Challenges for the Grearter Caribbean to achieve Sustainable Tourism

I. GEOGRAPHIC ASPECTS OF THE GREATER CARIBBEAN

This geographical region of the world is located on the American continent, between North and South America, bordered to the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, and to the south by the Pacific Ocean and the South American landmass, washed by the Caribbean Sea or the Sea of the Antilles.
The Greater Caribbean has historically been a region of high interest due to its strategic location in the central part of the American continent, with easy access to North America, Europe, Africa, and the Pacific.

The geographic location of the Greater Caribbean in the tropical zone, with spectacular beaches featuring white sand—thanks to corals (which produce biogenic sand)—and the varying shades of blue in the sea, along with coconut groves, represents the greatest natural strength of this region.
This, combined with its extraordinary sociocultural wealth (Spanish, English, French, and Dutch-speaking populations) and heritage, has generated a new type of colonization—tourism—with significant development and prospects for continued growth.

NATURAL TOURISM RESOURCES
The most notable attractions of the Greater Caribbean are its beaches lined with coconut groves, especially those with white sand, its mountains, protected areas, rivers and their natural pools, waterfalls, caves with speleothems, its flora and fauna with high biodiversity, coral colonies for diving, extensive mangrove ecosystems, jungles, lakes, diverse climate, mines, and much more. Together, they create a true paradise on Earth, whose permanence over time and space depends on sustainability.

CULTURAL TOURISM RESOURCES
Like its natural resources, the cultural resources are immense: the pre-Hispanic Maya heritage in Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, with its pyramids, crafts, cuisine, traditions, etc.; the pre-Hispanic island heritage with its museums, rock art, and cemeteries; the colonial heritage of cities in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Antigua Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Yucatan, the Lesser Antilles, the Bahamas, and others; contemporary art and culture, cuisine, folklore, carnivals, religious destinations, among many others.

II. CONCEPTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: At the request of the United Nations for presentation at the Rio 92 Summit, development experts Jan Pronk and Mahbubul Hag defined sustainable development as: “a development style that seeks specific solutions to concrete problems in each region, considering the natural and cultural environment, addressing immediate needs as well as long-term ones. It is about finding ways to harmonize socioeconomic development with appropriate management of natural resources and the environment.”

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: Sustainable tourism is a new way of planning, offering, and marketing tourism products, based on ethical and collective principles for the management of natural and cultural resources, whose economic benefits improve the quality of life for all involved sectors. It is an opportunity to dignify the relationship between humans and their environment (Bolívar Troncoso).
The development of Sustainable Tourism through global, national, regional, and local policies is a reality today, thanks to the fact that the world is experiencing a true tourism paradigm. This paradigm highlights global policies implemented by specialized organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as well as national and local governments that see this development model as one of the most viable alternatives for achieving the integration of local communities and the inclusive development of tourism. The Greater Caribbean is no exception to this reality.

III.- PRINCIPLES OR PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1. “Ecological sustainability ensures that development is compatible with the maintenance of essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and biological resources.”
2. “Social and cultural sustainability ensures that development increases people’s control over their own lives, is compatible with the culture and values of affected people, and maintains and strengthens community identity.”
3. “Economic sustainability ensures that development is economically efficient and that resources are managed in a way that conserves them for future generations.”
   The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism as: “an economic development model designed to improve the quality of life of the host community, provide visitors with a high-quality experience, and maintain the quality of the environment on which both the host community and visitors depend.”

IV. BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM THAT THE GREATER CARIBBEAN MUST EMBRACE AND CONSOLIDATE

1. Greater integration of local communities into tourism activities
2. Encourage understanding of the impacts of tourism on natural and cultural resources
3. Ensure a fair distribution of costs and benefits
4. Generate local jobs, both direct and indirect
5. Stimulate the development of non-traditional sustainable tourism businesses (ecotourism, agritourism, adventure tourism, gastronomy, etc.)
6. Generate foreign exchange for the state and inject capital into the local economy through sustainable tourism businesses (primarily MSMEs)
7. Diversify the local economy with sustainable tourism businesses
8. Induce regional planning, achieving harmonious and comprehensive development of all sectors of the local economy
9. Encourage the improvement of infrastructure for sustainable tourism (roads, telecommunications, drinking water, sustainable sanitary sewage, solid waste collection and disposal, airports, cruise ports, marinas, etc.)
10. Promote the restoration, conservation, and use of archaeological sites, architectural monuments, and any physical works of collective and national interest
11. Allocate part of the benefits to the construction of community-interest projects such as schools, medical centers, sports facilities, cultural centers, among others
12. Promote and value local, regional, and national cultural expressions (dances, crafts, cuisine, clothing, music, religious and magical-religious expressions, carnivals, etc.)
13. Achieve balanced development with the environment through environmental impact studies, certifications, and environmental monitoring
14. Promote community self-esteem
15. Offer, value, preserve, and generate economic benefits from flora and fauna resources for the benefit of local communities
16. Monitor, evaluate, and manage the impacts of tourism, developing models for the perpetuity of its own development
17. Ultimately, improve people’s quality of life and foster a comprehensive awareness among the population of the Greater Caribbean.

V.- THE SITUATION OF THE GREATER CARIBBEAN DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

The United Nations places the Caribbean among the areas at highest risk due to climate change: “In the Caribbean, there is a marked variation in rainfall, ranging from a decrease of 14.2% to an increase of 13.7% over the next 20 years.” (UN). The effects posed include:

1. Increased temperature and the corresponding decrease in soil moisture, which will gradually replace tropical forests.
2. Semi-arid vegetation will be progressively replaced by arid land vegetation.
3. Loss of biological diversity with the extinction of species.
4. The productivity of certain important crops will decrease, and with it, livestock productivity, negatively affecting food security.
5. Changes in rainfall patterns and the disappearance of glaciers will lead to a significant decrease in the availability of water for human consumption, agriculture, and hydroelectric power.
6. Rising sea levels will intensify flooding, storm surges, erosion, and other dangerous coastal phenomena.
7. The deterioration of coastal conditions, for example, beach erosion or coral bleaching, will affect local resources.
8. The region’s vulnerability is exacerbated by population pressure in certain areas, especially coastal ones, along with inadequate land-use planning, dependence on water resources for electricity generation, poverty levels, and the dependence of many inhabitants on natural resources for their livelihoods.