Sea level rise and tourism in The Bahamas
The Nassau Guardian reported on January 7, 2021 that, “Seventy-four percent of tourism-based jobs will be at risk due to a strong Category 5 hurricane by the year 2100,” and “The storm’s impact on beaches will likely lead to a decrease in visitor expenditure by nearly $1 billion.” The report was based on the study published in the journal, Environmental Development in August 2020 by lead researcher, Arsum Pathak, from the University of South Florida. Allow me to highlight some of the salient findings from this research which is critical for tourism planning in The Bahamas.
With tourism accounting for up to 50 percent of The Bahamas’ gross domestic product (GDP) and 65 percent of its employment, we as a country should take note of this assessment that was carried out by conducting a geospatial analysis of tourism establishments at risk. Although a study like this is based on a lot of assumptions, we can still be guided in making