Intersectionality and the Socio-Economics of the Caribbean Tourism-Driven Economic Development Model

This work investigates the intersection of social, economic, and environmental politics regularly neglected while promoting tourism as a pillar of sustainable development in small-island-states. Conducted as a regional case study, specific attention is paid to the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Dominica, and the British Virgin Islands. Once coveted possessions, the Caribbean is now characterized as problematic, pervasively vulnerable, and poor. Regional governments engage in contentious economic relationships, in efforts to stem the ongoing erosion of preferential trade with former imperial powers. Tourism has replaced mono-crop export sectors as primary drivers of economic development. Disruptive influences on traditional social interactions and the environment make it imperative for proactive discourse on these inevitable changes as an ongoing, integral part of sustainable economic development pursuits. This work bridges scholarship on social culture, tourism, and economic development. Through highlighting the link between economic development strategies and disruptive social change, fertile opportunities for future research are identified, which equip stakeholders with a depth of issue-sensitization necessary for holistic policy formation.