For many Caribbean leaders, keeping their eyes on the prize of tourism, has created for quite a number of them a case of blurred vision by not securing the whole prize -- their country. Rhonda Mitchell

Our leaders took for granted that paradise will always be paradise as long as their countries continued to develop. For many Caribbean leaders, keeping their eyes on the prize of tourism, has created for quite a number of them a case of blurred vision by not securing the whole prize -- their country. It begs the question though, why the biggest deals made for the next brand of hotels/resorts to enter into our islands do not include overall security and or crime prevention measures. It is an issue worth considering on every level of development yet, it is the one that appears to come to light after the fact. While sustained tourism is an essential part of the Caribbean’s livelihood many leaders have failed to proactively plan on safety issues in regards to tourism in their countries.

Trouble in Paradise is a newsworthy topic currently circulating on the internet about the horrific murders of the newlywed British couple in Antigua. Antiguan officials must now scramble to soothe the unsettling news in their paradise. The minister of tourism in Antigua Mr Harold Lovell said, and I quote, “…The attack was an isolated incident [which] has deeply shocked our community” He also added, “We wish to reassure visitors that Antigua and Barbuda is a safe destination”. It is a wake up call for all Caribbean leaders. No leader should think that it can not happen to them. People are outraged. Yet, we all know that nothing just happens. Gradually, the rise in crime among locals will only lead to visitors and tourists.

Over the years, we have witnessed some of the larger islands suffered the same fate in paradise imagery and we would have hoped that the smaller islands would have caught on and said we have to do the opposite or do something different so that we do not become entrenched in the trap of owning only half the prize. Our leaders have to continually strategize and execute plans on how to balance the need for tourism along with the needs of their people. It is not enough to place tourism so high on the list as to forget about the very people living and working in their own country. There is a huge gap between meeting the needs of the tourism industry/investors and meeting the needs of the local people in the entire Caribbean. It will take exchanging of ideas, a great deal of work, time, commitment, strategy and a well executed plan to try and bring about some balance between the two factors.

CARICOM leaders have developed a wonderful idea to assist in free travel/free movement for legal residents from one island to another. However, I do not think all countries are equally equipped to enter into the structure at once. Some may need to do it all at once, while others may need to phase steadily into the equation. For instance, our tiny island of Nevis needs strengthening in crime prevention and healthcare before opening the gates to a plan like this. While we freely and happily welcome visitors we understand that the world has changed and this change will have an impact on our island.

The Caribbean as a whole is feeling the pinch in one form or another in crime. We now hear more and more about crime statistics in the region which is disconcerting. Progress in any country will create other social ills, the Caribbean is no exception.

I love the Caribbean. It is still home to millions of us who live abroad. We have so much to celebrate - our rich history, our bounties of unspoiled nature, our culture, our dialects, our food, our music, and our freedom. Despite the challenges we face in our countries, hope remains- all is not lost. However, if our leaders continue to focus primarily on tourism and do not pay enough attention to the other side of tourism then our situations will only progress to a dire stage. Crime prevention is an issue at the tail end of tourism whereas it should be at the top of the list with tourism. I urge our leaders to keep their eyes on the whole prize - their country.