ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on local community participation in the planning, development and ownership of Caribbean tourism. In recent years all of the tourism-oriented nations in the region have joined, to varying degrees, the global move towards planning and developing more sustainable forms of tourism (Wilkinson 1997; ACS 1998). An integral component of any sustainable development strategy must be the protection and improvement of quality of life in communities influenced by the industry. It is now generally accepted by commentators that, unless residents are empowered to participate in decision-making and ownership, tourism development will not reflect community values and will be less likely to generate sustainable outcomes (Milne 1998; Timothy 2002).
