Tourism and food production in the Caribbean

Abstract

Foreign-exchange leakage through food imports for tourist consumption reduces the net economic impact of tourism in the Caribbean. Yet little is known on the interface between tourism and local food production. Tourism's competition for agricultural labor and land, and its impact on land values, land use and food prices, are disputed by researchers and are poorly understood. Thorough studies are needed on the nature and extent of tourism food imports and associated foreign-exchange leakages; the reasons a large proportion of the food for tourist consumption is imported; and the variation in food supply patterns according to quality, size, ownership, and location of tourist establishment. Further research will help formulate policies designed to increase the net economic impact of tourism.