The Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world, with an average of 50 million visitors a year. Most of its tourism infrastructure, including its 2,600 hotels as well as nearly three-quarters of its people, are concentrated along its coastlines. While the Caribbean island nations contribute less than 1 percent of carbon emissions to global climate change, they are among the most vulnerable to its impacts, including increasingly fierce and frequent hurricanes, sea level rise, hotter temperatures, and loss of coral and mangroves. Yet many vacationers, home owners, governments, and tourism developers and operators fail to fully grasp the realities of climate change. Two truths run through the essays and case studies in this edited volume: one, many of these environmental problems predate but are exacerbated by climate change, and two, many of the techniques for mitigating and adapting to climate change are part of the tool kit of sustainable tourism that has been honed over recent decades. Therefore, companies and coastal destinations adhering to the socially and environmentally sustainable practices such as beach setbacks, soft engineering, renewable energy, water recycling and reduction, and “green” architecture are likely to be more resilient in coping with climate change. Tourism master planning and building today requires a new normal that incorporates present risks and climate change protections using smart planning, sustainable design, and responsible construction. This book focused on beaches and hotels and its three companion volumes are designed for use in university courses (both graduate and undergraduate), as well as by tourism businesses, practitioners, and associations; governments; international finance and development agencies, and concerned travelers.
Keywords Adaptation, Caribbean, certification, climate change, coastal tourism, hotels, mitigation, resilience, resorts, responsible tourism, sea level rise, sustainable development, sustainable tourism