A positive outlook and unequivocal optimism is the forecast for the Caribbean region, barring any major international events or damages to our infrastructure from natural events.
This was the upbeat message from President of the Caribbean Hotel Association Mrs. Bertha Parley at the opening of the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference at the Hyatt Regency, Miami Sunday evening. Just over 1,000 delegates from the Caribbean region have gathered for the conference.
Tourism Minister Charles Clifford and Director of Tourism Pilar Bush are to be among those representatives.
However, Mrs. Parley questioned whether the region is ready for major expansion of the tourism industry with regard to infrastructure and human resources.
‘Are we going to import labour at the expense of our local workforce to meet our HR needs?’ she asked.
She stressed the need for training, retraining and retooling human resources to take Caribbean hospitality to the world class excellence needed.
However, Mrs. Parley also emphasised the need for health safety, security and the protection of nature resources.
‘We must all, with our policy makers, do everything in our power to continue to maintain the image of our region by stamping out crime and anti-social behaviour.
‘Our road map must also include environmental management and stewardship and the creation of a viable Caribbean air transportation system. This needs urgent attention by our policy-makers because the reality is, we must manage our own destiny, because no-one else will do it for us.’
Keynote speaker environmental activist, Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., set the stage for four days of urgent attention to the sustainability of the Caribbean tourism product.
He warned delegates that any decisions made now will have a profound impact on the future and these need to be made with regard to the long-term rather than the short-term.
He urged attendees to invest in the environment, not just because this will eventually be a sound financial outlay, but because it will also be an enrichment spiritually, culturally and aesthetically.
‘We impoverish our children when we destroy nature,’ he said, adding that he believes it is through nature that God communicates with us most forcefully.
If steps are not taken now to save the environment, the Caribbean will follow in the footsteps of countries where people are dying because of pollution. In China people go to oxygen bars for fresh air while in Thailand children are suffering because of lead in the air.
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