The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies from one place to another. Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. Such islands include Aruba (possessing only minor volcanic features), Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands or Antigua. Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Saint Vincent, Guadeloupe, and Trinidad & Tobago.

The climate of the region is tropical but rainfall varies with elevation. Warm, moist tradewinds blow consistently from the east creating rainforest/semidesert divisions on mountainous islands. Winters are warm, but drier.

The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico trench, located on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of the Atlantic Ocean.

Hurricanes, which at times batter the region, usually strike northwards of Grenada, and to the west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean.

The first official hotel to open in the Caribbean was the Bath Hotel, on the island of Nevis. The nearby hot springs, with their rumored health benefits were an obvious lure. The inviting climate of the Caribbean brought more tourists to the region in the 19th century. Tourists preferred to admire the tropical sea away from the water’s edge.

Early tourists did not care for the beaches. The early seaside resorts developed for tourists were primarily for health benefits. Taking a dip in the sea was salubrious and prescribed as general pick-me-ups and for serious medical conditions. The island of Barbados was a health resort.

Early tourists to the Caribbean depended on their nationality when deciding which islands they would go to. The English went to their colonies of Nevis, Barbados and Jamaica, the French went to Martinique, and the Dutch went to Curacao. The tourists were wealthy people who had plenty of time to travel, because the cost and length of the sea voyage to get to the destinations meant that only the well-off could travel. Only individuals that had a lot of time to travel would go to the Caribbean since they stayed for substantial periods of time, weeks, or even months. During the 19th century, the tourism season consisted of the winter months.

American tourists at the end of the 19th century traveled mostly to the Bahamas and Cuba, staying close to the Florida coast. Some of the first hotels include: The Bath Hotel in Nevis, that opened in 1778. The Royal Victorian Hotel in the Bahamas that opened in 1861. Crane Beach in Barbados opened in 1887, while in Jamaica, the Titchfield Hotel opened.

Tourism brought the introduction of regular non-stop international airplane flights in the 1960’s. This founded a less exclusive form of tourism, alongside the luxury market, which remains in the present day.

After the introduction of the international airplane services, multinational organizations such as hotel chains and tour operators began to show serious interest in the region.

Mass tourism became significant beginning in the 1980’s. Today, millions of tourists vacation in the Caribbean annually. Whether it is by plane or cruise, there is no decline in sight for tourism in the Caribbean. Even hurricanes and a series of recessions in the Western world appeared only to cause temporary blips on Caribbean tourism’s ever-rising growth rate.

Many Caribbean islands offer a diversity of landscapes in a small area. The Caribbean is fairly free of diseases and pests, and European and North American visitors can speak their own language. The common languages that European and North American tourists can speak in the Caribbean are English, French, Dutch, or Spanish. When a tourist travels to the Caribbean, they experience pristine coral reefs with tropical fish, fruit stands displaying colorful papaya and mangos, people playing golf beneath the blue skies, sailboats skimming over azure blue waters, and couples walking hand in hand on the beach at sunset.

Many governments in the Caribbean welcomed tourists with open arms because it was thought that tourism would boost their economy. Caribbean islands now depend on tourism for their economy, often being referred to as “the engine of their growth”. Tourism has also benefited farmers, fishermen, and merchants because they must grow and supply more fish, meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, and fruit to feed the large number of visitors. These individuals will be making money off their supplies.