Historic sites, material culture and tourism in the Caribbean islands

While the tourist’s view of the Caribbean region is dominated by images of sand, sun and sea, the various islands possess a wealth of historic sites and material culture that are becoming increasingly popular with visitors to the region (e.g. Slinger 2000; Weaver 1995, 2001a). This provides a basis for the Caribbean to share in the global trend towards heritage tourism. Important steps in the identification, documentation, preservation, restoration and exposure of the Caribbean’s precious historic resources have been made – necessary preconditions for the continued development of the related tourism industry.