Closing the Decency Gap in Caribbean Tourism

The ILO report, covering Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia, highlights a cycle where micro and small enterprises struggle with low productivity and restricted access to capital. These businesses often lack the capacity to formalize, trapped by fragmented regulations and a mismatch between available skills and employer requirements. Seasonal fluctuations and the looming threat of climate shocks further destabilize operations, leaving workers without the security of formal labor rights or adequate social protection.

Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizes that the goal is to transform tourism into a vehicle for social inclusion and productive development. To achieve this, the study outlines nine pathways that link support for smaller businesses with improved labor compliance and skills training. Rather than a blanket policy, the proposed framework calls for national strategies tailored to the specific economic realities of each island.

Joni Musabayana, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team for the Caribbean, describes the transition to formalization as a development imperative. The strategy, supported by the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, advocates for deeper cooperation between governments, employers, and workers. By centering productivity and working conditions, the initiative aims to build a more resilient sector that provides reliable livelihoods for local communities.