Tourism Earnings Under Threat By Climate Change

• Barbados and the region continue to 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 $24Bn annually, contributing between 17 to 90% to GDP, and providing 40% of the jobs in the market. 
• The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is projecting that by 2050 the cost of addressing climate impacts for tourism will amount to US$22Mn. 
• Senator Thompson explains that the only way to change that equation is by building resilience. The reality is that tourism revenues are so integrated into the economy, with direct and indirect jobs, the region has to build resilience beyond the tourism sector. 
• 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. 
• Until then, the current challenge is for Barbados to position itself as an all-year balanced tourism destination to drive sustainability by focusing on initiatives including educating tourists on single-use plastic, food waste, carbon offsetting etc., which results in inclusive growth and economic impact.

(Source: Barbados Today)