Tourism Essay on the Caribbean
Caribbean Travel and Tourism (HM321)
Name: Dondre Fawkes
Student #: 620023009
Lecturer: Ms. Mackay
Negative environmental impact of tourism in the Caribbean
Coastal and Marine Resources
The overall environmental effects of tourism in the Caribbean involve environmental degradation which hinders sustainability. Environmental effects related to tourism are problematic and may cause irreversible impacts. These environmental effects include urbanization, over exploitation of resources, coastal erosion, deterioration of water quality, increased pollution levels, deforestation, and the destruction of coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds. Many of these factors reduce the resilience of the ecosystems. Furthermore, it should also be noted that the environmental effects are further influence by a lack of environmental evaluation and monitoring in the region. I strongly believe that our coastal and marine resources are being destroyed by aspects of tourism activities in the region. Tourism is one of the largest growing industries, and the Caribbean’s largest growth industry. The geographic proximity of the Caribbean to North America and Europe has fostered a large inflow of foreign private hotel investment and aid-financed air, sea, and inland transport infrastructure – the capital base of the visitor industry. Because of the Caribbean's strategic location within the Americas, some islands also function as transshipment ports and international financial centers, activities closely allied to tourism development. The resulting wide scale coastal development is problematic, e.g. in affecting coastal water quality adversely which also negatively affects the growth of the industry. The Caribbean region coastal zones are the foundation of its economy and sustainability. Development of residential areas and tourism infrastructure has greatly changed the features of coastal areas in the region. Physical alterations of coastlines due to urban growth and
Name: Dondre Fawkes
Student #: 620023009
Lecturer: Ms. Mackay
Negative environmental impact of tourism in the Caribbean
Coastal and Marine Resources
The overall environmental effects of tourism in the Caribbean involve environmental degradation which hinders sustainability. Environmental effects related to tourism are problematic and may cause irreversible impacts. These environmental effects include urbanization, over exploitation of resources, coastal erosion, deterioration of water quality, increased pollution levels, deforestation, and the destruction of coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds. Many of these factors reduce the resilience of the ecosystems. Furthermore, it should also be noted that the environmental effects are further influence by a lack of environmental evaluation and monitoring in the region. I strongly believe that our coastal and marine resources are being destroyed by aspects of tourism activities in the region. Tourism is one of the largest growing industries, and the Caribbean’s largest growth industry. The geographic proximity of the Caribbean to North America and Europe has fostered a large inflow of foreign private hotel investment and aid-financed air, sea, and inland transport infrastructure – the capital base of the visitor industry. Because of the Caribbean's strategic location within the Americas, some islands also function as transshipment ports and international financial centers, activities closely allied to tourism development. The resulting wide scale coastal development is problematic, e.g. in affecting coastal water quality adversely which also negatively affects the growth of the industry. The Caribbean region coastal zones are the foundation of its economy and sustainability. Development of residential areas and tourism infrastructure has greatly changed the features of coastal areas in the region. Physical alterations of coastlines due to urban growth and
References: www.cep.unep.org Improving Training and Public Awareness Article on Caribbean Coastal Tourism www.centrogeo.org www.coastalwiki.org www.irf.org Island Resources Foundation St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, December 1996 Guidance for Best Management Practices for Caribbean Coastal Tourism