Aruba

It is a truism that tourism plays a significant role in the Caribbean. Tourism and its ancillary services have permeated the socioeconomic fabric of small island societies in the Caribbean, accounting for almost 15% of GDP and employing well over 2 million people according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. Ranked Number 1 in relative contribution to economic production and employment in the Caribbean, over the past half century tourism has come to dominate much of Caribbean island life, thereby accounting for the highest degree of tourism specialization.

Economic crisis, geopolitical tensions, health pandemics, and environmental disasters, however, underscore the vulnerability and volatility of tourism, especially within the context of small island tourism economies (SITEs) in the Caribbean. Compounding these traditional vulnerabilities are persistent challenges ...