present the most pleasing spaces in the pavilion based on their reliance on maps, posters and other audio-visual aids. Guyana has a wide variety to show in heritage, agriculture, manufacturing and urban development, and its diverse ethnicity and eco-development potential. Jamaica’s booth presents Usain Bolt and its other successful athletes as a majorfeature. Jamaica is aggressively marketing its Blue Mountain Coffee and tourism. They are actually selling coffee every day, as they already have a local company in China.
Barbados has focussed on inward investment and tourism. They are represented by tourism specialists from the Barbados Tourism Authority and INVEST BARBADOS has hired a Barbadian, Dr. Carlyle Boyce, who lives in Shanghai, to seek out business prospects. While Barbados is locked onto the idea of promoting tourism, St. Lucia has no such plan as they consider it futile. While St. Lucia may be prudent in its stance regarding China as a source market, it should consider the possibility of the wider world market, as persons from all over the world will pass through the booth eventually.
Trinidad and Tobago has given a lot of publicity to their sister island of Tobago and has promoted the development of Scarborough along with their other towns/cities of Port of Spain, San Fernando, Chaguanas, Sangre Grande etc. Trinidad and Tobago is actively seeking business partnerships.
There is room for CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries to adopt a more deliberate business capture strategy. One would expect that when their products arrive, they will be able to show and sell some products and diversify their activities beyond just the signing and stamping passports. Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados have arranged business sessions targeting investors and tourism operatives. Barbados’ session is scheduled for mid-July, and Trinidad and Tobago’s for September 23rd.