Geography

Nota:

• Tourism is the temporary movement of people from their own homes and work to a place that caters for their leisure and recreational needs.

1. Tourist

   Nota:

   • A tourist is a person who leaves their own homes and visits another place; usually for recreation and leisure.
   1. Domestic Tourists

      Nota:

      • Domestic tourists are those who visit places within there own country.
   2. International Tourists

      Nota:

      • International tourists are people who visit countries other than their own.
2. Advantages of Tourism

   Nota:

   • 1. The revenue and income it brings into the country. 2. The employment opportunities that are created.
3. Problems of Tourism
   1. On-season

      Nota:

      • On-season or high season begins around December and ends in April. It coincides with winter in North America.
      • During this time there is high employment and the greatest amount of revenue is obtained.
   2. Off-season

      Nota:

      • The low or off-season starts from May and ends in November.
      • During this time number of visitors decrease and consequently there is a lay of of worker.
   3. Sudden Drop in Numbers

      Nota:

      • Barbados has it's 'Crop-over Festival' which they use to attract tourists. St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and Dominica have carnival.
      • But the major problem with relying on tourism for foreign income is that, sometimes numbers  suddenly drop and this creates a drop in income which is really hard to plan for.
4. Attracting Visitors
   1. Location and Access

      Nota:

      • Many Caribbean territories have invest in International airports and cruise ships terminals for the arrival of tourists. This makes it easy to travel by air from countries like USA, Canada and Europe.
   2. Beaches and our Sea

      Nota:

      • The sea and sand are two of the Caribbean's most popular natural resource.
      • Many hotels and tourists resorts are located on sea fronts. But this causes a bit off a problem, having limited access to beaches in popular tourist resource areas.
   3. Climate

      Nota:

      • The Caribbean has a very warm climate and lots of sunshine,  which usually attracts a lot of tourists.
   4. Tourist Activities associated with the sea
      1. Natural Phsical Attraction

         Nota:

         • Rivers, waterfalls e.g. The rio Grande in Jamaica, The Essquibo and Demerara rivers in Guyana are great attractions.
         • There is also the Grande Anse Beach and Gran Etang crater lakes in Grenada. Corals reefs are really popular.
         1. Protecting Coral Reefs

            Nota:

            • Although reefs are a major problem there are certain precautions that must be put in place. -Anchor  your boat only in areas where it is permitted. -Don't collect any souvenirs from the reef. -Don't stand or sit on the corals. -Don't kick around any sand. -Keep to designated walkways. -Find out what sports gear is allowed and obey the rules.
   5. Cultural Festivals

      Nota:

      • Some cultural festivals are: Carnival, calypso king and queen, Dimanche Gras etc.
5. Eco-tourism

   Nota:

   • Eco-tourism is the responsible travel to natural areas. It is the leisurely enjoyment of the natural wildlife.
   1. Arguments against Eco-tourism

      Nota:

      • Development of eco-tourism means that more luxury hotels would have to be built on the coast. having a large number of tourist may lead to pollution of our natural environment.  
      • Eco-tourism only provides employment opportunities for tour guides, vendors and porters.
   2. Benefits of Tourism

      Nota:

      • Eco-tourist can conserve the environment and at the same time contribute financially to tourism.
      • Tourists will have a chance to experience wildlife. opportunities include adventure hikes  to places such as the Windsor Cave in Jamaica.
      • Eco-tourism provides jobs for local tour operators and guides.
   3. Flora and Fauna

      Nota:

      • In Trinidad the Caroni Bird Sanctuary located in the Caroni Swamp.
      • The ASA Wright Nature Center, a wildlife sanctuary, is a natural habitat for many birds and hundreds of flowers.
      • The Cockscomb Jaguar Sanctuary in Belize is the world's only jaguar sanctuary.