The Caribbean’s Geography Problem

Thirty countries, more than 7,000 islands and a kaleidoscope of cultures – the Caribbean is hard to define and difficult to pin down. Aside from the logistical difficulties of supporting and maintaining regional infrastructure in such a disparate setting, the Caribbean’s unique geography poses a huge marketing problem that heavily impacts its biggest industry. For decades, tourism stakeholders have deliberated over how best to introduce the Caribbean to the world but misconceptions still abound and are having an impact on economic growth in all destinations.

Identity crisis

You can’t blame travellers for being confused. While any nation with a coastline in the Caribbean Sea could technically be considered part of the Caribbean, the reality is not that simple. Several islands, such as the Bahamas and Bermuda, are in the Atlantic Ocean, and much of South America borders the Caribbean Sea but is not considered a part of the region. Then there’s Guyana, neither an island nor part of the Caribbean Sea but considered Caribbean nonetheless.

Context can also create confusion. The definition of the Caribbean shifts according to setting, with the political definition seldom matching up with the geographical, or even the cultural. While the Western Caribbean appears more Americanised, the Eastern Caribbean has a different feel to reflect its European heritage. 

And yet there are obvious similarities. From the Bahamas in the north to the Windward Islands in the south, each destination shares a tropical climate that created and sustains a thriving tourism industry. The stereotype of white sand, swaying palm trees and calm, warm waters could be anywhere within the million square miles of the entire region which is why so many tourists think the Caribbean has a homogenous concept – somewhere warm, inviting and with the same resorts, hotels and activities in each destination. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has even leaned into this amalgamous concept with its ‘One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean’ tagline.

One Caribbean, one downturn

Conflating the Caribbean is a marketing tactic with mixed results. Hurricanes Irma and Maria may have decimated islands such as Dominica and Puerto Rico in 2017, but the entire region was left hurting. Images of shattered islands were shown around the world under headlines that suggested that the Caribbean had been wiped off the map.

The CTO went into damage control mode and immediately mobilised to get the message out that over 70 per cent of the region was still open for business. The organisation leaned heavily on its sales and marketing partners, media relationships and even the Caribbean diaspora to help broadcast to the world that most destinations were untouched and that affected islands, such as Dominica, Puerto Rico and Anguilla, were on the road to recovery.

Unfortunately their efforts weren’t entirely successful. A later report from the World Travel & Tourism Council noted “a public misconception that the entire Caribbean was struck by the storms has been damaging to the region” and estimated that the fallout from the storms lost the region 826,100 visitors – a potential pay day of US$ 741mn. 

The year after Maria and Irma’s tumultuous passage, the CTO, in partnership with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), announced a new marketing drive specifically designed to celebrate diversity. Launching the campaign, CHTA CEO Frank Comito said: “Visitors, past and present, have not been introduced to the offerings of our vast and diverse region. We will change that by highlighting the charms contained in the million square miles of Caribbean Sea, home to French, English, Spanish, Dutch, Creole, African, Asian, American and many other cultures.” 

Distinguishing the islands

Two years on from Hurricanes Maria and Irma, and inaccuracies over Caribbean geography continue to hurt the islands, albeit on a smaller scale. When Hurricane Dorian moved into the Bahamas in early September, it slowly inched up the northern side of the archipelago hovering over the small cluster of Abaco islands and cays and stalling over Grand Bahama for more than 12 hours. While these islands were devastated, the rest of the country was untouched with the capital, Nassau, suffering no more than some light flooding. 

Yet hotel operators from all over the Bahamas are reporting a dip in occupancy rates that they expect will last until the end of the year. Normally the start of peak season, hoteliers are concerned that the cancellations and drop in bookings will negatively impact their revenue into 2020.

Hurricanes are a fact of life in the Caribbean. While disaster response policies should obviously prioritise rebuilding, public health and infrastructure concerns, there is also an argument for a stronger, long-term marketing push that focuses on immediate and accurate communication with the international media. 

It’s not just a question of educating outsiders. Educational efforts within the region and among the diaspora would help Caribbean citizens become well-informed ambassadors – able to inform the global community about the varied history, culture and geopolitical issues of their home turf.

The CTO is undergoing a period of change and restructuring that hints at furthering these efforts. Under the leadership of Chairman Dominic Fedee, the organisation has said it will close both its New York and UK offices and undertake a ‘comprehensive’ audit of its Barbados headquarters. 

These moves are expected to free up resources for greater marketing, research and product development, with Fedee saying: “Over the past two decades there has been much discussion surrounding the promotion and development of tourism in the Caribbean. While there have been many visions, plans, papers written and philosophies espoused, there has been widespread acceptance that much improvement is needed to elevate tourism development in the region.”