ABSTRACT
The following case studies are a cross-section of various attempts at somewhat more eco-friendly approaches to design and operation of resorts in the tropics. The author visited 15 tropical resorts in four countries in November and December 2005. The period was a transitional ‘between the seasons’ time, when temperatures are usually close to annual averages. In fact, in all but one location annual minima were lower than the observed minimum temperatures and annual maxima were higher only in the Mexican locations. The timing of the visits corresponded with ‘early summer’ in the southern hemisphere and ‘early winter’ in the northern. Precipitation is the main indicator of the seasonal change in the tropics, even if the frequency and intensity of the rainfall is more often determined by the specifics of the location, for instance its topography. Precipitation directly influences relative humidity (RH) but readings of RH taken during the study tour were consistently very high, even if significant rainfall during the visit was noted only in some Fiji and Cook Islands locations.
