Regional tourism stakeholders Monday called for greater collaboration as the Caribbean tourism industry emerges from the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. A statement issued by the Barbad0s-based Caribbean Tourism organisation (CTO) said that the stakeholders, including academia and development partners, participated in a virtual conference coinciding with World Tourism Day 2021 on Monday.
“As the Caribbean strives to emerge from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Caribbean tourism, it is critical that regional tourism stakeholders, related businesses, academia and development partners work together to further deliberate on current and pressing issues facing the growth of Caribbean tourism.
“Moreover, it is important that these deliberations result in innovative and creative solutions, committed actions and tangible results that would aid in the tourism sector recovery and resilience-building efforts.,” according to the joint communique issued after the conference.
It said the conference was intended to be a demonstration of “a major commitment to the sustainability and inclusive growth of tourism in the Caribbean, in recognition of the impact and value of the sector to the social and economic development of the region.
“Expanding upon this year’s World Tourism Day theme established by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’, the conference titled “The Future of Caribbean Tourism- Redefining the 3 S’s”, sought to examine the challenges, opportunities and best practices for tourism resilience and recovery,” the communique added.
It said that the 3 S’s – Social Inclusion, Sustainability, and Smart Destinations and Businesses – have been identified as three key priorities, which are integral to the region’s recovery strategies and have been central to the conference deliberations.
“The collaborating agencies, having organized and participated in this gathering and envisioning the most desirable evolution of tourism across the regional landscape, reiterate our support for the advancement of Caribbean tourism, noting the sector’s role in contributing to the wider regional development agenda”.
They said that this will be achieved through a number of initiatives including partnerships, advocacy, resilience, local empowerment, human capital development, diversification, technological innovation and knowledge and Information Sharing
“ We recognize the value of collaboration and inclusion and echo the sentiments of the UN Sustainable Development Goal #17 which states that a successful development agenda requires inclusive partnerships at the global, regional, national and local levels-built upon principles and values, and upon shared goals placing people and the planet at the centre,” the communique said, noting that the stakeholders had also indicated that they understand “that for regional tourism to be socially inclusive, we must continue to engage in relevant research, meaningful discussions, and actions that would continually strengthen the objective of ‘leaving no one behind’ and provide a fair chance to the next generation to benefit from sustainable Caribbean tourism development.”
They said they are aware of the region’s vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change, natural and anthropogenic hazards, and other global events, which have a significant impact on the region’s small open economies.
“Effective protocols for Disaster Risk Management… are pivotal pillars for the viability and long-term growth of tourism; and should incorporate climate adaptation strategies, business continuity planning, and standards and guidelines for effective health and safety management,” the stakeholders said, commending efforts to ensure that people in situations of vulnerability, including women, the youth, differently-abled persons, rural, indigenous and marginalized communities are meaningfully included in the tourism economy.
“We encourage the inclusion of all relevant stakeholders in tourism policy, planning and development activities,” the communique said, adding “we reiterate the importance of education and training in contributing to a highly-skilled tourism work force and by extension the competitiveness of the regional tourism sector.
“We continue to support and advocate for academic, technical, vocational programs and capacity-building initiatives, to further enhance the skills and competencies of the region’s human resources” as well as endorsing the principles and ethos of the “Orange, Blue and Green Economies, which present untapped new opportunities to improve the inclusivity, profitability and sustainability of Caribbean tourism.
The conference was attended by officials from the University of the West Indies, the Inter-American-Development Bank (IDB), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Organisation of American States (OAS) among others.
source – CMC
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