That’s the advice of Acting Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Winston Dookeran, who was among officials to delare open the 14th Annual Sustainable Tourism Conference from the Caribbean Tourism Organization in Trinidad’s capital, Port-Of-Spain, tonight, Monday, April 15th.
He said ensuring sustainability of the Caribbean tourism sector understanding and adapting to the changing demands of the visitors while developing “our own methods of measuring sustainability.”
Dookeran encouraged stakeholders over the next four days, to address the tough issues like regional airlift “as a collective.”
He also called for a new look at multi-lateral airline and open sky agreements and new methods of financing that involved public and private sector partnership.
This is what is needed to ensure the future of the next generation in the “One Caribbean space,” Dookeran added.
Meanwhile, Trinidad’s Minister of Tourism, Stephen Cadiz, speaking before his acting prime minister, insisted too that the “Caribbean must come together to ensure it stays as the premier warm weather destination” for the traveler.
See his speech here:
CTO Chairman and USVI commissioner of tourism, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, echoed this theme as well, telling delegates, stakeholders and the media that the Caribbean region must work together to “educate our industry partners to ensure they understand the economics of sustainable tourism.”
See her speech here:
Delegates attending the opening ceremony also included Orville London, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism of Trinidad, Juliana Boodram; Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Dr. Rufus Ewing;Lorne Theophilus, minister of tourism of St. Lucia; Anguilla’s Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Hayden Hughes and Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Secretary General Hugh Riley and CTO Director of the Americas, Sylma Brown Bramble.
The opening ceremony, also included performances by three tenors, QED, who delivered an emotive performance, much to the delight of those who packed into the Regency Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt hotel for the event. Other performances came from the Mason Hall Folk Singers of Tobago; Junior Calypso Monarch, Marc Pierre; the Royal Police band and a Carnival of Colors troop by Brian McFarland. The event was emceed by Adrian Dawn.
STC-14 is being presented under the theme: “Keeping the Right Balance: Enhancing Destination Sustainability through Products, Partnerships, Profitability.” It runs through April 19th.
