The Phenomenal Growth of the LGBT Travel Segment and the Challenges Faced by Small Island States: The Case of Sustainable Tourism Development in the Caribbean Region

More than forty nine dead and fifty three hurt, the result of the latest attack against individuals at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, an incident reported as the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation's worst terror attack since 9/11. President Obama described the incident as heartbreaking for the LGBT community (Ellis et al, 2016). The attack, categorized as a hate crime against LGBT individuals certainly brought to light the issue of safety and security for LGBT individuals in tourism destinations globally, including the Caribbean region. Several crime-related incidences against LGBT individuals across the Caribbean region have been reported over the past few years in countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Cayman Island, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada and others. The fact that many countries in the region are tourism dependent and revenues are generated solely from the tourism industry, it is critical that governments in the region revisit laws that provide protection and inclusiveness of LGBT individuals as it is now a human rights issue. This research examines current sodomy laws in many Caribbean countries and its future potential impact on LGBT travelers to the region and the resulting myriad of social challenges faced by regional leaders. Results show that the challenges associated with these laws and the growth of the LGBT traveler segment on local governments and communities in the region are enormous and could potentially negatively impact the region's competitive advantage.