Download Presenter: Keith Nurse, Senior Fellow, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of

Presenter:
Keith Nurse, Senior Fellow, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies;
WTO Chair University of the West Indies, Barbados. [email protected]
Rationale and Purpose
The aim of this presentation is to highlight the important contribution of the services
sector to global value chains (GVCs) in the tourism sector. It is increasingly recognized
that developing countries can improve their competitiveness, growth and sustainability
through participation in GVCs, and that to do so they need to engage in a process of
industrial upgrading and increasing diversification within the sector. The tourism sector
is a key driver of the economy and the services sector in many developing countries,
particularly small-island developing states with a narrow agricultural and industrial base.
Expansion, diversification and innovation in the trade in services in the tourism sector
are critical for boosting export earnings and improving the resilience of the wider
economy.
The Case Study
The presentation focuses on Barbados, a small island developing state with a very high
proportion of services in its overall economy (e.g. GDP, employment, export earnings).
Barbados, at position 27, is the highest ranking developing country for tourism in the
World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Index of 2011 and the third in the Americas
behind the United States and Canada (WEF 2013). Barbados is an established tourism
destination that has attracted significant investment over time from international,
regional and local firms. As such, the case study serves as an interesting point of
reference for other developing countries and the wider Caribbean, intending to provide
a basis for more informed public policies in this area where little research has previously
been conducted.