Driving Tourism in the Eastern Caribbean

Abstract

The impact of the global 2008 crisis on the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) economies was significant and has lingered on until today. The main priority of OECS governments is to enable a resumption in growth in a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient manner. As an important source of employment and a key economic pillar, tourism plays a significant role in resuming growth in the region. This pre-feasibility assessment demonstrated that a regional ferry system could make a positive contribution to tourism competitiveness in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and that a proper feasibility assessment of a regional ferry is warranted. Demand for regional ferries is not new to the OECS, the region has had a regional ferry system in the past and there are a number of sub-regional or country-level ferry systems that are operational. In addition, there have been initial signs of interest from potential investors for financing a regional ferry. However, a lack of regional coordination as well as significant regulatory, infrastructural, and institutional challenges has affected the fate of many regional ferry proposals from potential investors. This paper serves as a background for a feasibility assessment of a regional ferry, providing evidence and preliminary data on the movement of people, cargo, prices of moving within the region and existing fleet of ferries. It assesses competitive effects of a regional ferry vis-a-vis the cruise industry and air travel. The study draws interesting lessons from two successful regional ferry systems: the Greek ferry system and the Baltic Sea ferry system. The assessment also provides a clear roadmap of next steps, and the criteria that should be looked at in a follow-up feasibility assessment.