Benefits
of tourism to the Caribbean
Economic Benefits
- Employment: Tourism creates employment for many people throughout the Caribbean. Many people are employed at hotels in many different jobs requiring varying levels of qualification and skill. Some jobs require unskilled or semi-skilled labour, such as housekeeping. Others require a high level of skill or qualification. Tourism also creates employment outside of hotels. Tour operators and taxi drivers, for instance, would find it very hard to make a living if there were no tourists.
- Linkages: Many individuals and small businesses benefit from tourism by providing goods and services to hotels and tourists. Bars, restaurant owners, craft vendors and car rental companies all benefit when they are patronized by tourists. Many hotels purchase local produce such as fruits, vegetables and eggs from local farmers. Hotels also purchase fresh fish and other seafood from local fishermen.
- Foreign exchange: Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange for many Caribbean countries. Foreign exchange can be used to purchase goods and services from overseas.
- Infrastructure: Tourism helps to pay
for facilities which benefit local people such as airports, sports facilities and roads to areas where hotels will be built.
- Government revenue: Departure tax and other charges help increase government revenue and help pay for government services.
Social Benefits
- Cultural exchange: Visitors and locals interact with each other and share aspects of their culture. Through this cultural exchange we get to learn about the cultures of visitors from other countries and they get to learn about ours.
- Community identity: Tourism is a good way of generating a positive community identity and pride. Also tourism encourages communities to maintain traditions, especially those which can be put on display for tourists.
Disadvantages of tourism to the Caribbean
- 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 on these areas for survival.
- Tourists may damage the environment they come to enjoy: Tourists 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 exist.
This cartoon highlights the fact that cruise ships often pollute our waters
(click to enlarge)
- Increase in the price of land: The increase in the demand for land to 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment