Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude

Tourism has been an important component of Caribbean island economy for more than three decades. The business model is based largely on the deployment of low-wage workers in destination surroundings which mimic the past colonial plantation era. Moreover, mass tourism has resulted in stretching the c...

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Main Author: Alfred Wong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université des Antilles 2015-12-01
Series:Études Caribéennes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/7524
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author Alfred Wong
author_facet Alfred Wong
author_sort Alfred Wong
collection DOAJ
description Tourism has been an important component of Caribbean island economy for more than three decades. The business model is based largely on the deployment of low-wage workers in destination surroundings which mimic the past colonial plantation era. Moreover, mass tourism has resulted in stretching the carrying capacity of some smaller island states to the limiting end. Large trans-national tourism corporations operating cruise ships and/or hotels are coercing sovereign governments to offer ever more fiscal concessions as incentives for business continuation. Additionally as the competition for tourism revenue is heightened by destinations outside the Caribbean, regional states are struggling to find new means to maintain and expand the tourism trade. Alternative tourism venues such as sex, gambling, tax evasion, medical, sports, culture and ecology are being implemented. Some of these offerings are indeed degrading to the people and their cultural tradition. And they do not improve the economic well-being of the people satisfactorily. A new strategy to replace classical as well as alternative tourism is urgently needed.
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spelling doaj-art-a57b0624cd9b4d3dbd6479db3c57cdcf2025-08-20T02:21:17ZengUniversité des AntillesÉtudes Caribéennes1779-09801961-859X2015-12-013110.4000/etudescaribeennes.7524Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial ServitudeAlfred WongTourism has been an important component of Caribbean island economy for more than three decades. The business model is based largely on the deployment of low-wage workers in destination surroundings which mimic the past colonial plantation era. Moreover, mass tourism has resulted in stretching the carrying capacity of some smaller island states to the limiting end. Large trans-national tourism corporations operating cruise ships and/or hotels are coercing sovereign governments to offer ever more fiscal concessions as incentives for business continuation. Additionally as the competition for tourism revenue is heightened by destinations outside the Caribbean, regional states are struggling to find new means to maintain and expand the tourism trade. Alternative tourism venues such as sex, gambling, tax evasion, medical, sports, culture and ecology are being implemented. Some of these offerings are indeed degrading to the people and their cultural tradition. And they do not improve the economic well-being of the people satisfactorily. A new strategy to replace classical as well as alternative tourism is urgently needed.https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/7524tourismagriculturecolonialismeconomy
spellingShingle Alfred Wong
Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude
Études Caribéennes
tourism
agriculture
colonialism
economy
title Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude
title_full Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude
title_fullStr Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude
title_full_unstemmed Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude
title_short Caribbean Island Tourism: Pathway to Continued Colonial Servitude
title_sort caribbean island tourism pathway to continued colonial servitude
topic tourism
agriculture
colonialism
economy
url https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/7524
work_keys_str_mv AT alfredwong caribbeanislandtourismpathwaytocontinuedcolonialservitude