Glimpses of Caribbean tourism and the question of sustainability in Barbados and St Lucia
Wilson, D.
Sustainable tourism in islands and small states case studies: 75-102
1996
Document Number: 376910
This chapter distinguishes four main types of sustainable tourism development: economic, environmental, social and cultural, and considers the extent to which they are found on the islands of Barbados and St Lucia. This analysis leads to the conclusion that little significant progress has been made and that tourism growth remains the top priority. The advocacy of alternative forms of tourism serves mainly to project an image of political responsibility while supporting a marketing strategy aimed at expanding tourism as the islands compete for business against an ever increasing number of long haul destinations. In particular, the social and cultural dimensions of sustainable tourism development seem to be the ones least addressed by current policy and practice. This suggests that there can never be tourism development without dependency for small island microstates like Barbados and St Lucia, and it is argued that the promotion of green images or ecotourism is a means to an end, aimed primarily at sustaining tourism growth into new niche markets rather than at sustainable tourism development per se.