One of the greatest threats to tourism in the region is the phenomenon of rising sea levels, which will increase waves and storm surges occurring with hurricanes. Scientists believe that climate change, which normally occurs over long periods of time, is accelerating due to increased human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and that this phenomenon is causing increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters in the region. Global climate change has led to changes in sea surface temperatures and sea levels, which in turn can result in flooding, inundation and erosion in low-lying coastal areas.

Government policies which focus on coastal development fuelled by the demand for beach tourism and the preferences of developers for this type of development have resulted in over sixty-five percent of the hotels in the Commonwealth Caribbean being located in coastal areas. Billions of US dollars are invested in coastal hotel development in the Greater Caribbean. In one Southern Caribbean destination, over ninety percent of the hotel rooms are built on the coast, less than half mile from the high water mark.

The coastal land use policy of governments in the region has brought many benefits to the economies to these countries, but has also created certain challenges.

There are direct, indirect and secondary impacts of natural disasters. Direct impacts relate to physical and capital stocks, damage to tourism infrastructure, the environment and ecotourism resources such as reefs, mangrove, wildlife habitats and other natural attractions.

The loss of tourism revenue, jobs of tourist service providers and interrupted tourism revenue flows are considered as indirect impacts, while impacts on the balance of payments and the Gross Domestic Product fall into the category of secondary impacts.

Climate change and sea level rise pose a major threat to the expansion of the yachting and the cruise industry.

The Caribbean remains one of the world’s most popular yachting destinations. The nature of the product demands that supporting infrastructure is constructed on the shoreline making them as equally vulnerable as coastal resorts.

The vulnerability of this sector is increased when yachting facilities are poorly designed and built, when boat yards and yacht storage is improperly managed and where there is a lack of hurricane shelters. The infrastructure for cruise tourism is also largely coastal – cruise ship piers, for example, and shopping facilities located within them are also susceptible to damage from waves and accompanying hurricanes.

Coral reefs, which are valuable tourism resources, can also be affected by the impacts of rising temperatures and storms. This contributes to coral bleaching and affects the production of sand for beaches; erodes the protective function and decreases the reef’s value to fish stocks. Sea level rise also changes the ecology and hydrology of the natural heritage diversity and alters the value of these ecotourism attractions.

Aside from the immediate damages to the tourism infrastructure there are other impacts, which may be gradual and sustained.

Tourism stakeholders will face the challenges of sustaining business viability, income and property value. The cost of protection measures for beach and property will have to be met. The declining amenity value, the deterioration of the landscape and aesthetics, issues related to insurance and reinsurance, as well as the cost and availability of adequate coverage pose other serious concerns.

Climate change and its impacts have become a global reality, which will continue to affect tourism products and services. In the Greater Caribbean region, public and private sector collaboration is critical in exploring and monitoring the link between climate change and the impacts on the performance of the tourism industry. Additionally, adaptation and enforcement of standards, building codes and practices related to shoreline development and integrated coastal zone management will be critical in reducing the vulnerability of our tourism resources.