Tourism in the

Caribbean
 Define
• Define the term tourism

Describe
• Describe the importance of tourism.

Explain
Specific • Explain the changing role of tourism in
Caribbean economies.
Objectives
Locate and describe
• Locate and describe the importance
and characteristics of tourism in a
Caribbean country.

Compare
• Compare the characteristics and trends
in tourism in the Caribbean.
  Tourism is the activities
of people traveling to
and staying in places
outside their usual
What is environment for leisure,
tourism? business or other
purposes for more than
one day but not more
than one consecutive
year.
  Tourism is defined as....
 “all activity undertaken by
people staying away from
home for 24 hours (i.e.
Overhight), on holiday,
visiting friends or relatives,
at business or other
Concept of conferences or any other
purpose other than semi-
Tourism permanent employment.”
(Warn 2001)

 “involves travel away from

home to visit friends and
relations or different
places.” (Waugh 2009)
  Romans amongst first recorded tourists
 By 18th and 19th century British and other
Europeans citizens travelled extensively
throughout Britain and Europe.
 Today, tourism is widespread and
global due to rapid growth in last half-
century from factors such as:

Development  Greater affluence- increased wages,

better jobs
of Tourism
 Increased mobility – commercial
Industry airlines etc.
 More leisure time- holiday
entitlement etc.
 Improvements in technology-
communication networks etc.
 Increased awareness of other
places- advertising etc.
 Domestic tourism is the
activities of resident
and non-resident
Domestic vs. visitors within a country.
International
Tourism International tourism is
the activities of visitors
from outside the
country.
 Tourists are people who travel
away from their homes for one
or more nights for different
purposes.

Who are
tourists? A visitor is a traveller taking a
trip to a main destination
outside his/her usual
environment, for less than a
year, for any purpose other
than employment.
  A tertiary industry
 A human resource-
dependent industry
 Wide- range of types
 Customer -oriented
Characteristics (heavily dependent on
of Tourism whims of tourists)
 Many are dependent
on seasons
 Leisure tourism e.g. Caribbean,
Mexico
Business tourism e.g. Trinidad, New
York
Eco-tourism e.g. Brazil, Caribbean
(small-scale)
Adventure tourism e.g. Trekkers to
Types of Mt. Everest

Tourism Cultural tourism e.g. Egypt

Sex tourism e.g. Asia

Health tourism e.g. Barbados

Cruise-ship tourism e.g. Bahamas,

Barbados
TYPES OF TOURISM IN THE CARIBBEAN
  Business tourism involves
individuals who are still working
and being paid, but are doing so
away from both their workplace
and home. Primary business
tourism activities include
meetings, and attending
Types of conferences and exhibitions. e.g.
Tourism Trinidad, Jamaica, Cayman
 Sports tourism refers
to travel which involves either
observing or participating in
a sporting event while staying
apart from the tourists' usual
environment. e.g. many countries
  Health tourism is a wider term for
travel that focus on medical
treatments and the use of
healthcare services. It covers a
wide field of health-oriented,
tourism e.g. rehabilitation from
injuries/surgeries. e.g. Cuba
Types of
 Ecotourism is a form
Tourism of tourism involving visiting fragile,
pristine, and relatively undisturbed
natural areas, intended as a low-
impact and often small scale
alternative to standard
commercial mass tourism. e.g.
Tobago, Dominica
  Mass tourism is the act of visiting a
leisure destination with large
amounts of people at the same
time, usually on pre-scheduled
tours and package deals. e.g
Barbados, Jamaica
 Cultural (heritage) tourism is
Types of traveling to experience the
places, artefacts and activities
Tourism that authentically represent the
stories and people of the past
and present. It includes cultural,
historic, and natural resources. e.g
Tobago- Tobago Heritage Festival,
Trinidad- Carnival, Barbados-
Cropover, Jamaica- Reggae
Festival
 FACTORS
INFLUENCING
TOURISM
 Climate
•Tropical climate entices foreign tourists
•Seasonally, foreign tourists travel to warmer climates

Location
Factors •Many North American tourists due to close proximity to
that continent (approx. 80% of foreign tourism)

Influencing Transport
Tourism in •Commercial & chartered airlines can access remote
locations

the •Cruise ships frequent the Caribbean region bringing

tourists

Caribbean Culture
•Slower pace and lifestyle compared with Europe & N.
America

Politics
•Politically unstable regions have low tourist arrivals e.g.
Haiti, Cuba
 Tourism is one of the fastest growing
industries in the world and it
generates a lot of jobs.

The money spent by tourists adds to

Tourism is the wealth of countries (economic
Big growth).

Business
For many years Europe and the USA
have had the most tourism but in
recent years there has been a lot of
tourism development in Asia and
the Middle East.
Tourism is Big Business

 The Americas which

includes the
Caribbean as 16% of
the World’s market
share.
 The revenue from
tourism for the
Americas is 24% of
total world revenue.
Tourism Statistics
Tourism
Statistics
 Major tourist destinations in the Caribbean (2005)
Destination Total tourist Destination Total tourist
arrivals arrivals
Anguilla 62,084 Grenada 98,244
Antigua & Barbuda 245,384 Guyana 116,596
Aruba 732,514 Jamaica 1,478,663
Bahamas 1,514,532 Martinique 474,126
Barbados 547,534 Montserrat 9,690
Bermuda 269,576 Puerto Rico 1,449,785
British Virgin Islands 337,135 St. Lucia 317,939
Cayman Islands 167,801 St. Vincent & Grenadines 95,505
Cuba 2,319,334 Suriname 144,899
Curacao 222,070 Trinidad & Tobago 460,195
Dominican Republic 3,690,692 US Virgin Islands 697,033
Sources of tourist arrivals in the Caribbean
 Cruise tourism competes with land-based resorts

The Caribbean receives up to half

the world’s cruise visits.
 It is close to the USA.
 Winter months are warm.
 Each island has attractions.
 Cruise passengers spend less than
hotel tourists. Cruise lines use
expensive port facilities but pay
few taxes.
 However, cruise lines employ
some Caribbean staff, and
passengers may return for a
longer stay in a hotel.
How aircraft technology has affected tourism

Large-scale Caribbean tourism

took off from the 1970s, as the cost
of jet travel was reduced.
The supersonic Concorde brought
luxury travellers to Barbados in the
1990s.
The Airbus A380 takes up to 850
passengers. Will it benefit the
Caribbean?
How will fuel costs affect air travel
in the future?
BENEFITS OF
TOURISM
 How tourism benefits the Caribbean

 Earns foreign exchange.

 Creates employment.
 Opens opportunities for small
businesses.
 Provides a market for agriculture
and fisheries.
 Stimulates construction and other
industries.
 Helps pay the cost of airports,
roads, water supply.
 Pays taxes to government.
IMPACTS OF
TOURISM
 Tourism may damage the physical
environment:
 Air travel increases global carbon
emissions (see Chapter 17).
 Tourism increases demand for
fresh water, a serious problem on
Tourism and dry islands such as Nassau and
the Aruba.
environment  Solid waste and sewage must be
disposed of safely.
 Clearing mangroves may
damage marine ecosystems.
 Pleasure boats may damage
coral reefs and marine life.
 Destruction of habitat: Often
coastal forests, mangrove or
wetlands are destroyed in order to
build hotels. This poses a serious
threat to the wildlife which depend
Disadvantages on these areas for survival.
of tourism to Tourists may damage the
the Caribbean environment they come to enjoy:
Tourists sometimes engage in
practices which damage our
natural environment. For instance,
they may break off bits of coral or
engage in the practice of walking
on the coral reefs.
 Pollution: Irresponsible disposal of
solid waste and sewage by cruise ships
and hotels pollutes the environment.
Cruise ships and hotels often take
advantage of the fact that Caribbean
islands to not have adequate laws to
protect their environment or the
means to enforce such laws when they
Disadvantages exist.
Increase in the price of land: The
of tourism to increase in the demand for land to
the Caribbean build hotels often causes the price of
land, especially near the coast, to
increase. This makes it more difficult for
locals to buy land.
Neglect of other industries: Industries
such as agriculture and fishing may be
neglected if they offer lower earnings
than tourism.
Loss of beach access: Locals may be
denied access to certain beaches.
 •Tourism may also affect the
social environment:
 Agriculture and fishing may be
Tourism and neglected.
the  Conflicts may arise over beach
environment access.
 Land prices may increase to
levels which locals cannot afford.
MITIGATION
MEASURES
 Nature-based tourism may help protect wildlife

Some tourists enjoy scuba diving,

fishing, hiking or birdwatching, and
stay in small nature lodges, such as the
Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad.
Ifthese activities are well managed,
they can help fund and encourage
conservation efforts and nature
reserves.
Sustainable tourism may not be nature-based

Some hotels reduce their

environmental impact with:
 solar water heating
 organically grown produce
 use of recycled water for irrigation
and cleaning
 use of natural lighting.
 City-based tourism may be
sustainable. In Havana, tourists visit
historic buildings and enjoy local
music with little environmental
impact.
 TRENDS
&
CHALLENGES
TRENDS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

 Increased affluence has given people in many

countries greater incentive to travel overseas
 Proximity to North America and Europe makes
travel to Jamaica relatively fast and cheap for
tourists from these markets
 Close cultural and political ties with the US and
European countries ensure a comfortable and
familiar environment for the tourists
 Improved access to information through the
Internet has generated greater interest in
travel
High costs: Wages and electricity costs are higher
than in many countries. Hotels must be well-
managed to keep prices down.
Competing destinations: Distant places such as the
Maldives or Thailand also provide warm weather
and fine beaches.
Caribbean
Cruise ships: Many people prefer cruises to hotel
vacations. tourism
Lack of space: In islands such as Barbados, most
attractive coastal sites have already been
faces
developed. challenges
Water resources: Low-rainfall islands have limited
water supply. for the
Traffic: With higher living standards, many people future
own cars. Traffic congestion is inconvenient for both
locals and tourists.
Marketing: Small hotels cannot pay for large-scale
advertising. They depend on tour operators, or on
government marketing.
CHALLENGES FOR THE
TOURISM INDUSTRY

 Need to develop sustainable tourism to

ensure that future generations will be able
to benefit from the tourism resources
 Rising number of tourists visiting the natural
attractions has caused increased damage
to the environment
 Caribbean Conference on Sustainable
Tourism (STC) was inaugurated in 1997 to
promote sustainable tourism
CASE STUDIES
 BARBADOS:
Like many islands, Barbados is suited to tourism

 Accessibility: airport, port

 Natural attractions: beaches,
Harrison’s Cave
 Culture and history: Crop Over,
historic buildings
 Sports: water sports, golf, tennis,
cricket
 Accommodation: luxury and
budget hotels, villas
 Other businesses: bars, taxis,
restaurants, duty-free shopping
 Tourist facilities are well located

 Most luxury hotels are on the calm

west coast.
 The south coast has varied
accommodation.
 Duty-free shops are close to
Bridgetown cruise port.
 There are villas and golf courses on
inland sites.
 The east coast has surfing, wild
scenery and some small hotels.
 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:
‘Sun, sand, sea’ are not the only tourism attractions

Trinidad and Tobago provide many

types of tourism.
 Beach vacations in Tobago
 Business visitors, mainly in Port of
Spain
 Visiting friends, relatives and
returning migrants
 Cultural tourism, Carnival
 Yachting, and boat repair
 Cruise passengers
 Nature and wildlife tourism
 THE BAHAMAS:
The Bahamas is a centre for large-scale tourism

Nassau in the Bahamas is close to

the USA, and has a dry, sunny
climate.
Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island
has 3,500 rooms, 400 villas and a golf
course. The Aquaventure water park
covers 57 ha. There are 28
restaurants and the casino has 850
slot machines.
The hotel employs close to 10,000
staff, or almost 5% of all workers in
the Bahamas.
 CASE STUDY: TOURISM
INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA

 Jamaica has a strong global presence

 The country is noted for its excellent beaches such
as Negril and Doctor’s Cave in Montego Bay.
 It is also known for the Dunn’s River Falls, YS Falls,
river rafting on the Rio Grande, cliff jumping at
Rick’s Café and many other attractions.
 Tourism earns the country up to US$970 million a
year in foreign exchange
 The industry is well developed compared to other
Caribbean countries. Activities occur both day and
night throughout the year with something to
interest everyone.
 PHYSICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA
1. Climate
• Warm and sunny throughout the year
• Attracts people from cool temperate regions such as the northern parts of
the US
• Tourists can enjoy the beaches all year round

2. Natural resources
• White sandy beaches
• Clear seas rich with marine life
• Beautiful scenery (e.g. Blue Mountains)
• Lush vegetation
• Wide variety of flora and fauna

View of the Blue Mountains

PHYSICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA

3. Proximity to markets
• Near to Canada, the US and Europe, which are where the
bulk of the tourists come from
• Travel to Jamaica is relatively cost-effective and time-efficient
for these tourists
HUMAN FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TOURISM
INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA
ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA
1. Contribution to economy
• The industry is a major contributor to GDP
• In 2004, it accounted for 12% of the GDP
• It is estimated that a quarter of the country’s workforce is
employed in the industry
• Tourism provides direct and indirect employment

2. Labour supply
• Tourism is a labour-intensive industry
• Workers are mainly locals
• Labour force is well-educated and skilled, and provides a
high standard of service
ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING
THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA

3. Availability of capital
• Capital is provided by foreign investors, especially in the
development of hotels
• The government plays an important role in attracting foreign
investments

4. Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME)

• Being a member of CSME has improved Jamaica’s credibility
and encouraged other CSME members to invest in the
country
• CSME allows free movement of skilled labour among
member countries
SUMMARY OF ECONOMIC FACTORS
INFLUENCING THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
 SOURCES

 Wilson, Mark, 2016. The Caribbean Environment for CSEC

Geography. Oxford University Press: Oxford
 https://www.geoforcxc.com/economic-activities/tourism/