Chapter 6: Tourism Destination Recovery, a Case Study of Grand Bahama Island

The purpose of this chapter is to report on the effects of a natural disaster on the tourism sector of Grand Bahama Island (GBI). This chapter explores the process of tourism destination recovery. Tourism destination recovery has become an important area of study in Small Island Developing States (SIDs). SIDs have been subject to increasing external shocks based on the state of the natural environment including climate change. GBI is the northernmost populated island in The Bahamas and the island has been impacted by several hurricanes within recent times including Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. A review of the tourism literature revealed that tourism destination recovery is an underresearched area in the Caribbean. Data were collected from stakeholder interviews to determine the process of tourism destination recovery. Findings revealed the importance to focus on product development, marketing, and coordination aspects of a tourism destination in recovery. This chapter offers a path towards tourism destination recovery by highlighting some of the challenges of the process, with consideration of a recovery framework for tourism destinations.