SIDS-FOCUSED Green Economy

TOURISM

SIDS-FOCUSED Green Economy: AN ANALYSIS OF CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Synthesis Report

Tourism is one of the world’s largest business sectors, growing by a staggering 90% from 1995 to 2010. It is responsible for over 250 million jobs or more than 8% of total employment and accounts for over 9% of the world’s GDP 11 . This sector involves large global movement of people annually, and the supply chain extends from the cities of the north to remote islands.

Tourism is a vital sector of the economies of most SIDS. For more than half of the SIDS, it is their largest source of foreign exchange. The social, economic and environmental well-being of many SIDS is tied to this sector 12 . Tourism receipts represent more than 30% of their total exports; in comparison, the average for the world is just over 5% 13 .

60 Share of tourism on total GDP Percentage Tourism in SIDS

8 700 2 000 500 50 Annual tourist arrivals

Maldives

50

Seychelles

40

Population Tourists

Barbados

Mauritius

Antigua and Barbuda

Note: figures refer to most recent year available (2007 or 2008)

St. Lucia

30

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

The Bahamas

Belize

Dominica

Suriname

St. Kitts and Nevis

São Tomé and Principe

20

Dominican Republic

Cape Verde

Fiji

Trinidad and Tobago

Tonga

Haiti

Jamaica

10

Grenada

Note: The chart shows only those countries for which data were available

Singapore

Guyana

0

Source: UN-Data, The World Bank, online statistical databases.

11 UNEP. 2011. Keeping Track of Our Changing Environment: From Rio to Rio+20. 12 UNDESA.2010. Trends in Sustainable Development: Small Island Developing States (SIDS) . New York, United Nations. 13 Based on World Bank data, 2011.

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