A Sustainable and Resilient Approach for Beach Restoration and Coastal Planning—Challenges and Opportunities for Caribbean Beach Tourism

Despite heavily depending on beachfront tourism, coastal real estate development in the Caribbean generally lacks sustainability and resilience. Conventional engineering approaches to address beach erosion and real estate vulnerability often focus on protecting specific properties without considering the surrounding coastal environment. There is also growing awareness that the Caribbean’s beach tourism industry is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the physical impacts of climate change and that new approaches are needed, as suggested by the industry’s growing demand for sustainable and resilient solutions. This paper proposes an alternative approach that accounts for coastal dynamics, incorporates ecological features, embraces the participation of the local community, and embeds climate adaptation in the engineering design. The paper provides examples of how these principles have been applied in beach restoration projects in the region and discusses how technical, regulatory, business, and operational constraints were managed. Ultimately, the paper argues that a comprehensive and integrated planning and design philosophy is necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of the Caribbean’s beach tourism industry.