Jamaica Sustainable Tourism

Jamaica land of sun, fun and enjoyment, an island paradise that boasts pristine white-sand beaches, flora and fauna, good weather ‘all year round'. Tourism is Jamaica’s primary foreign exchange earner with one in every 4 being employed within the sector.

While the economic benefits of tourism are great, environmental depletion and climate change can destroy the very elements that draw visitors to the island paradise. The geographic location makes it prone to natural disasters associated with climate changes such as hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, earthquakes, and landslides.

Jamaica’s fragile ecosystem is continually being abused by the concept of mass tourism.

Bearing this in mind, it must be considered whether the island’s most important asset is being managed in a sustainable manner, with equilibrium being the key element of accomplishing successful sustainable tourism.

Methodology:

This report was made using secondary data sources-reports, tourism policy documents, books and literature from various other websites. The report looks at the main sustainable tourism indicators as proposed by the UNWTO.

This report examines sustainable tourism in the case of Jamaica. The report starts by defining sustainable tourism. Facts have shown that tourism is the fastest and largest growing economy in the world and the most important economy for developing countries. Jamaica’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, but if not managed properly can have serious effects on the environment and society. It is of outmost importance that tourism be developed in harmony with the 3 principles of sustainable tourism. Considering this, the question can be asked if whether or the industry is developing sustainably and if a different approach should be taken in the future. Impact data was collected to show why changes