The Caribbean and Sustainable Development

The Greater Caribbean is a jewel of the Americas, rich with cultures, languages, cuisines, countries, natural beauty and wildlife.  The countries in this vast region, including the Bahamas, rely largely on tourism. 

There are two types of tourism in the Caribbean.  One is home-made, local, small-scale.  The other is big scale tourism, supported by foreign dollars. 

This cruise-ship and mega-development style tourism has been responsible for an array of environmental problems, economic problems and the decline of cultures throughout the Caribbean. There is no finer example of a really awful megadevelopment than the Bakers Bay Club.

We often forget that savvy travelers almost all intuitively understand the dangers of these types of megadevelopments. In the November/December 2009 issue of National Geographic Traveler, cover article "133 Places Rated" surveyed travelers about the changing qualities of the world's best travel destinations. Reading the comments of the surveyees is like reading the brochure for the Bakers Bay Club. Here are the excerpts from the Bahamas:

Eleuthera "A laid-back paradise" for scuba divers and anyone else in search of a "real place" in the islands. Pollution problems are growing, along with the feeling that it is becoming "a pleasant ghetto of the privileged."  

"…However, those who have been going there for 20 years see the changes that new development has brought. Much of this new construction has benefited the local economy, but attention is not being paid to the environmental impacts."

Bahamas: Grand Bahama "True tourism folly—unfinished shells of hotels, tacky shopping areas.""Cruise ship hell," says another panelist. Wealthy outsiders have bought up all the beachfront, leaving nothing for anyone else. "As a result, the locals are extremely bitter."

"Something has gone terribly wrong in the Bahamas. Immensely wealthy tourists (mainly Americans) have bought up all the beachfront; developers have built huge, tacky resorts, and there is nothing left for anyone else."

"Overdeveloped, with the consequent pressures on the environment and social fabric of the community."

"The selling off of 'protected' islands is unconscionable. An unbelievable amount of garbage has washed up on the beaches. 'Locally produced' products in the straw markets are a joke; there should be a quality artisan market."

"A destination dominated by cruise tourism that brings minimum benefits to the local population."

Comments on other Caribbean Islands:

British Virgin Islands:"I have been impressed by the condition of reefs compared to similar higher visitation sites in Hawaii. Tortola has yet to see major changes as a result of cruise-line traffic, but this seems inevitable."

"Small-island ambience has been maintained despite the increased visits of large cruise ships, which stress specific sites. Away from the most touristed beaches, villages remain authentic. Roads are sometimes inadequate when several large cruise ships visit. Outer islands do not have this problem."

"A land of all-inclusive resorts where visitors hardly glimpse the real life of the place. "The quantity of tourism arriving is a very big problem," notes a panelist. One consequence: "Locals are marginalized and desperate, and the experience is exploitive."

"Virtually destroyed by all-inclusive, European-run resorts. Locals are marginalized and desperate, and the experience is either restrictive or exploitative"

"Study in extreme contrasts. There are the slums and there are the high-dollar resorts—with not much else in between. Outside the resorts, the people all seem to be struggling...with poverty, overcrowding, lack of adequate transportation, etc. Inside the resorts, everything is taken care of for the tourists. As a country, the outlook on sustainability is grim. The pollution is awful, with trash along the highways and waterfronts, and vehicles sputtering nasty smoke."

"Environmental and ecological quality threatened by lack of sanitation and solid-waste-disposal systems outside Puerto Plata. Natural lagoons in Cabarete threatened by new hotel and second-residential development. Reef protection off the coast in Montecristi extremely limited. Haitian illegal immigration is displacing Dominicans in hotel construction jobs and placing extreme pressure on local municipalities for the provision of adequate housing and basic services. Crime, drugs, and prostitution have increased in Puerto Plata, Sosua, and Cabarete. Youth unemployment is double the national unemployment rate. Condition of built heritage is also under stress. Puerto Plata's Victorian homes are in complete disarray."

Grenada: "Big beachfront developments in the southern half of the island are "beginning to erode the pristine beauty" and diminish the water quality."

"Small island that is densely populated. There are some nice beaches, but tourist development on the beach front is beginning to erode some of the pristine beauty. In addition, if beachfront resorts continue to be built, this will result in an unintended denial of recreational activities to the local population."

The Grenadines: A string of several hundred islands that once ranked near the top of our ratings has fallen precipitously in the past two years due to dubious land deals with foreign firms and commercialization catering to cruise ships. Still, it is "a beautiful place that overall remains appealing."

"The Grenadines have long fought mass tourism, and so far have not sold out or succumbed to the temptation, despite a few islands falling into private hands for the development of retreats for monied gentry."

"What a pity that the government has sold land owned by future generations to private foreign individuals! Several islands have been sold outright, while islands such as Canouan have over half of their land under private foreign control."

"...and on St. Vincent, a hair-brained scheme to build an airport large enough for jets from Europe is underway, with construction funds coming from questionable sources."

Jamaica: A historic town spared the pollution, crime, and poor planning bedeviling other parts of Jamaica. "Most tourism benefits go to the wealthy, who have walled off the beautiful coast-line." Not sustainable long-term ecologically or socially.

"Resorts tend to deny locals access to the best beaches and coastal areas, which contributes to social problems."

"The rich cultural history is harder to access and is becoming more packaged and commercialized."

"Efforts need to be made to protect Port Antonio in a way that is cognizant of issues of carrying capacity, coastal-zone management, sewage treatment, and solid-waste management. It has not yet been adequately demonstrated that there is a development plan for the area."

St. Lucia "Among the most beautiful and lush of the Caribbean islands," being challenged by an increase in problems—tourist dollars bypassing local people, a lack of environmental controls, too many all-inclusive resorts—that go far to explain a seven-point dip in score in just two years.

"A number of high-end tourist developments have started in recent years, but have been in abeyance due to the global economic recession. Several of these have been undertaken with little regard for environmental conservation and now stand as unfinished eyesores in environmentally sensitive areas."

"St. Lucia is at risk. Its government does not enforce its regulations, and hotel development is taking place entirely uncontrolled. There are significant land- and coastal-zone degradation issues. The island has amazing natural resources that are at risk of being lost if something is not done soon."

"There is not a lot of information for tourists to St. Lucia on protection of the region, but this is par for the course for many Caribbean islands. Locals (local authorities/tourism reps) tell people what they think they want to hear. An example is the island's promotion of ecotourism—but some of the activities, such as swimming with dolphins and off-road ATV tours, are harmful and detrimental."

"Too much emphasis on development of all-inclusive resorts has caused resentment among locals, who do not see how they benefit. Many hotels are not locally owned. Lack of regulation has caused environmental coastal problems and urban sprawl in the wake of the fast growth of the tourism industry. Some small and radical initiatives have attempted to provide benefits to grass-roots communities—trying to get tourists to visit villages, have farmers supply hotels—but this is very small-scale. There is a growing awareness of the damage to the island's culture and environment by the tourism industry, but no obvious commitment or action for change."

"A lovely island. However, the relatively large population and lack of job opportunities have led to low pay scales and crime. With the decline in banana revenues, the island has little alternative than to develop its tourism potential, with the problems related to that."

St. Maarten/St. Martin On the Dutch half of the island, "tourism has gobbled up the culture, which is now defined by the hotel/casino industry." The French side is overbuilt but has avoided so far the "fast-food joints," casinos, and concentration of duty-free shops.

"It is a typical mass-market tourism disaster. The French side has no casinos, fast-food joints, nor high-rises, but it still has problems, mainly too many hotel rooms and overcrowded beaches. I don't know why the hotel industry and cruise-ship companies can't understand the concept of "carrying capacity." More and more hotel rooms and bigger and bigger ships lead to less and less enjoyment and a diminished destination."

"Dutch St. Maarten is in trouble. St. Martin, the French side of the island, is promising in terms of balancing development with the natural resources. The environmental and ecological quality of Dutch St. Maarten is threatened by overdevelopment. The French side of the island is basically intact."
"The threats to the environment are multiple, mainly on the Dutch part of the island. The strong development of tourism without all the necessary measures to address the environment is provoking damages, many irreversible."

"This island presents one of the best examples of what islands should avoid in tourism development. Tourism has gobbled up the culture of the island, which now is defined by the hotels, casinos, and other modern developments—not the island's historical, artistic, culinary, or other local heritage. Quality of life is a major consideration for residents as well as visitors. There appears to be widespread interest in making changes."