In an editorial published Sunday August 5th by the New York Amsterdam News, Columnist Bevan Springer calls for increased recognition in the Caribbean for tourism as the sector with the most growth potential. However, there’s lots of competition rapidly appearing around the world, so some significant improvements are needed if the region is going to take advantage of its tourism potential. How editorial is getting around the Caribbean. I received it from a colleague in St Lucia who received it from the St Lucia Hotel Association. Below is part of his editorial and a link to the whole text: Posted: Sunday, August 5, 2012 12:00 am

By Bevan Springer | 0 comments

NEW YORK (Aug. 2, 2012)—There is just too much global competition in the agricultural sector, so the Caribbean has to shore up its bread and butter industry, tourism, before it too is weakened by growing, better-funded competing destinations.

Even though so-called “trade liberalization” has crippled much of the region’s agricultural sector, opportunities exist through the marketing of value-added agro-based products such as rums and West Indian Sea Island cotton.

But no matter what the old-school critics say, the international jury has voted with its feet by heading to the region, firmly establishing tourism as by far the leading foreign exchange generator for the vast majority of Caribbean countries.

Unlike agriculture, so fragile to changes in taste, climate and trade policy shifts, tourism is not a fickle industry. On the contrary, it is resilient and by far the quickest sector to get back on its feet after a disaster. Remember New York’s rebound after the Sept. 11 attacks, fueled by visitor arrivals? More…