News

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 9 January 2026 — The Membership of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) approved the Sustainable Tourism Work Programme for the period 2025–2026 at the 35th Meeting of the Special Committee for Sustainable Tourism. The approval sets a clear agenda for strengthened coordination and practical actions to advance sustainable tourism outcomes across the Greater Caribbean through 2026.

The Work Programme advances the ACS’ focus on competitiveness and resilience, including support for globally recognised frameworks and indicators for sustainability assessment and certification and the promotion of social, economic and environmental sustainability as key elements of destination differentiation and branding.

Priorities for 2026 implementation

With implementation moving forward in 2026, the Work Programme prioritises actions that support both public policy leadership and private sector competitiveness, including:

• Revitalising the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Greater Caribbean (STZC) through the reconstitution of the STZC Regional Steering Committee, renewal of Member State commitment, and advancement of common sustainability standards for tourism development.
• Expanding use of independently verifiable sustainability standards, including capacity building with international industry partners on recognised destination assessment tools.
• Strengthening tourism intelligence via a data and analytics newsletter/dashboard and capacity-building to enhance research and statistical skills across Member and Associate Member States.
• Supporting MSMEs and entrepreneurship, starting with a training needs assessment and follow-on knowledge sessions on integrating sustainability into tourism business operations
• Driving responsible digital transformation, including an information session on AI and Sustainable Tourism Development and a guidebook to strengthen digital capabilities in tourism marketing and promotion.
• Advancing investment readiness, including an introductory awareness session on ESG reporting practices for tourism businesses and actions to increase awareness of green financing facilities and access criteria.

A call to partnership with the private sector

The ACS Secretariat encourages tourism businesses, MSMEs, destination management actors, and investors to engage in the Work Programme’s capacity-building and knowledge initiatives—supporting stronger sustainability performance, improved market positioning, and greater readiness for investment and financing opportunities.