Keith Nurse, University of the West Indies, Barbados
Abstract: This paper seeks to go beyond the remittances discourse and engage in a discussion on the importance of diasporic tourism, which has been a key driver of the region’s economic growth for the last decade. In fact the Surinamese Diaspora which represents only 2% of the Netherlands population is actually a very significant 72% of share of Suriname’s population, and by extension provides a considerable contribution to Suriname’s tourism industry. The paper examines the level of diasporic tourism engagement between the Suriname and its diaspora in the Netherlands. To aid the disaggregation of data available for analysis, an assessment of the terminology used to define the diaspora visitors and establish their own self-identification and classification, is key to this research. Also provided is an analysis of the political economy of the Caribbean regarding the competitiveness issues and development impact of diasporic tourism on both small and large regional enterprises.
Keywords: Diaspora; Diasporic Tourism; Suriname; the Netherlands.
