Tourism & HIV/AIDS in Jamaica and the Bahamas

Tourism is a major foreign exchange earner in the Caribbean. It is an important source of employment and income for Caribbean people. Employment comes in various forms - from direct dependence on the tourism industry, such as working in hotels and on the beaches, to indirect involvement through areas including banking and farming. For large numbers of tourists, the Caribbean is viewed mainly as a source of pleasure, an escape from the realities of everyday life, a place that offers 'sun, sea and sand'. The Caribbean has attracted many visitors from all over the world to its shores, especially from North America and Europe. However, for a variety of reasons, there are now questions about the impact and sustainability of the tourism industry in the region. One such concern arises from the fact that there is an increasing amount of anecdotal work which makes the link between the spread of HIV/AIDS and growth of tourism. According to Anthony Barnett: "The most immediate medium-term social and economic effect of HIV/AIDS - beyond making people seriously ill - is that it will begin to destroy the tourist industry if a country becomes identified or stigmatised as having high levels of HIV/AIDS. This may discourage visitors even if they are not sex tourists , because they will worry about the safety of hospitals, blood supplies, dentists and emergency medical services. Beyond this immediate impact, the longer-term impact of infection channelled from the tourist sector into the wider economy and society may be very profound indeed. It may include the loss of highly skilled specialists, of teachers (and thus the education of the next generation), of careers for the young and old; it may lead to decline in production in important economic sectors as people die prematurely" (Barnett, 1996, p. 5). The present study is the first of its kind to examine the link between HIV/AIDS and tourism in the Caribbean from an empirical standpoint.