ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF TROPICAL REEF SYSTEMS: ESTABLISHING SUSTAINABLE IN THE CAYS, BAHAMAS

Aimee M. Lowe The Nature Conservancy (U.S.A.)

Kathleen Sullivan Sealey The Nature Conservancy (U.S.A.)

Abstract: is a physically unique In order to gain accurate data on visitation pat- country quite unlike any other in the Caribbean; terns in the Exuma Cays and formulate recom- the archipelago is made up of hundreds of mendations for regional tourism monitoring and stretching over 1000 kilometers, with over 30 management, a visitor survey was conducted in inhabited islands. The country is subdivided into Nassau, and throughout the groups, but the most populated island and Exuma island chain. Two methods were utilized location of the capital, Nassau, is in New Provi- to conduct the survey: 1) in-person interviews dence. The Bahamas represents one of the most and 2) mail-out questionnaires. A total of 124 popular tourist destination in the wider Carib- in-person and 560 mail-out questionnaires were bean and entertains two tourism markets: 1) completed over a one year period. cruise ship and resort (overnight) tourism fo- cused on the cities of Nassau and Freeport, and The survey questionnaire was divided into three 2) out-island tourism that focuses on yachting, sections in order to 1) characterize who visits the beach-going or fishing on the more remote is- , 2) understand why they come, and 3) lands. The Exuma Cays are located southeast of define what they are seeking. The data collected Nassau in the central Bahamas and are adver- was then used to determine the impacts of tour- tised as the “Sailing Capital of The Bahamas”. ism on the Park. For example, it was found that Cruising yachts can pass through the Exumas over half of Exuma tourists are first time visi- en route to the wider Caribbean. This archipel- tors. Park management is faced with the task of ago of low-lying islands is one of the most pris- educating these visitors as to the fishing restric- tine and beautiful areas in the Bahamian island tions and other regulations such as anchoring chain. The region offers numerous protected har- and garbage disposal. This requires time and bors and anchorages as well as one of the first staff support from a marine park that lacks spe- marine fisheries reserves, the Exuma Cays Land cific plans and adequate financial backing. It is and Sea Park. The very success of the Park as a now important for the Park to create a clear “no-take” zone has attracted an increasing num- management plan, a strategy for financing park ber of visiting yachtsmen to the Exumas. This activities in the future and new regulations to yearly increase in visitor numbers has stimu- preserve the natural resources upon which both lated local businesses to provide services and fishing stocks and visitation are dependent. build infrastructure according to expediency rather than a concern for long-term environ- Keywords: parks and protected areas, recrea- mental impacts. Now that symptoms of ecologi- tion, ecotourism, conservation, environ-mental cal degradation and tourism impacts are becom- impacts, management planning ing visible within the developed areas of The Bahamas, there is a tremendous need to direct Exuma tourism to that which will sustain rather Introduction than destroy the environment, the very product marketed and sought. The prominence of tourism as the world’s

largest industry constitutes both a challenge and an opportunity, as it can either destroy 184 Lowe and Sullivan Sealey precious ecosystems and natural resources geology of tropical island systems also or contribute to their conservation and eco- poses a problem for proper solid waste nomic growth. Tourism facilities and ser- management and fresh water supplies. The vices consume large quantities of land, wa- Bahamian archipelago, for instance, is made ter and energy as well as produce significant up of a relatively young carbonate bank sys- volumes of waste and effluent. The envi- tem dominated by lithogenic and biogenic ronmental impacts of tourism, especially production of calcium carbonate sediments. mass tourism, are no longer local, but also Because limestone dissolves in rainwater directly contribute to global marine pollu- and leaves very little residue, the soils tion, change, ozone depletion, and throughout The Bahamas are extremely thin loss of biodiversity. and patchy (Sealey, 1990). The inability of the thin soil to hold water and the highly In tropical island systems such as the Carib- porous nature of the underlying limestone bean, tourism is essentially a coastal indus- bedrock result in a lack of surface fresh wa- try. The majority of tourism facilities are ter and a limited amount of ground water. sited within 800 meters of the high-water mark, in a zone that can be both unstable and vulnerable to geological and oceano- Sustainable Tourism: The graphic phenomena. As a result, very little Bahamas’ Position disturbance is required to destabilize such environments and lead to significant eco- The Bahamas is ahead of many countries in logical degradation both above and below the wider Caribbean in its planning for sus- the water. Unmanaged tourism growth can tainable development. The Ministry of Tour- destroy pristine terrestrial and marine re- ism has taken a leadership role and estab- sources, contaminate water supplies, place lished a Sustainable Tourism/ Eco-tourism stress on waste treatment and disposal sys- unit which has been given the mandate to tems, and render areas unprotected from drive the sustainable tourism effort for the storms and ocean surges, thereby disrupting industry. The Ministry of Tourism has also the unique features of islands that appeal to commissioned a comprehensive Sustainable tourists. Tourism Policy and Guidelines for the Out Islands of The Bahamas, the first of its kind At the same time the threats and poor status in the region. of tropical marine resources are being docu- mented, there is a call for integrated coastal These policies have been initiated out of a zone management from island nations and recognition that the natural resources of The environmental organizations. Integrated Bahamas are facing severe threats. Because coastal zone management aims to develop of the archipelagic nature of the islands, de- plans for sustainable use of coastal velopment and the environment are both resources. The concepts of “sustainable de- inter-related and interdependent; coastlines velopment” and “sustainable resource use” are fragile, and enforcement is extremely embrace the notion that one can develop a difficult. Over the past two decades, the way to use resources in ways that do not tourism market of The Bahamas has under- restrict the options of future generations to gone a dramatic period of expansion and use the same resources. change. Traditionally a destination that at- tracted a selected visitor base seeking seren- Developing sustainable tourism in the trop- ity, the country was ill-prepared for the ics is especially difficult due to the fragile changing markets of the 1980’s. This boom nature of island systems. Tourist numbers was spurred by a tremendous expansion in have increased faster than the infrastructure mass tourism vehicles, especially the cruise and technology have been put in place to industry and the all-inclusive resort phe- treat pollutants, maintain energy supplies nomenon. and provide adequate transportation. The Lowe and Sullivan Sealey 185

Today, The Bahamas leads the Caribbean hamian government first planted the seeds region in both number of tourists and tour- of an ambitious program of promoting is- ism revenues. In 1995, The Bahamas re- land visitation, it did not truly flourish until ceived 3,238,255 visitors, and visitor expen- the end of World War II. Before the 1900’s, diture accounted for a total of USD$1.346 less than 500 tourists visited Nassau each billion (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, 1995). winter. In 1914, the Bahamian government Visitor nights totaled 9,031,455. Tourism created a Development Board to increase provides approximately 50% of The Baha- tourism to the islands, but the outbreak of mas GDP and employs directly or indirectly World War I and the prohibition era that 40% of the work force (50,000 persons). Be- followed greatly slowed the growth of the cause of the island geography of the coun- Bahamian tourism industry. try, The Bahamas can protect and promote two tourism markets: the mass tourism Following the Second World War, Baha- market for resorts and cruise ships such as mian tourism began to increase tremen- has been developed in Nassau, and the eco- dously. This was primarily due to the im- tourism market in the Out Islands (Sullivan provement in air service, as a growing Sealey, 1999). The “two market” phenomena number of daily flights into Nassau brought in The Bahamas requires two types of infra- waves of visitors from both and structure planning and development. Pro- . The Bahamas’ old world charm, tecting the out-island experience and high cheap goods, warm waters and comfortable environmental quality of the more remote climate were no less important when it came island groups has been a priority for the to attracting tourists to the islands. By the Ministry of Tourism as well as local com- mid-1960’s, Nassau was receiving 7,500 visi- munities. tors a day and the Out Islands up to 4,000 (Pavlidis, 1997). The motivation for this new Coastal degradation in a relatively small tourism movement came from the promo- area, such as New Providence, can provide tional advertising undertaken by the Devel- “lessons learned” for the rest of the country, opment Board, which was to become The and particularly the Exumas Cays. To pro- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism in January of vide better planning and management for 1964. the fragile tourism markets of the Out Is- lands, the following questions were ad- As The Bahamas became known as a year- dressed via a socio-economic survey of visi- round tourist destination, money poured tors to the Central Bahamas: into the country only to be invested as fast • What is the nature of tourism in the as it arrived. Both wealthy Bahamians and Exumas? foreigners alike purchased property • How is tourism influenced by the throughout the Out Islands to build perma- presence of a marine protected area nent residences or vacation retreats. Even such as the Exuma Cays Land and the Exumas began to receive a trickle of Sea Park? tourists, as a few scant yachts arrived in the • What issues need to be considered cays. Then on July 10, 1973, The Bahamas for sustainable tourism develop- became independent after 300 years as a ment? British colony. Independence furthered The Bahamas growing connection to the outside world, and tourism continued to rapidly The History of Bahamian Tourism expand in Nassau as well as in the Out Is- lands.

Although the birth of tourism to The Baha- mas occurred as early as 1851 when the Ba- 186 Lowe and Sullivan Sealey

Today, visitation to the Out Islands makes privately owned islands. Visitation to the up approximately 16 percent of all Baha- Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park has in- mian tourism (Bahamas Ministry of Tour- creased tremendously since the early 1960’s, ism, 1997). Although the Exumas are cur- when less than 25 yachts passed through the rently one of the least visited Out Islands in Park in a single winter season. By the late The Bahamas (4.5% of Out Island stop- 1970’s, the number of boats within the Park overs), this may soon change (Bahamas had increased to 50 a day. The local Baha- Ministry of Tourism, 1995). The Exumas’ mians also began using the Park more, par- natural beauty and proximity to Nassau ticularly during the summer months. Arti- makes these islands an increasingly attrac- cles in yachting magazines and cruising tive tourist destination, especially for cruis- guides helped to increase the awareness of ing U.S. yachtsmen. With the Cays’ crystal the Park, and by 1994, an estimated three clear waters, isolated anchorages, land- thousand foreign yachts cruised to the Park locked harbors, and 365 cays to navigate annually. Records show that the number of and explore, it is no surprise that the Exu- boats and the length of stay continue to in- mas have recently become known by crease each year (Figure 1). yachtsmen as the “Sailing Capital of The Bahamas”. 12000 10000

The Exuma Cays Land and Sea 8000

Park 6000

4000 The most pristine and possibly the most 2000 beautiful area in the Exumas is located Nights Boat Estimated 0 within the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 (ECLSP). The Park, a designated fisheries Years reserve, is located in the northern extent of the Exuma island chain, 80 km south-east of Figure 1. Yearly anchorage in the Exuma Nassau. Although the Park covers a 56,410 Cays Land and Sea Park (estimated totals ha area, only 1,460 ha (2.5%) is land (Sluka based on available Park records) et al., 1996). When the Government of The

Bahamas established the Park in 1958, the Visitors provide a significant source of in- by-laws allowed for a daily catch quota per come to the Park through user fees and boat. In the 1970’s, commercial fishing by donations. This revenue is important as the Bahamians began to escalate within the Park strives to become financially self- Exuma region and the Park. Many of these sufficient and continue to fund enforcement, fishermen utilized chlorine bleach when education, and conservation program de- spearfishing for spiny , Panulirus ar- velopment. Al though Park management gus (Campbell, 1977). By the 1980’s, fishing would like tourism to generate revenue and pressure within the ECLSP had increased so support, the Park does not want to sacrifice dramatically that in 1986, The Bahamas Na- its protection of critical habitats and preser- tional Trust enacted new by-laws making vation of replenishment areas for commer- the entire area a “no-take zone”. The new cially important species (Lowe et al., in re- designation made the Exuma Cays Land view). The long-term sustainability of the and Sea Park one of the first and largest ma- Park and of its natural resources will de- rine fisheries reserves in the wider Carib- pend not only on the Park management but bean. The very success of the Park as a “no- also on a regional plan for sustainable tour- take” zone has attracted an increased num- ism in the Exumas. ber of visiting yachtsmen to the Exumas, coupled with heightened development of Lowe and Sullivan Sealey 187

Nassau Sampson/ Sta- Warderick George Mail-out Total niel Wells Town Survey Total Days 6 8 6 3 - 23 Weekdays 4 3 5 3 - 15 Weekend days 2 1 1 0 - 4 Holidays 0 4 0 0 - 4 Total # 34 21 36 33 560 684 Questionnaires Table 1. Summary of tourism survey sampling effort

Materials and Methods Two methods were utilized to conduct the The survey methods were developed as a visitor survey: 1) in-person interviews, and pilot project to outline basic information 2) mail-out questionnaires. The in-person that can be used to develop management interviews were conducted over a one-year strategies for sustainable tourism within the period Exuma Cays region. The survey can be used (July 1997 to May 1998) using the formal in the future to make temporal comparisons questionnaire in Nassau, New Providence as to the impact of management actions or and three locations within the Exuma Island lack thereof. Chain (Table 1). Surveys were conducted on weekdays, weekends and holidays through- In order to match tourism marketing to the out the year. For implementation of the product and at the same time protect the mail-out surveys, mailing lists were ob- Exuma Cays experience, specific informa- tained from the ECLSP Support Fleet as well tion was needed from the consumers (the as from several charter boats that visit the visitors). A formal questionnaire was de- Exuma Cays. One questionnaire was sent to signed that targeted visitors to the Exuma every individual/ household on the lists, Cays and to the Park. The questionnaire totaling 1,852 questionnaires. consisted of 33 questions that were divided into four sections; each section was organ- In addition to the tourism survey, a sum- ized to gather a specific type of information: mary of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park • The first section characterized the Visitors’ Log was compiled that included type of tourist who visits the Exuma visitors’ date of entry to the Park, country of Cays. origin, number of persons on board, length • The second section focused on the of stay, number of prior visits, and activities reasons why tourists choose to visit of interest. Log entries were taken from the Exumas. January 1, 1996 to February 2, 1998. • The third section contained ques- tions about their visit to the Park. Results The final section requested the visitors to provide any additional comments and rec- Summary of Survey Effort ommendations they might have for improv- • Total number of in-person inter- ing the Park and the Exuma Cays experi- views completed was 124. ence. • Total number of mail-out question- naires returned was 560. The questions developed were primarily • There was a 30% rate of return for closed-ended with unordered responses mail-out questionnaires. except for four open-ended questions that • Total number of questionnaires required the respondent to provide lists or completed was 684. additional comments. 188 Lowe and Sullivan Sealay

ported annual household income of the visi- % of tors surveyed was primarily greater than Characteristics Sample $80,000 (43.3%) or between $40,000 and $80,000 (32.2%). In order for the Park to re- SEX tain support and build stakeholder value, Male 54.7 management must consider the expectations Female 26.3 of this group of visitors. Recommendations Couple 7.8 for tourism management within the Park No Response 11.2 can be developed based on this visitor pro- file. AGE under 20 0.5

20-29 2.0 Visitor Status Unknown 30-39 6.8 7% 40-49 19.3

50-59 39.2 Repeat Visitors 33% 60 + 32.2 First Time Visitors 60% HOUSEHOLD INCOME < 20 5.4 20-40 18.9 40-80 32.4 Figure 2. Comparison of first time verses 80 + 43.3 repeat visitors to the Exuma Cays Land and Table 2. Demographic profiles of total Sea Park in 1997 visitor sample

• There are more first time visitors than • Total number of Visitor Log entries repeat visitors to the Exuma Cays Land taken was 871. and Sea Park.

The survey results established several key According the ECLSP Visitor’s Log, over issues that need to be addressed within the half of Park tourists are first time visitors Exuma Cays. Each of these issues will be (Figure 2). Park management is faced with addressed and presented in the form of spe- the task of educating these visitors as to the cific recommendations for regional tourism fishing restrictions and other regulations monitoring and management. such as anchoring and garbage disposal. This requires time and staff support from a • Exuma visitors tend to fit into a narrow marine park that lacks specific management demographic profile, indicating that plans and adequate financial backing. In the Exumas currently attracts a very addition, many repeat Exuma visitors do specific visitor type. not stop in the Park. There is also less incen- tive for repeat Exuma visitors to re-visit the It is only possible to enter the Park by boat, Park, as much of the Exumas is perceived to and there are very few charter operations in be of similar environmental quality, and no the area. Thus, it is not surprising that the fees are charged for mooring or resource use majority of visitors surveyed were yachts- outside of the protected area. This should be men with privately owned boats (96%). a critical management issue for both visitor Over 80% of these visitors were from the education and appropriate assessment of , primarily from the state of resource use by visitors throughout the re- Florida. Most visitors were in their fifties or gion. above (Table 2). Only 9.3% of the study population was under forty years old. Re- Lowe and Sullivan Sealay 189

500 Area 1 = the northern Exumas 450 Area 2 = Highbourne Cay to Norman’s Cay Area 3 = Norman’s Cay to the N. Park boundary

s 400 Area 4 = the northern Park 350 Area 5 = Warderick Wells 300 Area 6 = the southern Park 250 Area 7 = Chicken Cay to Pipe Creek 200 Area 8 = Sampson Cay to Harvey Cay 150 Area 9 = Bitter Guana Cay to Bock Cay Number ofNumber visitor 100 Area 10 = Leaf Cay to Soldier Cay 50 Area 11 = Great Exuma area 0 Area 12 = Elizabeth Island to the S. end of the Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 Area 6 Area 7 Area 8 Area 9 Area Area Area Exumas 10 11 12 Area categories

Figure 3. Distribution of areas visited by yachtsmen in the Exumas (from north to south)

• Most yachtsmen do not target the tors do not want tourism infrastructure such Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park as a as hotels, bars, restaurants and water craft single tourist destination or motivation rentals in the Park. Instead, Exuma visitors for visiting the Exumas. want to experience nature through SCUBA diving, snorkeling, boating or hiking (Figure Although the Park, and George 5). Town are tourist “hot spots”, most visitors do not have one particular destination. In- • The new user fees initiated in Novem- stead, the yachtsmen “cruise” the Exuma ber, 1997 and the recent development island chain while over-nighting in many within the Park is weakening stake- areas throughout the region (Figure 3). Al- holder support. though yachtsmen briefly visit many Exuma islands, the visitors surveyed spent the ma- Ninety-eight percent of the visitors sur- jority of their time in Nassau (38%) and the veyed knew about the Exuma Cays Land George Town, Exuma area (36%). The aver- and Sea Park, and most of these visitors age length of stay of the respondents was as were aware of the fishing restrictions and high as 28 nights in George Town and 23 other regulations. Thus, the Park seems to nights in Nassau. The visitors averaged 7 be highly publicized within the Exumas. nights in the Exuma Park. This again pro- Most visitors reported that they knew about vides insight to the visitors’ perception of the Park from publications such as The “wilderness” environments and their lack of Exuma Guide (40%) and from “word of appreciation for any differences in envi- mouth” by previous visitors, teachers or ronmental quality inside versus outside the friends (33%). There is an extremely high Park. level of communication among yachtsmen in the Exumas, but there is limited commu- • The Exumas islands represent a natural nication and outreach from Park manage- or “wilderness” experience for most ment itself. This has lead to conflicting per- visitors, and they do not want tourism ceptions of the mission of the Park among infrastructure or services located visitors, Exuma residents and The Bahamas within the Park. National Trust. Visitors feel that the new user fees are being used for private gain, Most visitors ranked the “natural beauty” of and residents see the Park being cleared for the area as their primary reason for visiting the development of private homes for for- the Exuma Cays region as well as the Park. eign investors. At this point, it is important Low priority is given to services or activities that a management plan is developed that as motivations for tourism (Figure 4). Visi- clearly outlines the Park’s mission as well as 190 Lowe and Sullivan Sealay goals and strategies that provide support local stakeholders and scientists to build an and rationale for the vision. understanding of the expectations and con- dition of ecological systems.

Discussion The Exumas Cays provide an excellent study site for the issues and strategies for Tourism development in tropical island sys- sustainable tourism development. There is tems produces five measurable and avoid- already a highly valued and desired prod- able threats to the environment (Pattullo, uct, a high-income tourist market, and suffi- 1996): cient ecological data on the area to assess degradation and potential recovery. Several • Water quality threats include con- key recommendations can be made from the tamination of ground water, land- survey of Exuma visitors: based sources of pollution to near-

shore marine environments and de- 1. Understand the market. pletion of fresh water resources. As in many tourism markets, the history of Many water quality threats are as- Exuma tourism is dynamic and marked sociated with water use patterns with boom and bust cycles. Once a haven (e.g., sustaining a golf course) and for pirates and drug runners, the Exumas wastewater treatment. Cays evolved into a prime destination for • Solid waste threats are particularly active charter boat operations and island difficult on a carbonate island as resorts. Poor marketing strategies, the con- solid wastes dumped in landfills ac- tinued presence of drug trafficking activi- cumulate and create a more difficult ties, and the revocation of the charter boats’ problem with time. duty free status eventually lead to the col- • Transportation threats include the lapse of what was once a prosperous indus- physical impacts on land and sea to try. Today, there are very few charter opera- create airports, roads, marinas, and tions remaining in the Exumas, and many of navigation channels as well as asso- the larger hotels have been deserted, leaving ciated problems with fuel storage. unsightly remains and no economic bene- • Energy threats include the fits. infrastructure needed to meet the

energy needs of tourism, including Yachtsmen with privately owned boats now power generation, tank farms, dominate the Exuma tourism market; this communications infrastructure and market continues to be highly volatile and power delivery. linked to global economic conditions.

Exuma tourists are concerned about the user Harvesting threats include the removal or fees and development within the Land and depletion of species such as reef fishes for Sea Park, the future of Elizabeth Harbour in sport or consumption by tourists. George Town, and the increased develop-

ment throughout the island chain. Yachts- The provision of tourism services on remote men visit the Exumas to enjoy the undevel- islands is expensive and problematic. Often, oped state of the environment, not for the practices used in a low-density setting have presence of resorts, shopping malls, or jet only a minimal impact on the environment skis. It is important that the Ministry of (the solution to pollution is dilution). Sus- Tourism, as well as foreign and domestic tainable tourism planning requires a vision businesses, understand the current tourism as to the density or level of visitation that market to both conserve the product and can be tolerated by the available infrastruc- value it appropriately. ture and the local environment. This plan- ning requires a partnership of managers, Lowe and Sullivan Sealay 191

450

400

350

300 Ranked #1 250 Ranked #2 200 Ranked #3 150

100 Number of respondents 50

0 Boating Proximity In transit Fishing Natural Low # of SCUBA Wildlife Services Activities beauty visitors Motivations

Figure 4. Tourist motivations for visiting the Exuma Cays

700

600

500

400 Yes No 300

200 Number of respondents

100

0 SCUBA tours Nature hikes Hotel services Boat tours Visitor center Education Jet ski rental Boat rental Information Bars/ Souvenir Camping areas Grocery store Fuel, water, ice center booklets Restaurants shopping supply Services/ Activities

Figure 5. Services and activities visitors would allow in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park 192 Lowe and Sullivan Sealay

2. Promote inter-agency and region-wide 4. Implement and integrate resource man- cooperation for planning infrastructure agement planning on a region-wide ba- development and marketing on a re- sis. gional level. The Park is one protected area within a lar- The Ministry of Tourism, The Bahamas Na- ger ecological and economically linked re- tional Trust, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea gion. Within this region, the goals and ob- Park management, the local government of jectives of resource management need to be George Town, foreign and domestic tourism clearly articulated. Management pro-grams operators, and local residents maintain a within areas such as the Park or Elizabeth vested interest in the Exuma Cays tourism Harbour need to address specific ecological industry. Unfortunately, no one agency is measures of success. For instance, a strategy responsible for coordinating a common to designate anchorages or provide mooring tourism message. Visitors to the region do buoys would include specific objectives to not distinguish between jurisdictional protect , seagrass beds or other seabed boundaries, and the success of any one en- communities. The cost of management for tity, whether it be the Park or particular set- specific ecological goals needs to be ad- tlement, depends on regional cooperation dressed through a financial plan - how for collective visitor manage-ment. Pres- much money is required to protect the ecol- ently, the Park has initiated programs to ogy of the area and provide a unique tour- protect the seabed (e.g., installing mooring ism experience? buoys in sensitive or heavily used areas); however, programs such as these are needed in other areas of the island chain. A Final Note regional planning, management and regula- tory structure needs to be developed for the This pilot study served as an effective tool Exumas that includes the Park as one com- for gathering initial information to develop ponent for the protection of the larger eco- tourism management strategies, however, logical system. because the tourism market is dynamic, information on the current visitor structure 3. Increase stakeholder value by providing is reliable for only a specific amount of time. an outreach and education program for A procedure for monitoring visitors should both visitors and residents. be developed to keep tourism information Residents and tourists alike place a high updated. In-person questionnaires are rela- value on the Exuma Cays experience and tively inexpensive for local agencies or feel that they have a “stake”, or investment, businesses to conduct, and a simple data- in the region. These stakeholders should be base can be used to store and analyze sur- provided with information and insight into vey data. the decision-making process. It is vital to implement an outreach and education pro- In the Exumas, the Exumas Education Re- gram that emphasizes the unique environ- source Center or the Ministry of Tourism mental quality of the Exumas and the asso- should be responsible for monitoring tour- ciated costs of maintaining this coastal sys- ism trends. The agency should develop a tem. Stakeholders, particularly visitors, questionnaire that can be distributed every 2 need to be informed on how the Park, the to 3 years to survey visitors to the region. local government and the central govern- Currently, at least 200 questionnaires should ment are meeting their needs (limiting visi- be completed; however, this number should tors, addressing the threats from tourism change respective to visitor levels. Surveys development, practicing responsible re- should be conducted in areas such as Staniel source management) in order to maintain Cay, the Park and George Town. Once the support for the region and the industry. information is collected, the agency in charge should be responsible for analyzing Lowe and Sullivan Sealay 193 the data, disseminating the results, and up- Sullivan Sealey, K.M. (ed.) (1999). Water dating sustainable tourism strategies. quality and reefs: temporal and spatial comparisons of changes with coastal development. The Nature Con- References servancy, Marine Conservation Science Center, , FL. Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. (1997). The Islands of the Bahamas Exit Study Report: Stopover Customer Evaluation Main Find- ings. Nassau, NP, Bahamas. Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. (1995). Tour- ism in the Islands of The Bahamas: 1995 in review. Nassau, NP, Bahamas. Campbell, D.G. (1997). Bahamian chlorine bleach fishing: A survey. In: Proc. 3rd Int. Symposium. Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. (1995). Park Records. Lowe, A. and Sullivan Sealey, K.M. (In re- view). Tools and Methods for marine park management: a case study of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Baha- mas. Pavlidis, S.J. (1997). The Exuma Guide: A Cruising Guide to the Exuma Cays. 2nd ed. Seaworthy Publications, Port Wash- ington, WI. Pattullo, P. (1996). The Cost of Tourism in the Caribbean. Cassell, London. Sealey, N.E. (1990). The Bahamas Today: An Introduction to the Human and Economic . MacMillan Education Ltd., London. Sluka, R., M. Chiappone, Sullivan, K.M. and Wright, R. (1996). Habitat and life in the Exuma Cays, the Bahamas: the status of and coral reefs in the northern cays. Media Publishing, Nassau, Baha- mas.