By: Staff Writer
June 27, 2025
The World Bank in a recent report said that tourism in the Caribbean is at a critical juncture as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural vulnerabilities of the volume-based tourism model.
The report, Rethinking Caribbean Tourism: Strategies for a More Sustainable Future, also said: “[Governments] are seeking ways to create more and better jobs, reduce the environmental footprint of tourism, and attract the sustainable private sector investment needed to entice discerning high-value tourists.
“This shift in governmental vision is aligned with increasing consumer demand for sustainability, authentic experiences, and local buying. Together, this provides an exciting opportunity for countries in the Caribbean to rethink tourism with strategies for a more sustainable future.”
Tourism is more than an industry in the Caribbean; it’s a way of life, an economic backbone, and, for many, a ticket out of poverty. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism contributed an average of 11.4 percent to the region’s GDP in 2023 and supported over 2.75 million jobs, accounting for 15.1 percent of total employment in the Caribbean. It also plays a pivotal role in driving employment for women and youth. In St. Lucia, for example, more than 55 percent of young workers (ages 15-24) are employed in tourism. Women in the Caribbean account for 57-70 percent of the workforce in accommodation and food services, well above the global average of 54 percent.
The report also said: “Cruise and all-inclusive resorts continue to be priorities for governments as they provide jobs, stimulate foreign direct investment (FDI), and generate the majority of regional demand. However, influence and market power in these segments have also created environmental and social risks and inhibited tourism diversification.
“Adventure tourism offers potential to add value and diversity to the rich endowment of natural and cultural assets and expand the value proposition and local economic impact of traditional markets.
“Additionally, it can create a new ecosystem of suppliers appealing to an entirely different market segment of high-spending tourists. Segment selection was based on analysis of current impacts, growth projections, and scales of environmental and social externalities that examined the importance and value of the segments to the Caribbean. It also integrated feedback from consultations with key stakeholders and alignment with national policies and trends.”
The quality of tourism jobs varies across population groups and locations. For youth, tourism often provides jobs that are comparable or even superior (in Barbados and Saint Lucia) to those in other sectors, suggesting its potential as a meaningful entry point into the labor market. However, across all sectors, young workers still hold the lowest-quality jobs compared to older age groups.
Despite being overrepresented in the sector, women consistently face lower job quality than men, with wider gaps in tourism compared to other sectors in Grenada and the Dominican Republic. A marked urban-rural divide also persists, with tourism jobs in rural areas offering lower quality than those in urban centers, a disparity that is more pronounced than in other sectors.