Tourism accounts for roughly one-quarter of Montserrat's national income.
Volcanic activity in late 1995 led to the repeated evacuation of Montserrat's capital, Plymouth, and deep ash from the volcano destroyed much of the yearend crops. These disruptions, compounded by hurricanes, caused production in 1995 to drop precipitously. The likely slow recovery of tourism and the continued danger of an eruption dimmed the prospects for rapid recovery in 1996.