Tourism is central to Caribbean economies. It employs large numbers of people and it is often the leading source of foreign exchange. However, tourism is not always good news. The industry does not always offer benefits to poor and marginalised communities. It can also cause environmental damage, particularly in sensitive coastal and marine ecosystems. These concerns mean that sustainability is increasingly at the centre of tourism planning.

Research from the Leeds Tourism Group, at Leeds Metropolitan University, argues that sustainability needs to be a top priority for the tourism industry in the Caribbean. Many damaging social, economic and environmental impacts are identified, and approaches for better management are suggested. The benefits of tourism (mainly jobs and income) are often not well distributed amongst populations. For example, cruise tourism requires costly infrastructure, with most benefits going to large companies rather than people on the islands. Often jobs are only short term and therefore not sustainable.  Similarly, tourism may conflict with more traditional ways of earning a living, such as fishing.

A range of tourism activities need to be assessed in terms of their sustainability. These include the impact of cruise ships, the degree to which local produce is used, environmental problems linked to marine based activities (such as diving), the management of recreational areas such as beaches, and the impact of commercial fishing. These activities can create serious impacts in the following areas:

• coastal erosion (often linked to the development of tourist hotels and facilities)
• habitat degradation for key species, such as turtles and sharks
• pollution and waste from cruise ships and hotels.

Policy-makers need to find ways to strengthen national and regional capacity to protect coastal and marine ecosystems. This will mean closer cooperation between nations, regional agencies and communities to promote improved tourism and water management. Engaging the private sector to promote environmental practices will also be important. Specific policy proposals include:

• Improved planning of new developments, balancing tourism with other uses (fishing, for example) and maintaining some areas free from development. This will prevent large tourism areas building up, and spread the benefits of tourism more evenly.
• Using environmental impact assessments when consulting with stakeholders.
• Establishing acceptable limits of environmental change, linked to key sustainability indicators, such as freshwater levels.
• Monitoring changes using good baseline information, collected (where possible) from before the impacts of tourism began.
• Education and awareness raising programmes with local communities, within the tourism industry and amongst tourists.
• Strengthening linkages within the local economy, such as using local goods (where these are produced sustainably) rather than relying on imports.

Tourism can be an important part of economic growth and poverty reduction strategies. However, if it not carefully planned and managed it can cause huge problems, resulting in erosion or pollution of key resources, and limited inclusion of poor people. Sustainable tourism in the future will require intensive consultation and negotiation with many different stakeholders. These include the private sector, civil society and those whose livelihoods are most affected.

Source(s):
Sustainable Tourism and Coastal Marine Management in the Wider Caribbean, Leeds Tourism Group, 2004, Leeds Metropolitan University, by Richard Tapper and Sue Gubbay, edited by Xavier Font

Funded by: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (both UK)

id21 Research Highlight: 6th February 2005

Further Information:
Xavier Font
Tourism, Hospitality and Events School
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds
LS1 3HE

Tel: + 44 (0) 113 283 2600
Fax: + 44 (0) 113 283 3111
Contact the contributor: x.font@leedsmet.ac.uk

Leeds Metropolitan University UK

Other related links:
'Pro-poor tourism: opportunities for the poor?'

'Biodiversity conservation and local people's development aspirations'

'Poverty busting in Central America: where do we go from here?'

'Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx)' from ELDIS

'A Framework of Approaches to Sustainable Tourism' from the Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)

'Sustainable Tourism Bank Watch' from the Global Journal of Practical Ecotourism