Tourism: A Key Growth Sector

摘要

Tourism is a focal point for international investment in Montserrat. The island's challenge is to rebuild the luxury vacation market ― including affluent retirees ― while appealing to younger, more adventurous visitors. "Where we see Montserrat headed is in the nature tourism industry," says Ernestine M.Y. Cassell, director, Montserrat Tourist Board, "Montserrat has a lot more to offer than the typical Caribbean sun, sea and sand." A recent study by CHL Consulting Group of Ireland, "Repositioning Montserrat's Tourism Sector," noted that prior to 1995, the island welcomed about 21,000 visitors annually, and tourism contributed 20 to 36 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Today, Montserrat gets about 15,000 visits a year, primarily from the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and the United States, and tourism has fallen below the services sector in GDP contributions.