Fifteen years ago, when Swiss-Italian banker Antonio Saladino first arrived on Canouan Island in the Grenadines, there was no electricity, no airport, and one car. "It was like stepping into another time," he says. Much has changed in the years since: Saladino's company, Canouan Resorts Development (CRD), has built a resort, now a Raffles, complete with a spa, a golf course, and sprawling oceanfront suites; Donald Trump is putting up more than 100 villas, and Bill Gates and Tony Blair have both been spotted on visits. "There was nothing here before," says Amos Snagg, a local resident and owner of the Hill Top Restaurant. "So I'd say all of the development has been good for us."

Most locals agree. Despite early tensions between the resort development company and the residents—mainly over the issue of beach access—Canouan is a compelling case for the power of tourism to transform a local economy. "This island used to rely on fishing and farming," says Ingrid Foyle-Samuel, a native of Canouan who worked at the resort and now runs her own business selling meals to construction workers. "Now, as a result of development, a lot of people are working and own homes at a much younger age."

Apart from creating jobs for the locals, CRD constructed a community clinic at a cost of more than $130,000 and makes an annual donation to the island council that varies depending on the council's requests. Recent donations have ranged from $22,000 to $38,000, to help pay for, among other things, meals for the elderly. The company also builds employee housing on lots it leases from islanders. After ten years, the land—and the homes—revert to the landowners, free and clear. So far, 30 Canouanians own homes because of this program.

Nothing, of course, is perfect; some locals complain that wages at the resort are too low and that job training is too limited. Still, no one disputes that the island is better off now than it was before CRD came to town. "I knew that when I chose this location, it would change people's lives," Saladino says.

Rooms For Improvement
From the Caribbean to southern Africa, here are 82 top hotels and resorts that are making a difference:

Amari Hotels and Resorts
This Thai hotel company has 15 properties nationwide, ranging from beachfront resorts in Koh Samui and Phuket to modern business hotels in Bangkok. For more than ten years, Amari has run its Baht for a Better Life Foundation, soliciting guest donations through envelopes and literature left in rooms. The foundation has built six new schools, rehabilitated another, and bought essential school supplies such as blackboards and books (66-2-255-3767; amari.com).

Banyan Tree
Since its inception in 1994, this high-end hotel chain has sponsored community-improvement projects at its 17 resorts, starting with the transformation of a toxic abandoned tin mine into 600 lush acres on Phuket. Over the years, the company has organized beach and community clean-up days, provided funding for orphans and children with disabilities, and given scholarships for primary, secondary, and university students throughout Southeast Asia. In 2005, Banyan Tree's Asian and Phuket tsunami recovery funds raised a total of nearly $1 million (65-68-49-5800; banyantree.com).