The fight against foreign developers buying Caribbean beaches
Across the Caribbean, local communities are organising against foreign developers who are buying coastal land and turning it into gated resorts. Governments under pressure to safeguard tourism income face growing legal challenges from residents who demand a 'right to the beach'. The BBC traces the fight on four islands.
According to BBC's reporting from Barbados, Saint Vincent, Antigua and Dominica, the share of coastal plots bought by foreign tourism investors has risen by 42% over the past five years. Some companies have secured 99-year concessions and built gated resorts; local fishermen and small hotels have effectively been shut out of the beach.
In Saint Vincent, the Save Our Shores coalition has filed a 'right to the beach' lawsuit, arguing that Article 17 of the constitution requires the shoreline to remain accessible to all. The government of Antigua, meanwhile, defends new contracts as protecting $200 million of direct investment. Dominica has launched a fresh review of its citizenship-by-investment programme.
Figures from the Caribbean Development Bank show coastal tourism makes up 18% of regional GDP, but about 70% of that revenue does not stay on the island. The BBC report says the CARICOM summit in June will discuss a draft regional charter on beach access. The court rulings are also expected to reshape land-market pricing.
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