Beautiful white sandy beaches, comfortable weather and constant sunshine are just some of the reasons that make the Caribbean islands a pristine travel destination . Advances in technology and travel have made access to the Caribbean relatively easy and cheap. From Barbados to Jamaica, all of these island nations have seen an influx of tourists looking for a relaxing vacation. Both negative and positive impacts have been identified. Researchers on both sides of the issue have debated whether this drastically and relatively rapidly growing tourism industry actually constitutes an advantage or disadvantage to the host country. With an average of more than twelve million visitors per year, the Caribbean is a tourism mecca. With the increase in the number of tourists themselves, the number of tourism businesses has also had to increase to meet their needs. It's a continuous cycle. This increase is exactly why these issues have been brought to the forefront of discussions about globalization. Although some researchers have pointed out the visible disadvantages affecting Caribbean island nations, tourism, according to the governments of these nations, offers greater benefits by boosting their economies and improving their environments. Many Caribbean nations have based their economies exclusively on tourism. . Scholars who oppose tourism incorrectly classify Caribbean dependence as a problem caused by the global tourism industry, when this is simply not accurate. Drawing heavily on this point, some research overlooks the fact that Caribbean dependency is self-generated. Far too often, the global tourism industry is wrongly blamed for Caribbean countries' dependence on tourism. Starting with advances in technology... middle of paper... Dominican Republic. " Latin American Perspectives 35 (2008): 21-36.eTurboNews. "Battered by recession, Caribbean tourism is searching for the way out of the Crisis." eTurboNews. July 12, 2009. Global Travel Industry News. July 27, 2009. Lockhart, DG, 1997. “Islands and Tourism: An Overview.” Island Tourism: Trends and Prospects, Pinter, London, 3–20. “Environmental Issues in Tourism and Leisure.” Lanham, MA. : University Press of America, Inc, 1995. Scheyvens, Regina, Janet Momsen. “Tourism in Small Island States: From Vulnerability to Strengths.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism 16 (2008): 491-510. Criminal Cruise Ships: Dirtying the Seven Seas." Earth Island Journal Vol. 15 Issue 3 (2000) 7. July 28, 2009. Taylor, Frank Fonda "In Hell with Heaven." Pittsburg: University of Pittsburg Press, 1993.