Mention the Caribbean to most people, and beautiful images of aqua blue waters and white sand beaches come to mind as they picture themselves sipping a piña colada or a rum punch on the beach. These visions are in large part accurate, as tourism is the most dominant business in the Caribbean. The Caribbean is largely the most tourism-dependent region in the world. Most of the islands have moved away from a cash-crop economy and are focusing on the services industry, primarily tourism and commercial real estate development, fueled by foreign investors.