What is tourism?

Tourism involves of travelling to and staying  in places outside of your usual environment for recreation, business or other purposes. People who travel for recreation, business or other purposes are called tourists. Tourists may travel to go sightseeing, scuba diving, enjoy a different culture or many other reasons. Tourism is very important to many countries in the Caribbean including St. Lucia, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and the Bahamas. Many Caribbean countries have developed their tourism industry to accommodate and support tourists.

The Caribbean is warm all year round and this makes it attractive to many tourists. Most of the tourists who travel to the Caribbean are from the United States of America, Canada and England. Most of these tourists visit the Caribbean between December and April, when it is cold in their countries. This period (December to April) is known as the peak season for tourism in the Caribbean.

Types of Tourism

There are many different types of tourism. Here are a few you should know.

Local tourism: Some people travel to and stay in places in their own country. This is called local tourism or domestic tourism. For instance,  someone from Castries who spends a weekend at a hotel in Soufriere is a local tourist.

International tourism: Some people travel to other countries and spend some time there. This is called international tourism. An example of international tourism is when someone from England travels to St. Lucia and spend a week.

Cruise tourism: Cruise tourism involves taking a vacation on a large ship called a cruise ship. The cruise ship is like a hotel. Guests, eat, sleep and are entertained on the ship. The ship travels to different destinations. At each destination, the guests can leave the ship and go exploring until it is time for the ship to travel to another destination. In the photo below you can see cruise ships in the Castries harbour in St. Lucia.

Eco-tourism: Eco-tourism involves travelling to natural areas, conserving the environment and supporting the well-being of local people. It also involves educating tourists about these natural areas. Some eco-tourism activities are snorkeling/ scuba diving, hiking and bird watching. In the picture below you can see a group of tourists and their guide bird watching in the community of Bouton in Soufriere, St, Lucia.

Cultural tourism: Cultural tourism involves experiencing aspects of the culture of the destination. These aspects involve music, art, food, beliefs and festivals. An example of cultural tourism is when people travel to St. Lucia from other countries to take part in our carnival celebrations.

Business tourism: Business tourism involves travelling to and staying in places outside of your usual environment for business. For example, a businessman may travel to another country for an important meeting with a client.

Health tourism: Health tourism refers to travelling outside of your usual environment for medical care. For instance, people from the Caribbean sometimes travel to countries like the USA to have surgery that cannot be performed in their countries.