For the last several months, I have been helping to research and analyze tourism trends, especially investment, in the Caribbean for the International Finance Corproation. As many of you are no doubt aware, much of the Caribbean has been hit hard by the economic downturns in the US and Europe — the main generating markets for most of the region. Many hotels began having difficulty making their loan payments and several had to go into receivership. Hotels are at the core of the islands’ product offers, along with a great variety of natural and cultural attractions and, to a lesser extent, man-made attractions. So when the hotels suffer, the countries suffer. A very useful survey by KPMG reconfirms this, as well as the reticence of lenders and investors to return to the Caribbean. If you are working in the Caribbean and/or are interested in tourism development in the region, their survey is worth reading. Click here to download it.