News Americas, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Fri. July 22, 2011: Beating the global recession will be the focus of Caribbean tourism policymakers, executives and other practitioners when they gather in St. Martin later this year.
The September 16-17th meeting is the first ever Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) State of the Industry Conference and will be presented under the theme: “How to Win in a Competitive Environment.”
CTO officials, in a statement this week, said discussions will revolve around a theme that demonstrates the Caribbean’s determination to overcome the current challenges and to develop solutions to some of the most urgent issues facing the tourism industry in the Caribbean. It is being presented in collaboration with the St. Martin Tourist Office.
The new CEO of British Airways will also present a world view of the state of the industry.
“The state of the industry is not only about challenge, it’s also about opportunity,” said Hugh Riley, secretary general of the CTO, the region’s tourism development agency representing over 30 Caribbean countries. “Therefore, we want to come out of this conference with some answers as to what’s next, how to spot the opportunities to move forward, how to beat this recession. The tourism business is fiercely competitive and the Caribbean has to win.”
The inaugural State of the Industry Conference is the CTO’s industry convocation of Caribbean tourism practitioners and strategic partners. It builds on the success of the Leadership Strategy Conference held in Barbados last year, and satisfies a need felt among the membership, including travel agent partners, for such a gathering, annually.
The general conference sessions will be preceded by a series of meetings on 14 & 15 September involving ministers, commissioners and directors of tourism, as well as private sector tourism partners. The conference headquarters hotel is Le Domaine on French St. Martin.
The new CEO of British Airways will also present a world view of the state of the industry.
