In their efforts to draw visitors from the developed countries of North America and Europe, tourist operations in Latin America and the Caribbean compete with their counterparts in Southeast Asia, especially during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Southeast Asia has traditionally enjoyed a number of competitive advantages including proximity (to Europe), number of English speakers, history, infrastructure, a more developed tourism industry, less crime, and stronger promotional efforts. This is beginning to change, however, as tourists look for variety and as more and more Latin American countries recognize the benefits of developing their tourism sectors.