The Caribbean tourism industry is challenged more than ever before.
That’s the final message from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s inaugural State of the Industry conference, which concluded in St. Martin on 17 September.
Secretary General of the organisation, Hugh Riley, said that from a numerical point of view it was looking promising with an increase in arrivals but that was merely a tiny modicum of the picture.
“The state of the industry has to be examined from several points of view,” he said. “Including profitability. We have opened the doors to get people here but that is not the only metric for success. Revenue has to keep pace with arrivals.”
Human resource development
Other initiatives include an intention to increase education about tourism across the region, with scholarships and grants worth a total of US$700,000 available for tourism studies.
Ricky Skerritt, Chairman of the tourism organisation, said that human resource development was a big part of their programmes.
“We have to get a database of best practices but education is a staple and must be kept going,” he noted.
He added that in late September Bonita Morgan, the organisation’s director of human resources, was scheduled to meet with the Caribbean Examinations Council with a view to introduce a tourism subject at secondary examination level.
Youngsters take centre stage
A Dominican student emerged winner of the Tourism Youth Congress. Kitwanie Carbon, 15, a student of the Convent High School in the capital, Roseau, outperformed ten other Caribbean Junior Ministers of Tourism to win the event. Clayticia Daniel of Gingerland Secondary School in Nevis placed second, while Cassandra Vital, a 5th form student at Christ the King High School in Antigua, was third.
The 11 Junior Ministers of Tourism were challenged to evaluate the travel and tourism sector, assessing how tourists would justify their spend and how Caribbean destinations can make tourists’ choices easier. They also debated a mystery topic which challenged them to share a product idea which would attract the family market. Each of the top three received a laptop computer donated by the CTO Allied Membership, as well as cash prizes.
Future conferences
The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s next major conference is the Sustainable Tourism Conference which will be held in Guyana from 2-4 April, 2012. This will feature the first Sustainable Tourism awards which will recognise excellence in accommodation, community, heritage, wildlife and special events. Nominations will be announced in mid-October.
The organisation holds elections for its new board at its Leadership Strategy Conference, which is slated for St. Kitts from 26-29 September, 2012.
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