Interpretation of contested heritage at an attraction in St. Lucia

Abstract

The tangible sugar heritage in the Anglophone Caribbean is important to its tourism product. This heritage, like the plantations which play a central role in regional preservation efforts, was created as a result of the enslavement of Africans to provide a large, cheap labour force. Sugar heritage is thus a contested heritage and there is disagreement about how this heritage should be interpreted. In fact, the silence of slaves resounds in the interpretation evident at many former sugar plantations in the Americas. The question, however, is if consumers of this heritage notice the absence of slave voices at this sites that are now primarily used as places of leisure and pleasure in the tourism industry. This study confirms that the silence is perceived by tourists visiting Morne Coubaril Estate, a popular attraction in St. Lucia. Though their satisfaction and overall quality of experience are not related to their disappointment with this component of interpretation, they nonetheless overwhelmingly support the need for more details about slavery and greater emphasis on slavery in the interpretation on site. These findings are important at both the site and destination level, given the current inclination to exploit cultural heritage resources to diversify the region's tourism offerings.

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