The Museum of the Caribbean in Barranquilla, Colombia,
which will be the venue for the 2nd ACS Meeting of Ministers of Tourism
on 24 April 2009

Port of Spain (April 3, 2009) –  The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will convene the 2nd Meeting of Ministers of Tourism of the Greater Caribbean in the Colombian city of Barranquilla on 24 April 2009.  The meeting is a joint effort to identify Wider Caribbean solutions for the tourism industry, one of the most important economic activities of the region.

This meeting is convened and organised in collaboration with the Government of Colombia, and will provide the political platform to discuss the impact of important global developments such as food security, air accessibility and climate change on the regional tourism industry.

It is envisioned that Ministers of Tourism should present strategic alliances in the area of tourism and trade, transport and the environment, as well as regional initiatives on product diversification and community involvement in order to ensure the sustainability of this important source of foreign revenue for the Greater Caribbean.

This will be the second time that regional tourism leaders from the insular Caribbean, Central America and South American countries with Caribbean borders meet under the ACS umbrella. The first meeting took place in Havana, Cuba, in October 2006, where the Havana Declaration was agreed as the benchmark for the attainment of the region’s sustainable tourism goals.

The meeting will also be the inaugural activity of the recently established Museum of the Caribbean at the Caribbean Cultural Park of Barranquilla.