An assessment of the economic impact of climate change on the tourism sector in Jamaica

One of the main objectives of this study is to estimate the likely cost of climate change for the Jamaican tourism industry concentrating on tourist arrivals, climate (represented by temperature and precipitation) and other relevant economic variables using data from 1976 to 2010. This is done by focussing on two climate change scenarios, namely the A2 and B2. Concomitantly, the study also makes recommendations regarding mitigation and adaptation strategies for the tourism sector.

The paper is organised as follows: Chapters 2 discusses tourism in Jamaica; Chapters 3-6 focus on climate change issues by referring to the literature in the area; Chapter 7 discusses the methods used in the analysis of the data, and Chapter 8 presents the results of the model. Chapters 9 and 10 outline specific mitigation and adaptation strategies, and the costs associated with various adaptation strategies