Hurricane-resistant windows or more climate responsibility? – Climate change and sustainable tourism in Jamaica

Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average*

Climate is an important issue in consideration for the tourist’s choice of destination. There is a negative impact in a number of tourists in a destination which has an extreme weather conditions or where weather pattern is constantly changing. Tourism is the most important economic activity in Jamaica with the majority of tourists focusing on coast-based activities, which is highly vulnerable because of coastal erosion and sea-level rise. This article has focused on how environment is affected due to climate change what implication it has on a tourism demand and what actions should be done in order to mitigate the projected impact in Jamaica.

Climate change has a wide range of affects. The following are key physical features of climate changes in Jamaica:

• Temperature increases
• Sea surface temperature increases
• Sea level rise
• Erosion
• increases in Intensity and frequency of hurricanes and storms
• Immense rains for a short period of time (flooding)

Jamaica’s tourism industry has suffered enormous damage caused by hurricanes and tropical storms. For instance, Hurricanes Gilbert in Jamaica in 1988 and Hurricanes Georges and Mitch in 1998 caused severe damage to tourism infrastructure, hotels, restaurant and other tourism properties. As a result, there were significant declines in tourist levels and foreign exchange. In a storm season, the surges cause serious damage to buildings nearby, such as hotels. Beaches and coast lines, as part of the tourism product can also be affected by rising sea levels. They may get narrower and narrower and eventually totally disappear.

“Recent studies on a Caribbean region estimated that 25 % rise in travel costs will result in a 15 % decrease in demand. Meaning we can expect fewer tourist in a 5 -10 years period because of rising costs cooperate with deformation of conditions in a region” said Edmund Bartlett the Minister of tourism on a World Day Tourism seminar on a climate change.

There are several actions that can be taken to mitigate natural disasters, minimise costs and damage caused by them to attract more tourists.

1. Reduce contribution to green house emissions by using substitutes of – renewable energy sources such biomass, wind and solar power.
2. An extensive education program is about to begin in Jamaica in order to make the general public aware of the impact of climate change the need for environmental responsibility.
3. Hotel Associations started to introduce plans with properties and attractions on how to achieve environmental sustainability.
4. Insurance may be a strategic financial instrument because it transfers risk from individual property owners. It could be an effective way of reducing natural hazard risks.
5. Jamaica’s government pays attention to achieve blue flag certificate** for their beaches and marinas. Many European tourists are concerned about sustainable development and this effort can help to attract theirs attention and make Jamaica a more attractive destination.

In conclusion, there is a huge opportunity for Jamaica to become a popular destination for travellers if all stakeholders put their efforts to improve environmental management system.

References

*Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia

**Beaches and marinas which concentrate on a sustainable development and pass strict criteria dealing with water qualities, environmental education and safety can obtain Blue Flag Certificate.

1. Video from a World Day Tourism Seminar on Climate Change in Jamaica, provided by New York linkz, part 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwvUvmjiJMo
2. Video from a World Day Tourism Seminar on Climate Change in Jamaica, provided by New York linkz, part http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ_jT66dhCA&NR=1
3. Interview  “How will climate change impact on the tourism industry?”  Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes Vol. 1 No. 3, 2009, pp. 269-273, extracted from www.emeraldinsight.com/1755-4217.htm
4. Article “Preparing for a rainy day. Climate change and sustainable tourism in Caribbean small island developing states”  Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes Vol. 1 No. 3, 2009 pp. 231-251,  extracted from www.emeraldinsight.com/1755-4217.htm