Conclusion to the High Level Meeting of Tourism Authorities

The Association of Caribbean States under the leadership of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela successfully concluded the two-day High Level Meeting of Tourism Authorities on Thursday 17th of March, 2022. Bringing together expert leaders and high level authorities in the tourism industry the second day of discussion focused on cooperation and investment for tourism development. Throughout the second day, participants were immersed in dialogue that focused on strategies for future tourism development.

Continuing with the recovery discussions; the second day began with a cooperation showcase led by Mr. Ian Durant, Director, Economic department at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Mr. Gianpiero Leoncini; Representative from CAF-Latin American Development Bank and Ms. Giulia Macola, Associate Programme Officer, Alliances for Action and Ms. Amelia Diaz, Associate Programme Officer in Trade Development Strategies Programme at the International Trade Centre (ITC). The discussions concentrated on opportunities for enhanced tourism resilience. Mr. Durant highlighted the importance of boosting tourism to strengthen economies, while Mr. Leoncini highlighted CAF initiatives that provide greater support to tourism development both within its membership and the wider Caribbean. Ms. Macola and Ms. Diaz explained ITC’s Community-Based Tourism (CBT) methodology and the significance of CBT to tourism development and resilience.

The Cooperation Showcase was followed by , Ms. Ingrid Jacobs, Director for Cooperation and Resource Mobilization at the ACS, Ms. Carolina Briones, Executive Director at CATA and Mrs. Shantanny Anasha Campbell Lewis, Co-Director General and Administrative Director of the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism, - who presented during the recovery discussion facilitating stakeholder cooperation.  Ms. Jacobs took the opportunity to explain the process of consolidating partnerships for action, highlighting that strength of partnerships lay in the complementarity of partners. Ms. Briones emphasised capacity building as key to managing situations in multi-destination tourism. Further, Mrs. Lewis demonstrated how that cultural heritage and tourism strategies, built on maintaining the social responsibility of heritage tourism is possible through sustainable tourism practices.

Leading the final recovery discussion, Mr. Alejandro Varela, Deputy Director- Americas, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Mr. Miguel Guirao, Eastern Caribbean Support Officer, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mrs. Carolyn McDonald-Riley, Director of the Tourism Linkages Network, Jamaica presented on planning for development in tourism. Mr. Varela elucidated the importance of technological adaptations for tourism development and increasing competitiveness. Mr. Guirao highlighted the knowledge creation and MSME development impact of UNDP’s Future Tourism Project which includes capacity building and grant funding for technological adaptation. In conclusion, Mrs. McDonald-Riley, presented on the development of Jamaica’s tourism resilience corridor, and the accelerator effect that has been generated through strategic investments in tourism stakeholders

The two day session culminated with the adoption of a joint statement articulating consensus on the memberships’ commitment and willingness to operationalise regional tourism recovery strategies for the sustainable future of Greater Caribbean tourism.

 

For more information please contact the Directorate of Trade and Sustainable Development: dtsddirect@acs-aec.org.

About the ACS

The Association of Caribbean States is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba, Curacao, (France on behalf of French Guiana, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin ), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Sint Maarten, (The Netherlands on behalf of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius ), Turks and Caicos.