Last Resorts: The Cost of Tourism in the Caribbean (A Latin America Bureau Book, 4)

"Few people are better qualified to analyze this situation than Pattullo, who in addition to being a skilled journalist and Caribbean resident, also runs a tour-operating company and is thus able to view the region's tourism in its multiple dimensions."--Choice The Caribbean has the fortune—and the misfortune—to be everyone's idea of a tropical paradise. Its sun, sand and scenery attract millions of visitors each year and make it a profitable destination for the world's fastest growing industry. Tourism is increasingly touted as its only hope of creating jobs and wealth—literally, the island's last resort. Last Resorts examines the real impact of tourism on the people and landscape of the Caribbean. It explores the structure of ownership of the industry and shows that the benefits it brings to the region do not live up to its claims. New developments in ecotourism, sex tourism, and the burgeoning cruise industry are not changing this pattern of short-term exploitation of the region's resources. The book shows how Caribbean societies are corrupted by tourism and its culture turned into floorshow parody.