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The purpose of this paper is an assessment of logistics services and tourism infrastructure in the Caribbean. The objective is to examine the efficiency and competitiveness of the logistics and tourism environment in the region.

Given the low levels of implementation of logistics services in Barbados and Jamaica, this study is exploratory, and it is hoped that future studies can build on this assessment of Barbados and Jamaica, and by extension the Caribbean.

Governments across the Caribbean need to recognize that the development of an effective logistics industry rests with improved technology, a proper legislative framework, the development of competent human resources and modern infrastructure development.

The study was limited to Barbados and Jamaica, and so it is not representative of the rest of the Caribbean, as economies like Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic have stronger trans-shipment and cruise tourism activities.

With the low pace of logistics development in the Caribbean, the demand for logistic services, which involve planning, managing and executing the movement of goods and information within global supply chains, will continue to be largely by firms’ desire to outsource some or all logistics-related activities to specialists.

The need to plan for the development of a competent and certified pool of human resources to support the development of a logistics and tourism industry is critical. This therefore requires the development of specialized skills, knowledge and the competence of a flexible and agile workforce.

The focus on Barbados and Jamaica provide an adequate picture of the logistics markets and regulatory frameworks in different contexts of the Caribbean, including an economy directly connected with the global marketplace with a relatively diversified product structure, and another less extensively connected and diversified product structure.

This paper aims to profile the WHATT theme issue “Tourism business development and logistics in the Caribbean: Will there be a symbiotic relationship?” by drawing on reflections from the theme editors and theme issue outcomes.

Structured questions are used to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting-point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

The paper draws on academic and practitioner perspectives to examine the interrelatedness between tourism development and logistics in the Caribbean and concludes that there is much common ground.

This paper outlines challenges and new approaches to the management of tourism business development and logistics in the Caribbean.

The present paper profiles the main developments that need to occur to maximize benefits for the people and economies of the Caribbean region.

The purpose of this paper is to profile the WHATT theme issue: “The fourth industrial revolution: What are the realities for maritime- and tourism-dependent countries?”, with reference to the experiences of the theme editors and writing team.

Structured questions were used to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

This paper identifies the ways in which both industry and education need to change and embrace emerging technologies with particular reference to tourism and maritime provision and infrastructure in the Caribbean region.

The theme issue outcomes provide indicators and action points for tourism and maritime industry stakeholders and for academics involved in planning and delivering learning support to these industries.

This paper draws on discussion and applied research with industry to identify and assess the likely impact of the fourth industrial revolution in tourism- and maritime-dependent countries. Taken together, the theme issue collection of articles provides a rich picture of the changes occurring and prospects for the future.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical review of the articles included in this theme issue.

The paper reviews the contributions in this theme issue to one key question: is there a symbiotic relationship between tourism development and logistic services in the Caribbean?

Even though the papers in this theme issue have focused on examining different interconnections between tourism and other activities, all suggest that tourism development and logistics services are symbiotically related. Each of the contributions has suggested that strategies to improve logistics activities will enhance the development and growth of the tourism industry.

The conclusion presented draws on the analysis of the theme. The conclusion also presents a review of all the papers submitted to the theme issue.

This paper aims to re-examine the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the realities for maritime and tourism-dependent countries.

The authors analyzed all the papers presented in the issue and provided summaries for each to facilitate a general synopsis.

In addition to examining the reality of 4IR in the context of the maritime and tourism industries and education, the various papers presented contain inter-linkages of purpose, concept and arising issues that are paramount to the success of any industrial concern in the face of 4IR.

While the focus of all papers stems from 4IR and the realities for maritime and tourism dependent countries, they also serve to emphasize the implications for these industries, if they fail to attend to the immediate and future applications of 4IR.

In the face of newly industrialised nations, there is the tendency that there will be a shift or redirect of tourists from old tourism destinations to the newly industrialised ones. While there has been a consistent growth in cruising to the Caribbean, the question is whether the growth in cruise ship calls and increase in cruise passenger arrivals to the Caribbean translate into greater development for the region ' s stakeholders or whether this just creates increased profits for the cruise lines, and whether there will be a shift from the Caribbean to the newly industrialised nation in years to come. This paper seeks to address these issues.

This research employed mixed methods approach to answer the research question. The nature of the question and data necessary to answer the question led to the choice of qualitative and quantitative techniques.

The findings from this research will, hopefully, serve as a guide for Caribbean nations to develop a better strategy to cope with the cruise tourism industry; an approach based more along the lines of inter-island collaboration as opposed to competition.

Lack of ample data on cruise tourism in the Caribbean was one of the limitations of the study. Another drawback involved the high level of secrecy which surrounds the industry and the unwillingness of cruise lines and their associates to provide access to operational data, which they regard as confidential.

The Caribbean, particularly Caribbean governments, will benefit from a greater understanding of the power relations among the cruise tourism stakeholder chain and the profile of costs and benefits associated with the industry. Over the years, the Caribbean has relied solely on the economic impact surveys produced by Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), both of whom represent the cruise lines, in order to make projections and development plans for the industry.

The purpose of this paper is to critically review the contributions made by the articles in this theme issue with reference to the literature and by examining the linkages between global economic change and the sustainable development efforts of tourism-dependent economies.

The paper reviews the theme issue ' s contribution to four key questions: What are the implications of global economic transformation for tourism? Where will the tourists come from in future? Where will they go? What are the implications for tourism-dependent economies?

The paper concludes that success in tourism can only be determined by measuring the long-term benefits to the investors and other stakeholders. As such, tourism businesses cannot be sustained indefinitely unless the government, the investors and other stakeholders are broadly satisfied with the benefits derived.

The paper observes that small, tourism-dependent economies need good governance, shrewd management and, in some cases, the determination to leave behind the failed politics of patronage and corruption that have inflicted so much harm in the past.

This article discusses the practical implications and action points arising in response to the question: How might small developing nations achieve long-term sustainable development in a world where the balance of economic output and influence is shifting so rapidly to the emerging industrial powers?

As the world is being rapidly reshaped by the accelerating pace of scientific and technological advance, demographic trends, the rise of new centres of global manufacturing, surging demand for resources, rapid shifts in the pattern of environmental impacts, changes in the nature of risk, political and economic influence, competition and conflict, and the geopolitical balance of power, and potential global threats such as climate change, this conceptual paper aims to examine what impact some of these changes may have on developing nations that are highly dependent on the tourism sector, and what implications this may have for the tourism industry in general.

The paper seeks to examine what impact what some of these changes may have on developing nations that are highly dependent on the tourism sector, and what implications this may have for the tourism industry in general.

Based on the pattern of growth and emerging new world, it appears that the tourism industry will undergo a significant transformation over the next several decades as a result of current social, economic, technological and environmental changes, which raises important questions as to how the small nations can plan and prepare for these developments.

While we are living in turbulent times, and it seems likely that times of even more profound change lie ahead, there are ways in which even the smallest and poorest developing countries can increase their resilience, support their most important economic sectors, which in many cases now is their tourism industry, and protect their people. One of the most important steps is policy integration, which would allow multiple objectives to be met as efficiently and economically as possible.

A number of small, developing nations are now heavily dependent on the tourism industry. This paper suggests that integrated planning could help in this regard by assisting the small developing nations to solve a number of impediments at the same time, and thereby increasing their resilience.