Building a Resilient Tourism Sector: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequality, Sustainability, and Climate Resilience in Jamaicas Airbnb Ecosystem

The document analyzes the impact of the Airbnb ecosystem in Jamaica, finding that short-term rentals are concentrated in climate-vulnerable areas and contribute to regional economic inequalities. It advocates for mandatory safety audits, accommodation registration, and the use of geospatial data to align the platform economy with national disaster management and sustainable development goals.

• Airbnb properties in Jamaica are clustered in regions with high vulnerability to climate risks, often lacking sufficient access to emergency services or shelters.
• The economic gains from Airbnb are primarily limited to high-income neighborhoods, which serves to increase regional socioeconomic inequalities.
• There is a lack of consistent minimum safety and resilience standards across properties, leading to unequal disaster preparedness.
• High tourist density in certain areas has led to environmental risks, specifically impacting fragile ecosystems and causing water pollution.

APA

Shah, K. (n.d.). Building a Resilient Tourism Sector: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequality, Sustainability, and Climate Resilience in Jamaicas Airbnb Ecosystem. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-9_en.pdf

Chicago

Shah, Kalim. Building a Resilient Tourism Sector: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequality, Sustainability, and Climate Resilience in Jamaicas Airbnb Ecosystem. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, n.d. http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-9_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shah |first1=Kalim |title=Building a Resilient Tourism Sector: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequality, Sustainability, and Climate Resilience in Jamaicas Airbnb Ecosystem |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |url=http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-9_en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shahndbuilding, author = {Shah, Kalim}, title = {{Building a Resilient Tourism Sector: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequality, Sustainability, and Climate Resilience in Jamaicas Airbnb Ecosystem}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {http://iai.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CEH_Brief_SG-9_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }