Tourism earnings under threat by climate change

Barbados and the region face the chilling reality that in 20 years, a substantial portion of tourism revenues will be funding the cost of addressing the impact of climate change.

This concern was raised by Barbados’ Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with Responsibility for Climate Change, Small Island Developing States and Law of the Sea, Senator Elizabeth Thompson, who said that the Caribbean tourism sector earns $24 billion annually, contributing a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution of between 17 to 90 per cent across the islands.

The ambassador said the tourism sector is responsible for 40 per cent of the job market in the region and that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is projecting that by 2050 the cost of addressing climate impacts for tourism will amount to US$22 million.

Senator Thompson presented this analysis on the impact of climate change on the country’s bread and butter industry in remarks to the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) 2nd Visit Barbados Stakeholder forum at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre where tourism players discussed positioning Barbados to be a sustainable tourism destination.

“As stakeholders, as tourism planners, let’s just ask ourselves what percentage growth can we anticipate and project for the sector over the same period, because based on the figures, the revenues will now keep rising, or they will be significantly impacted by the climate change adaptations and mitigation spend.

“The only way to change that equation is by building resilience. While we talk about building resilience in the tourism sector, the reality is that because tourism revenues are so integrated into the economy, with jobs directly and indirectly, the region has to build resilience beyond the tourism sector,” she said.

Ambassador Thompson said building resilience in the sector involves finding ways to guard against the ravages of climate change, protecting coastlines and coral reefs, committing to and operationalising the transition to renewable energy resources, boosting agricultural output with technology for food security, and addressing the water scarcity issues, among other measures.

Sustainable tourism is defined by the United Nation (UN) Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organisation as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”.

The BTMI’s Chief Executive Officer Jens Thraenhart shared with those gathered at the forum that according to Consumer Tourism Trends, 69 per cent of travellers expect more sustainable travel options, 73 per cent plan to support local businesses, 62 per cent are willing to pay more for sustainable trips, and 78 per cent will chose less crowded destinations.

He said the challenge is for Barbados to be positioned as an all-year, balanced tourism destination to drive sustainability, which results in inclusive growth and economic impact.

He said the BTMI’s Green Code sustainable tourism project focusses on initiatives including single-use plastic, food waste, carbon offsetting, sustainable investment and industry workshops. (AH)