Tourism is an important sector in the Caribbean and one of the largest industries for many small island economies. Agri-tourism and other forms of landscape-based tourism serve as important drivers for socio-economic growth. The use of Agri-tourism in the Caribbean region is vital as it can help enhance job opportunities, increase the resilience of livelihoods, and help conserve cultural and natural heritage, in addition to helping biodiversity across landscapes.
Agri-tourism is a form of sustainable development, and the use of Agri-tourism can help Caribbean countries promote food and nutrition security. If guidelines and criteria are created for Agri-tourism, this would help to identify, evaluate, and develop complementary Agri-tourism sites in the Caribbean region.
Agri-tourism can unlock multiple benefits for the tourism industry and tourists by fostering greater collaboration between the agriculture, hospitality, gastronomy, and tourism sectors. These sectors often overlap in Caribbean nations and can provide mutual resilience in the event of shocks and stressors like a pandemic.
Presently, the OECS (Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States) Commission through their Agriculture Unit are collaborating with Members States along with multiple international agencies to review existing policies and formulate a strategy for a sustainable development of agriculture in the Eastern Caribbean region.
Read more from our sources below!
Source:
FAO – Towards sustainable tourism for livelihood diversification: First web-symposium on agro-eco-tourism in the Asia – Pacific landscapes
OECS – Agriculture in the Eastern Caribbean
USDA – AgriTourism
IICA – Why Agriculture is Key to Caribbean’s Tourism Sector Post-Covid 19 Pandemic
