Résister au débarquement : tourisme de croisière et dynamiques d’appropriation territoriale dans la Caraïbe
Cruise tourism is distinct from land-based tourism because of its mobile, derogatory and extraterritorial nature. These factors allow the industry to dominate in the power struggle that plays out when the operating conditions for a new destination are being negotiated. The purpose of this research project is to highlight the socio-spatial dynamics inherent to the power relations between stakeholders in cruise tourism in the space of the Caribbean. We use the case study of the creation of a cruise enclave at Harvest Caye in South Belize to explore the territorialization processes that result when a new destination is established. To do this, we have developed a conceptual framework that is based, first of all, on the idea of the production of a cruise tourism space considering the neoliberal mechanisms of space production when a new enclave is established. The framework then focuses on the processes of territorialization that have transformed South Belize as a consequence of the territorial deployment of this kind of tourism in the lived space of the receiving communities. Our results are based on content analysis, participant observation and 42 semi-structured interviews, and show that the power relations that initially favor the cruise tourism industry can be countered, allowing lived space actors to take charge of territorialization processes in the context of the imposition of a cruise tourism space. The processes of territorialization that emerged when the cruise tourism space and the lived space met are evidence of strategic actions the different stakeholders have taken simultaneously—those related to the industry’s attempt at territorial appropriation and those associated with local stakeholders’ various resistance strategies, especially those evolving in the ecotourism industry. Nevertheless, we have witnessed, directly or indirectly, adaptation and cooperation on both sides that have eroded the conflictual vision of the territorial dynamics that often characterize the implementation of cruise tourism. Finally, we suggest that there is a phase of territorialization that runs parallel to cruise tourism and that is linked to the dynamics of territorial appropriation brought about by the real estate industry that has been exacerbated as the enclave island was established.
Belize Tourism Cruise Power Appropriation Territorialization Development Destination Caribbean