The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is calling on governments, development banks, tourism authorities, regional institutions, and private sector leaders to adopt a broader framework to assess the true value of tourism in the Caribbean, moving beyond visitor spending alone.

The proposal follows discussions held during the recent Caribbean Travel Forum in Antigua, where public and private sector leaders agreed on the need for more comprehensive metrics to evaluate tourism’s long-term contribution to regional economies.

The new approach focuses on three key dimensions: the economic value retained within Caribbean economies, the industry’s investment in human capital, and its environmental impact.

A central concept is the Domestic Capture Rate, which measures the share of tourism spending that remains within local economies. The indicator aims to show how much of each visitor dollar directly benefits Caribbean businesses and workers.

“For decades, the Caribbean has discussed tourism leakage. Now we need to measure the progress we are making in retaining value at home,” said Nicola Madden-Greig, Chair of the CHTA Linkages Task Force.

CHTA also emphasizes the importance of measuring human capital development, noting that tourism is the region’s largest employer but lacks consistent tracking of training, wages, career development, and local leadership opportunities.

Environmental stewardship is the third pillar of the proposed framework, focusing on energy use, water consumption, waste management, and the condition of natural assets that support the tourism industry.

“We want a fuller measure of what tourism delivers, including the careers it creates and the care it takes of the environment,” said Vanessa Ledesma.

Sanovnik Destang highlighted that the initiative aims to strengthen local supply chains, expand SME participation, and improve the sustainability of tourism growth across the region.

As part of the initiative, CHTA also announced a regional Tourism Demand Study to map procurement needs and expand opportunities for local suppliers within tourism value chains.

The association is working with governments, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), CARICOM, development banks, and academic institutions to develop a standardized framework applicable across the region.

CHTA’s goal is to shift the conversation from arrivals and spending alone toward a more complete measurement of tourism’s economic retention, social impact, and environmental sustainability.