The Caribbean’s beautiful biodiversity, culture and heritage are among the strongest draws for travelers and explorers, making tourism a significant part of the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, over 32 million people came to our shores in 2019, which was a record year that saw more than $58 billion injected into the region – roughly 14% of the Caribbean’s overall GDP.
The following years saw the global pandemic put a damper on the sector, which also highlighted how important it is to factor resilience and resilience into every aspect of our economies.
Encouraging sustainable tourism is an invaluable way to help protect and preserve the region’s culture and natural environment. While there has been a growing regional market share in recent years, the pandemic has in many ways accelerated its growth, as forward-thinking states look to invest in solutions capable of protecting future generations and driving economic growth through smart choices. for the climate.
The Caribbean has a number of solutions and opportunities it is developing to make tourism and related industries greener, with plans for these to become a world leader and a global standard.
Greening the transportation industry is a complex challenge. Great strides have been made in the electric vehicle industry and everything from personal vehicles, public transport and micromobility are moving relatively quickly to electric.
However, cross-border transport by boat and plane remains exceptional. These two forms of transport are synonymous with island life, and the emissions and environmental impact of air and sea travel are significant.
“We have, to our advantage, short businesses – less than 200 miles, up to 50 miles in some cases between countries,” Caribbean Development Bank President Dr Hyginus “Gene” Leon told a Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Barbados. (BCCI) business lunch in February. “What’s stopping us from adopting a green technology—battery, hydrogen-powered, vertical takeoff and landing that can go from one place to another? Why can’t we have fast ferries that move people and goods at the same time to different points on the islands?”
Innovative research into alternative ferry and propulsion fuels is opening the door to the use of large-scale lithium-ion batteries, hybrid ship propulsion and even hydrogen. In the airline industry, many investments are being made in similar research, with hydrogen showing great promise.
Green hydrogen is part of the Caribbean’s future, with plans to pool the region’s renewable energy sources to create a Single Energy Export Market capable of bringing in significant cash flows and reducing fuel dependency fossil. Combined with smart technology and new innovations, local green hydrogen could lead to the future Dr Leon envisions.
The last weeks of 2022 saw a global consensus reached on the protection of biodiversity. Gathered at the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, international delegates representing civil society and national governments gathered to adopt a target to protect 30% of the world’s natural areas by 2030.
The 30×30 objective has empowered entrepreneurs eager to develop environmentally sound activities on land (green) and at sea (blue) that contribute to economic growth. Currently, only 17% of land and 8% of oceans are protected, and most areas of biodiversity critical to global ecosystems are found in and around “great ocean states” such as those in the greater Caribbean.
The latest agreement reached at the UN in February during negotiations on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty – better known as the “high seas treaty” – will provide a path to meet the 30% target within marine habitats.
The BBNJ will provide lawmakers with the ability to create marine protected areas in international waters and outline frameworks for cooperation in monitoring and protecting these areas. It is a big and hard-fought step towards achieving the 30×30 goal.
Active conservation and protection of natural areas as a focal point for economic development is particularly applicable in countries or regions with a rich, biodiverse environment such as the Caribbean. In fact, the Caribbean is perfectly positioned to benefit from a blue/green economy.
The region demonstrated its ability to integrate biodiversity goals into our economic growth plans when we launched and achieved our stand-alone 20×20 target. As such, the Caribbean already has several opportunities for sustainable development available, particularly within the tourism sector.
In the Bahamas, mangrove planting and coral reef restoration are at the center of tourism activities at major resorts. In Barbados, holistic ecotourism opportunities are offered by WIRRED, while Yardie Divers – a dive shop in Jamaica – combines environmental education with scuba diving trips. If you travel to Puerto Rico, you can experience world-class agritourism by learning and participating in traditional coffee practices from crop to cup, and in Grenada all “volunteer” trips are planned for tourists looking to volunteer their time for sustainable initiatives.
Each of these activities highlights the importance of the environment for the communities around it. The Caribbean is full of such enriching experiences that place the authentic natural beauty and cultural heritage of our region at the heart of our tourism.
The importance of sustainable tourism cannot be overstated, as Dr Ishtar Govia of the Caribbean Policy Research Institute notes. “The pandemic created an urgent need for more sustainable tourism models, practices and strategies aimed at improving energy and food security, product diversification, more direct, mutually beneficial connections with communities and capacity building at different levels in the whole sector.”
By future-proofing tourism and related sectors through sustainable development, we are also building sustainability and providing a better, more personal and meaningful tourism experience for visitors.
The Caribbean is already attempting to make this the new status quo. Saba retained its place among the world’s top ecotourism destinations in 2022, with its government noting that the award recognizes future-proofing the sector.
Likewise, St Lucia has been recognized by the UN Environment Program for its work in developing sustainable tourism within a blue economy, while the burgeoning ecotourism sectors in St Vincent and Dominica are also gaining international reputations for quality tourism experiences. up.
So can your Caribbean vacation “go green”? Yes, it can, and the region shows that there is no shortage of ways to do so.
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