Types of Tourism in the Caribbean

The Caribbean region encompasses over a dozen island nations off the coast of Central America and northern South America, including tourist destinations such as Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. Visit the Caribbean for its tropical weather, sandy beaches and classy resort hotels. Whether you’re a fan of action-packed vacations or relaxing holidays, you can easily find a form of tourism that’s right for you in the Caribbean.

With countless miles of coastline for surfing, reefs for diving, boats for watersports and jungles for exploring, the Caribbean makes for the perfect adventure tourism destination. Consider white-water rafting on the Yaque del Norte in the Dominican Republic or exploring one of the nation’s caves on a caving adventure tour.

Consider an ecotourism vacation in the Caribbean if you’re interested in sustainability and protecting the environment. Ecotourism revolves around seeing natural sites in a low or no-impact way while staying at sustainable accommodations. The Hamanasi Dive and Adventure Resort in Belize earned TripAdvisor’s award for being the most eco-friendly hotel in the world in 2009 and affords opportunities for diving or viewing wildlife in 21 acres of rainforest. Another example, the Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge in Dominica, offers sustainable accommodations such as bamboo tree-houses and tent camping facilities.

Agricultural tourism, or agrotourism, involves visiting farming facilities, sometimes for overnight tours and hands-on work experience and other times just to visit and tour the location. Agrotourism destinations in the Caribbean include the Denbigh Agricultural Fair in Jamaica or exploring the cocoa harvesting in the rainforests of Trinidad and Tobago.

Relaxation tourism is exactly what it sounds like: being pampered and relaxing for the duration of your vacation. Many resorts in the Caribbean offer elaborate spa packages with a full range of treatments. The Mandara Spa at the Marriott Resort on Aruba, The Golden Door Spa in the El Conquistador Resort on Puerto Rico and the Senses Spa in the Westin on Grand Bahama Island are only a few of the many spas offering treatments such as facials, massages, yoga classes and mud treatments.

Culinary tourism involves traveling primarily for the sake of trying exciting new foods and having enjoyable, yet original culinary experiences prepared by local chefs. On any of the Caribbean islands, you can enjoy local seafoods and produce during dinner and theater tours, at farmer’s markets, food festivals or tours of local breweries and distilleries. Sampling Caribbean rum makes up an important part of any culinary tour in the region, akin to the famous wineries of areas like California, France or New Zealand.