Responses to tourism in contemporary Caribbean poetry

Abstract

This article deals with contemporary anglophone Caribbean poetry that denounces the impact of the tourist industry and advances alternatives for the creation of decolonial futures. The work examined highlights the neo-colonial nature of tourism and the lack of sovereignty that the industry brings to the fore. As shown in these poems, the colonial mythical configurations that describe islands as isolated and segregated spaces define, in reality, the tourist industry. Lastly, Caribbean verse focuses on ferries, catamarans and cruise ships, as these allow tourists to freely move across the region, thus highlighting
the lack of “mobility justice” for islanders. Being largely reserved for tourists, inter-island mobility also prevents neighbouring islands from forging alliances that would contribute to collectively exploring alternative tourisms and alternatives to tourism.