COVID-19 has generated a previously unimaginable shock to economic activity in some sectors for counties across the world—an ‘extreme outlier’ event in statistical terms. For many countries, shocks of this magnitude have not been experienced except during periods of armed conflict or extreme natural disasters. A recent publication from Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) … [Read more...] about Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Bahamas
COVID-19, The Caribbean Crisis
COVID-19 is taking an unprecedented (albeit still unknown) toll on Caribbean region’s economic growth. According to the recently published Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin, the decline in the tourism industry will particularly affect The Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica. Plummeting international commodity prices are having severe consequences in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and … [Read more...] about COVID-19, The Caribbean Crisis
Hurricane Dorian from the Sky
On the eve of the arrival of Hurricane Dorian, the images captured by the NOAA-NASA satellites showed us the magnitude of the climate disaster that was going to happen (see figure 1). To date, Hurricane Dorian is considered one of the most devastating natural disasters ever to hit The Bahamas. The estimated damages and losses from it amount to US$3.4 billion (see … [Read more...] about Hurricane Dorian from the Sky
Online education for the Caribbean’s educators
As I learned about Veola Stewart’s story one week after the unprecedented destruction by hurricane Dorian, I was reminded of how distance education started out as a necessity, and not just a convenience. “I am a product of online education”, says Veola. A few years ago, she was a teacher in a rural area in her home country of The Bahamas. Online education enabled her to … [Read more...] about Online education for the Caribbean’s educators
When it hits home
Through an airplane window, it’s easy to see why the world calls this place Paradise. I travel often for work and from my seat in the sky I have come to know the beautiful topography of the Caribbean: Guyana’s lush green, Barbados’ turquoise shores, Trinidad’s northern range. Each landscape is unique; all different members of the same family. And while I am proud to be part of … [Read more...] about When it hits home