Clients that don’t stray from the beach can miss out on the Caribbean’s diverse cultures. Sara Macefield suggests ways for them to get out and meet the people

Scratch beneath the surface of the Caribbean’s tropical charms and you’ll discover what many regard as the islands’ greatest selling point – its people. Getting to know the locals, sharing experiences, swapping jokes and comparing notes on the Windies latest performance on the cricket pitch can prove to be a highlight of any holiday here.

Voluntourism is another way for visitors to meet islanders, as more sustainable tourism projects are encouraging visitors to get involved. “These projects are a great way for tourists to meet and support local people and help them make a living from tourism,” Travel Foundation chief executive Sue Hurdle said. Some islands realise that their people are their best ambassadors and have developed specific programmes to bring them into closer contact with visitors, while others rely on local events and parties to bring tourists and locals together. Here’s a rough guide to “meeting and greeting”, Caribbean style.

Meeting the locals
This is probably the most formal style of programme, offered in Jamaica and the Bahamas. Jamaica’s Meet the People initiative is run by the tourist board, which puts like-minded locals and holidaymakers in touch with one another for outings, church visits or meals in their homes.

Similarly, the Bahamas’ People to People programme, run by the tourism ministry, allows visitors to meet Bahamians for a taste of local life. Bahamians are matched with visitors of a similar age with compatible interests and professions. One of the programme’s main organised events is a monthly tea party at Government House in Nassau and similar events on Exuma, Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Ministry of Tourism director-general Vernice Walkine said visitors had rated the programme positively, describing it as the best part of their holiday. As a result, the ministry plans to relaunch an expanded version of the scheme next year. This will enable visitors to meet their host online and start communicating via Facebook or other online forums before they arrive in the islands. Walkine said a new group of young people had been invited to sign up as host volunteers: “Quite a few volunteers have been doing it for a long time, but a whole new generation of young professionals want to be a part of the programme.”

On Dominica, home to the Caribbean’s only indigenous population of Carib Indians, known as Kalinago, tourists can experience their way of life with guide and former Carib chief Irvince Auguiste, on the Touna Village Tour. He explains why his community opened up their homes and gardens to tourists, who can see how they life and try traditional crafts such as bamboo basket weaving and sugar cane juice squeezing. Visitors can also opt for a Community Garden and Creole Cooking tour, where they go to the house of locals Michael and Daria Eugene to prepare a traditional Creole meal.

Staying with the locals
Grenada’s Homestay programme offers a fascinating insight into Grenadian lifestyle. This isn’t like staying at a bed and breakfast; homestay guests are treated like members of the family and are involved in the day-to-day lives of their hosts and the local community. Visitors are matched up with local families by interests, hobbies and children. The homes, located across the island, range from simple wooden houses with basic amenities to comfortable residences. In some cases, visitors stay in a self-contained apartment within the family residence.

Tobago’s Bed and Breakfast Association gives holidaymakers the chance to stay in guest-houses or self-catering apartments owned and run by local families. They are usually located in or near villages, giving visitors the chance to mingle with residents and enjoy the local culture.

Helping the locals
Guests at the Hyatt Regency Aruba hotel can take part in the island’s eco-friendly voluntourism programme, which was launched earlier this year. They can sign up with the resort’s concierge and join volunteer staff in a morning’s clean-up. Jakes, Jamaica’s chic boutique hotel near Negril, has unveiled a volunteer Goodwill Jamaica Package, which allows guests to  take part in three days of guided visits and activities at nearby schools, farms, fishing communities and construction projects. Guests at Jamaica’s luxury Half Moon resort near Montego Bay can take part in its Beyond the Beach programme, which aids local communities and was set up after guests asked to be involved in the resort’s charitable work. They can participate in its ongoing programme or individual activities such as reading to youngsters at a children’s home, bringing supplies for local schools or helping build a home in a children’s village.

Honeymooners staying at the Westin St John hotel on St John in the US Virgin Islands can qualify for a $100 resort credit and free transfers if they book the resort’s honeymoon package and take part in the American Hiking Association’s volunteer vacation programme. The AHA has linked up with the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park to offer volunteer hiking trips, which include environmental initiatives. Saga operates a volunteer programme on St Lucia, where guests staying at their hotel on the island, the Bel Jou, for four weeks and help out at schools in the Castries area. As part of its Community Routes programme, every week Sandals Resorts takes guests to a local project such as a school where they may read to the children, or a working farm to see how it operates.

Cleaning up with the locals
Every July, Aruba runs the Reef Care Project– the island’s largest volunteer environmental initiative, in which more than 800 locals and tourists help clean-up the island’s marine environment. Bahamas Coastal Awareness month, which takes place every April, is aimed at locals, but holidaymakers can join in the beach clean-ups and other initiatives. The Dominica Sea Turtle Conservation Organisation offers another marine-related volunteering opportunity. Volunteers help to monitor nesting turtles and patrol the beaches to help protect endangered turtles.

Partying with the locals
As you would expect in the Caribbean, there are plenty of chances to mingle with locals at regular events, plus the annual carnival celebrations that turn each island into one big party to which everyone is invited. Antigua’s weekly sunset barbecue at Shirley Heights attracts islanders and tourists, as does Sunday School on Tobago, a weekly street party in the fishing village of Buccoo. On St Eustatius, visitors can meet the local Statians at the weekly happy hour at Smoke Alley Bar & Grill on Fridays, or at the Old Gin House on Wednesdays, where local music and cheap drinks attract all-comers.

There are plenty of chances to mingle with residents of the British Virgin Islands, who are known as Belongers. The monthly full moon party at Bomba’s Shack at Apple Bay, Tortola, sometimes attracts more than 1,000 people, while a more family-orientated full moon party is held at Trellis Bay on Beef Island, Tortola. Musician and songwriter Quito Rhymer owns Quito’s Gazebo at Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, and plays there with his band, The Edge, every Friday night, attracting plenty of locals, and visitors are always welcome. On Barbados, the weekly fish fry evenings at Oistins add a local flavour, where islanders mingle for a fun and cheap evening out. Montserrat has two big annual events that offer a great opportunity to mix with the community: St Patrick’s Week, in March, and the Montserrat Festival, in December.