Tourism

Exploring tourism development possibilities on St. Eustatius, that is what the document in front of you is about. During a 5 week stay on the island, I (Mart Reiling) worked on this assignment with my colleague student Ineke van Kapel, both landscape architecture students at Wageningen University. The Below
described content includes my study area’s: Venus Bay and Zeelandia Bay. In addition, a vision for the whole island and a vision on the Quill were made together with Ineke.
This student thesis study serves as a start for the development of a tourism master plan for St. Eustatius, to which students and others will in addition contribute in the future.

Rural tourism map for exploration of the Rincon area on Bonaire. The map provides hiking, cycling and driving routes and takes you along breathtaking panoramas, traditional kunukus (farms) and impressive nature. 

Please contact explore-bonaire for more information.

Explore Bonaire is part of the Rural development program for Bonaire. The purpose of the development program is to improve the entrepreneurship in the countryside and in agriculture.

Rural tourism map for exploration of Bara di Karta on Bonaire. The map provides hiking, cycling and driving routes and takes you along breathtaking panoramas, traditional kunukus (farms) and impressive nature. 

Please contact explore-bonaire for more information.

Explore Bonaire is part of the Rural development program for Bonaire. The purpose of the development program is to improve the entrepreneurship in the countryside and in agriculture.

This study examines current trends in tourism and agriculture in Caribbean countries and the strategy for linking them in order to facilitate their future development. The tourism industry has, in the past, developed largely apart from other sectors such as agriculture. On the other hand, agriculture has developed mainly to satisfy export markets. Domestic agriculture has had limited development and has therefore been displaced to a considerable extent by food imports. The recent promotion of agriculture tourism linkages is an attempt to enhance the local value added of the tourism industry, while at the same time promoting the development of domestic agriculture. However, it is argued that agriculture-tourism linkage per se will not facilitate the development of either tourism or agriculture. The nature of the tourism product in each country has to be understood before effective strategies could be devised for improving competitiveness. A similar approach is also necessary in respect of the agriculture sector. Increased linkage between tourism and agriculture could be enhanced through the adoption of a cluster-based strategy for improving the competitiveness of the tourism sector and for improving the livelihoods of communities and rural areas. 

Abstract : Although it would seem natural for hotels in Jamaica to use a greater proportion of local food than at present, the expansion of domestic food production and processing and the development of closer links with tourism are hampered by numerous obstacles, which are reviewed. As a result of these obstacles, the contribution of food production to the GDP is small, and large amounts of food are imported to feed residents as well as tourists. To help increase domestic food production, the Jamaican government should pursue more equitable landownership, provide more low-interest credit and sound technical advice, and improve crop forecasting, storage capacity and marketing. In addition to efforts to increase domestic food production, a number of ways are suggested to strengthen the linkages between food production and tourist food consumption and to reduce foreign exchange leakages. It is an explicit objective of development plans in Jamaica to accelerate import substitution in order to increase the local content of the tourist industry and hence to retain a greater share of visitor expenditure.

Policy Brief

The Challenge
Bonairean ecosystems support touristic activities that depend on the quality of the natural environment, such as diving, snorkelling, kayaking, boating, enjoying beaches, and participating in land activities. The tourism sector is an industry with substantial size and nancial contribution to the economy of Bonaire. However, the economic value of the contribution of nature to Bonaire’s tourism has never been quanti ed, nor have the most important aspects of Bonairean nature for tourism been identi ed. It is essential that the economic value of the ecosystem service to tourism and the dependence of tourism on Bonairean ecosystems while impacting these same ecosystems be determined in order to further assist policy-makers in understanding this crucial relationship and support them in wise long-term decision-making.

The Approach
To determine the value of Bonairean ecosystems for the tourism industry a survey among tourists visiting Bonaire is conducted. This study estimates the average expenditures of these visitors, as well as their Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) for protection of Bonairean nature. The result of this survey also elucidates tourists’ perceived value of different aspects of Bonairean nature. The socio-economic value of the ecosystem services for tourism is combined with spatial data to determine which ecosystems are the most economically valuable with regards to tourism.

Results & Recommendations
The expenditure by tourists on Bonaire is found to be around $125 million annually. An estimated welfare of around $50 million is contributed by Bonaire’s nature
to tourism. Stay-over tourists are found to contribute more to the tourism industry than cruise tourists, and marine ecosystems are found to be more economically signi cant than terrestrial ecosystems on the island. The high WTP of tourists
for additional nature protection in Bonaire provides opportunities for the local government to increase the current user fees of visitors to Bonaire. 

Bonairean ecosystems support touristic activities that depend on the quality of the natural environment, such as diving, snorkelling, kayaking, boating, enjoying beaches, and participating in land activities. The tourism sector is an industry with substantial size and financial contribution to the economy of Bonaire. However, the economic value of the contribution of nature to Bonaire’s tourism has never been quantified, nor have the most important aspects of Bonairean nature for tourism been identified. It is essential that the economic value of the ecosystem service to tourism and the dependence of tourism on Bonairean ecosystems while impacting these same ecosystems be determined in order to further assist policy-makers in understanding this crucial relationship and support them in wise long-term decision-making.

To determine the value of Bonairean ecosystems for the tourism industry a survey among tourists visiting Bonaire is conducted. This study estimates the average expenditures of these visitors, as well as their Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) for protection of Bonairean nature. The result of this survey also elucidates tourists’ perceived value of different aspects of Bonairean nature. The socio-economic value of the ecosystem services for tourism is combined with spatial data to determine which ecosystems are the most economically valuable with regards to tourism.

The expenditure by tourists on Bonaire is found to be around $125 million annually. An estimated welfare of around $50 million dollars is contributed by Bonaire’s nature to tourism. Stay-over tourists are found to contribute more to the tourism industry than cruise tourists, and marine ecosystems are found to be more economically significant than terrestrial ecosystems on the island. The high WTP of tourists for additional nature protection in Bonaire provides opportunities for the local government to increase the current user fees of visitors to Bonaire. 

IVM Institute for Environmental Studies 

Managing the pathways by which non-native species are introduced and spread is consid- ered the most effective way of preventing species invasions. Tourism and outdoor recrea- tion involve the frequent congregation of people, vehicles and vessels from geographically diverse areas. They are therefore perceived to be major pathways for the movement of non- native species, and ones that will become increasingly important with the continued growth of these sectors. However, a global assessment of the relationship between tourism activi- ties and the introduction of non-native species–particularly in freshwater and marine envi- ronments–is lacking. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of tourism and outdoor recreation on non-native species in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. Our results provide quantitative evidence that the abundance and richness of non-native species are significantly higher in sites where tourist activities take place than in control sites. The pattern was consistent across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments; across a variety of vectors (e.g. horses, hikers, yachts); and across a range of taxonomic groups. These results highlight the need for widespread biose- curity interventions to prevent the inadvertent introduction of invasive non-native species (INNS) as the tourism and outdoor recreation sectors grow. 

Tropical regions and developing states depend largely on their “blue nature” and related tourism for their potential and economic well-being. Even so, coral reefs are degrading around the globe, whereas the pressure exerted by diving tourism is increasing steadily. This conflicting situation empathizes the need for sustainable use of marine ecosystems and sustainable tourism development. Here, we looked at the potential of sustainable growth of diving tourism for the small tropical island Sint Eustatius, part of the Dutch Caribbean. We evaluated the ecological and social carrying capacity of the reefs surrounding the island and studied the possibilities for artificial reefs. Our study showed that a new methodology identifying pressures and sensitivities of dive sites was effective in differentiating between sites, and could act to evaluate intrinsic and extrinsic risks acting on reefs for management purposes. Consequently, our study demonstrated that pressures associated with the diving sector were relatively small for St.Eustatius, but that the marine resources of St. Eustatius have declined over time. Moreover, we found that the diving tourist especially prized the natural resources and tranquility of the island, while stakeholders envisioned growth of tourism. And lastly, we showed that divers valued landscaped reefs positively depending on the design of the reef. Natural looking reefs with rich biotic growth and wrecks were particularly well appreciated and were considered a possibility to dive on. In summary, our results indicate that the reefs of St.Eustatius can sustain growth of the diving sector and that landscaped reefs can support sustainable growth. As the attraction of St.Eustatius to visitors is currently characterized by the rich nature and quiet atmosphere, growth of tourism should be carefully considered in terms of both ecological as social carrying capacity. Such consideration requires adequate ecological and environmental data for which consistent monitoring programs need to be developed. This will safeguard sustainable use of St.Eustatius’ blue-nature, for generations to come.

This research was conducted as part of the Wageningen UR innovation program TripleP@sea – Caribbean Netherlands (as funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Economic affairs under project number KB-IV-007). More specifically, this report contributes to the subproject “Towards a Tourism Masterplan for St.Eustatius”. 

This Initiative draws attention to the economic benefits of biodiversity and highlights the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Insight in the value of ecosystems and biodiversity can support decision makers to make wise and inclusive decisions for long-term sustainable economic development.

Information on the Total Economic Value (TEV) of Bonaire’s nature is used to build a strategy to advocate for the effective conservation measures on Bonaire. The TEV is the sum of the ecosystem services provided by the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Bonaire. In total, more than 10 different services have been valued on monetary terms. The most relevant services that were estimated in extensive sub-studies include the following:

• Local cultural and recreational values
• International tourism value 
• Fisheries values 
• Non-use value 
• Coastal protection value 
• Functional Valuation of Ecosystem Services on Bonaire 

Through the use of simulation models, scenario development and cost & benefit analysis the efficacy of various interventions is determined. Cost-benefit analysis of different scenarios provides an objective means of deciding which interventions produces the highest yield. Such an integral approach ultimately ensures the betterment of Bonaire’s environment while at the same time warranting sustainable economic development.