Some of the delegates at STC 13 in Guyana, April 15-18, 2012. (CTO image)
News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mon. April 23, 2012: The oil rich nation of Trinidad and Tobago is set to host the 14th annual Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) conference on Sustainable Tourism Development.

In a symbolic passing of the “baton” at the closing of STC-13 in Lillendaal, Guyana, the Caribbean Tourism Organization announced that T&T will host the 2013 event.
Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Tourism, Raye Sandy, received the CTO Sustainable Tourism Mahogany Scroll, or the Reggie, from Guyana’s Tourism Minister, the Honorable Irfaan Ali.

“We are truly honored to host STC-14 in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Raye Sandy. “We look forward to hosting a varied conference that builds on the learnings of STC-13 and showcases Trinidad and Tobago’s sustainable tourism product.”

The CTO, organizer of the annual conference on sustainability in the Caribbean, will begin discussions soon with Port of Spain around a suitable conference date, which will be announced in the coming months. Work is also expected to begin on a conference program shortly.

Trinidad hosted the second STC in April 1998, while STC-7 was held in Tobago in April 2009.

STC-13, held in Guyana, ran from 14-18 April at the Guyana Conference Centre in. Over 200 delegates – including tourism industry officials and the media – participated in a series of seminars, workshops and study tours aimed at setting the foundation on which to develop a world class sustainable tourism product in the region and tackle common sustainability issues in the travel industry.

The 13th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development was organized by the CTO in collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority.