ABSTRACT
Since the term first appeared in the tourism literature in 1985 (Romeril 1985), ecotourism has emerged as a major focus within the field of tourism studies (see for example Fennell 1999; Wearing and Neil 1999; Weaver 2001a, 2001b; Page and Dowling 2002), and across an increasingly broad array of destinations, including most Caribbean states and dependencies. Evidence of its importance and formalisation at the global level includes the United Nations declaration of 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the scope of the ecotourism sector within the insular Caribbean and to raise issues that are pertinent to its future development. The first section considers the definition of ecotourism in terms of three core criteria, and this is followed by the presentation of a generic ecotourism model that takes into account the structural and strategic dimensions of the sector. The contemporary status of ecotourism in the region is then described, and relevant issues are raised.
