CHTA CALLS FOR A NEW, BROADER FRAMEWORK TO MEASURE THE TRUE VALUE OF CARIBBEAN TOURISM | News

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) invites governments, development banks, tourism authorities, regional institutions and private sector leaders to adopt a new, broader framework for evaluating tourism’s contribution to the Caribbean. The proposed approach looks beyond visitor spending and measures three things that shape the region’s future: the economic value retained within Caribbean economies, the investments tourism makes in the Caribbean population, and the industry’s impact on the natural environment.

CHTA’s proposal emerged from the 2026 Caribbean Travel Forum in Antigua, where public and private sector leaders agreed that the region needs better measurements of the long-term value of tourism. As a starting point, CHTA recommends the Domestic Capture Rate, the portion of tourism expenditure that remains and circulates within the host economy. The figure shows how much of each visitor dollar benefits the region’s businesses and the people they employ.

“The Caribbean has been talking about tourism leakage for decades,” said Nicola Madden-Greig, former president of CHTA and chair of the association’s Linkages Task Force. “That conversation taught us a lot, and now we need a way to measure the progress we’re making. Domestic Capture Rate gives us a practical tool to track the value we’re preserving and growing at home.”

A broader definition of value
Economic retention only tells part of the story. CHTA also wants the region to consider two measures that have long been missing from the conversation.

Human capital is one of them. Tourism is the Caribbean’s largest employer, yet the region rarely keeps track of how well the industry is developing its population. Measuring investments in training, fair wages, career paths and local leadership would link tourism growth to stronger livelihoods for Caribbean nationals, a priority now at the center of the new CTO Tourism Supply-Side Ministerial Committee.

Environmental management is the other. The beaches, reefs and natural beauty that draw guests are the foundation of Caribbean tourism, yet the industry does almost nothing to measure its own footprint. CHTA wants that to change. Consistent measurement of energy use, water, waste and the condition of natural resources would help destinations protect the resources that visitors enjoy.

“We want to get a more complete picture of what tourism delivers,” says CHTA CEO Vanessa Ledesma. “It includes the careers we create for Caribbean nationals and the care we take for the environment our guests enjoy. Measuring those things will make the entire industry stronger.”

Building on a growing connections agenda
This work builds on CHTA’s Linkages Task Force, which connects tourism with agriculture, manufacturing, creative industries, professional services and small businesses across the region. Over the past two years, CHTA has hosted three Tourism Linkages Trade Shows in addition to Caribbean Travel Marketplace and CHIEF, providing small and medium-sized businesses in the Caribbean with direct access to tourism buyers and purchasing teams. The association is now launching a regional Tourism Linkages Demand Study to identify sourcing needs, open new doors for Caribbean businesses within the tourism value chains and address the barriers holding them back.

Why better measurements are important
Caribbean leaders have debated tourism leakage for more than half a century, hampered by the lack of consistent, comparable measurements of tourism’s net contribution. Tourism satellite accounts are still incomplete or unpublished in many destinations. Incentives often encourage growth without tracking local participation. Data on personnel and environmental performance is even scarcer. A practical set of measures, anchored by the Domestic Capture Rate, could close these gaps for policymakers, investors and industry leaders.

An action agenda
To move the discussion forward, CHTA proposes four steps:
Develop a standardized methodology that measures value across three dimensions: economic retention through domestic catch rate, investment in Caribbean people and the industry’s environmental footprint, based on data that destinations can use today.
Strengthen Caribbean supplier capacity and SME participation in tourism supply chains, with expanded access to training, certification, financing, market information and procurement opportunities. Greater local conquest requires investment in the companies that can make it happen.
Establish shared standards for workforce development and environmental measurement, giving destinations a consistent way to track the careers tourism builds and the resources it depends on.
Open a regional dialogue on tourism policies and investment incentives that reward local sourcing, broader local participation and responsible use of natural resources.
“The next chapter of Caribbean tourism is about the value we create for Caribbean people, the businesses they run and the places they call home,” said CHTA President Sanovnik Destang. “Good measurements show us where the opportunities lie. Real progress comes from stronger local supply chains, a skilled Caribbean workforce and a well-protected environment.”

CHTA plans to engage governments, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, CARICOM, the Caribbean Development Bank, academic institutions and private sector partners to refine the concept and build a practical framework for regional use.

For more information about the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, visit www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com.