Data is the New Currency. Can Caribbean Tourism Cash In?

Once, it was land. Then it was oil. Now, it’s data.

In the past decade, platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have changed how we consume media, discover destinations, and even decide where to eat. But while content creators have carved out empires, the real winner has been the platforms themselves. They monetise every swipe, like, and share and we, the users, are the product.

So if data is the new oil, where’s the pipeline for the people?

The Rise of the Everyday Influencer

The explosion of user-generated content, from travel vlogs to room tours, has shifted power away from traditional travel agents to the smartphone user. We’ve watched everyday people become digital celebrities, shaping where people travel, what they eat, and even where they stay. In 2024, influencer marketing reached over $35 billion globally, with travel content among the fastest-growing verticals.

But while creators earn some of that pie, the platforms take the lion’s share. They profit from our behaviours, our clicks, our interests, our identities, and use that insight to sell ad space.

Data is the Product And the Driver

In tourism, data drives:

• Hotel room pricing algorithms.

• Dynamic airline ticketing.

• Destination marketing.

• Attraction planning and local experience curation.

But here’s the rub: Caribbean nation, heavily dependent on tourism, are often on the extractive end of this data economy. Local workers and businesses are rarely compensated for the data they generate or the insight their customers provide. Worse, much of the revenue flows offshore, deepening dependency and economic vulnerability.

The Missing Link: If No One Has Income, Who Travels?

Here’s the hard truth we must confront: If automation continues to erode traditional employment without a parallel plan for redistributing wealth or redefining income who will come and sit in our resorts?

Tourism is a human-to-human experience. But if, in the name of efficiency, both sides of that equation are undermined, the worker in the destination and the guest in the originating market, we all lose.

It’s not just that local workers might be replaced by machines. It’s that potential travellers in the US, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere may find themselves priced out of leisure altogether, their jobs automated and income stagnant. That $5,000 Caribbean cruise? That might be out of reach for millions in an AI-optimised economy where only a few win big.

A data dividend could offer a way to begin redistributing value, not as a silver bullet, but as one part of a broader economic rethink. Because if we don’t find ways for people to benefit from the value they’re creating, the entire system, tourism included, becomes unsustainable.

Sidebar: Who Came Up with the Data Dividend Idea?

The concept of a data dividend has evolved over time, shaped by a range of thinkers and policymakers:

• Jaron Lanier, tech philosopher and author of “Who Owns the Future?” (2013), argued that users should receive micropayments for their data contributions.

• Andrew Yang, U.S. presidential candidate in 2020, popularised the idea of individuals being compensated for their data as a form of digital income.

• California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a state-level “data dividend” in 2019, suggesting tech companies pay users whose data drives their profits.

The core idea: if data is valuable, people should share in its returns.

Could the Caribbean Implement a Data Dividend?

Yes, but it would require a radical rethink of how we define value.

A data dividend is the idea that individuals (or in this case, communities) should be compensated for the data they produce. Think of it as a form of digital equity, where tourism-dependent nations benefit from the data their visitors generate.

Here’s how it could work practically:

1. Opt-in Tourism Apps or Digital Passports Visitors receive rewards (discounts, vouchers, experiences) in exchange for voluntarily sharing anonymised data. Local governments or DMOs (Destination Marketing Organisations) own the data and lease insights to tourism platforms.

2. Local Influencer Networks Instead of just relying on foreign influencers, Caribbean destinations invest in grassroots creators. Creators are trained, supported, and compensated based on audience engagement and conversion metrics, all tracked transparently. For example, during Carnival 2025 in Trinidad & Tobago, artists and event promoters tapped into homegrown digital talent like Kyletheboss and Certified Sampson, whose massive online reach helps amplify local culture while keeping the marketing spend in the region.

3. Community-Owned Data Co-ops Resorts and attractions agree to pool anonymised guest data into a shared Caribbean analytics hub. This hub becomes a revenue stream for the region – insights can be sold or used for local planning, sustainability initiatives, and product development.

Case Studies Worth Watching

• The Caribbean Open Institute has piloted tourism data innovation in several countries, demonstrating how open data can unlock local value.

• Jamaica’s Tourism Enhancement Fund is investing in tech-forward sustainable tourism initiatives.

• Barbados Welcome Stamp provided a real-time data goldmine about digital nomads and long-stay travellers. Insights that can now guide remote work policy and tourism strategy.

More Than Data – A New Social Contract

If Caribbean tourism is to thrive, it must evolve from extraction to equity. A data dividend can help redistribute value, reinvest in local economies, and reframe the narrative.

We are not just destinations. We are data producers, culture creators, and value generators.

It’s time we got paid accordingly.