Sustaining Caribbean tourism

When Hurricane Ivan launched a battering assault on many Caribbean islands in 2004 it left in its wake billions of pounds worth of devastation.

Grenada alone lost US$889 million, which is the equivalent of 212 per cent of its annual Gross Domestic Product. Ninety per cent of hotel stock in the country was damaged or destroyed and the same amount of housing stock was also damaged.

The effect this and other natural disasters have on the tourism sectors of Caribbean countries was highlighted by Mareba Scott at a conference on 'climate change and its implications for the Caribbean region,' organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Caribbean Broadcasting Union. The event - funded by the Commonwealth Media Development Fund - was attended by 15 journalists from across the Caribbean.

Ms Scott, a sustainable tourism consultant with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, informed the journalists present that even though the region accounts for less than one per cent of green house gas emissions, it is still extremely vulnerable.

"The majority of tourism developments in the Caribbean are on the coast. The impact of hurricanes, storms and floods in these areas are great," she said.

One area which Ms Scott indicated is being affected by climate change is coral reefs. She said that 1998 and 2005 were the most damaging years for coral reefs in recorded history and they were also the hottest years for over a century.

In order to combat global warming, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation is urging tourism policy makers to ensure that "adaptive strategies to deal with climate change become part of planning for tourism in the future."

Patrick Cozier, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, said that "the media have to assume the responsibility of informing the public about the implications and impact of climate change on our economies and national development strategies.

"Not enough journalists know how to communicate climate change effectively. If the media don't know how, how can we expect the general public to understand? We [the media] have to step up and show responsibility," he added.

Key Links:

• Commonwealth Media Development Fund

Related News:

• Caribbean Tourism Organisation