Caribbean Tourism Leaders & EU Conclude Tourism Summit
BRUSSELS, Belgium (14 March 2011) – Caribbean tourism leaders and European Union (EU) officials have ended the first Caribbean tourism summit in the European capital with a greater understanding of each other’s concerns regarding the tourism sector. A delegation of regional tourism leaders – led by the chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) the Hon. Ricky Skerritt, and including tourism ministers from five other Caribbean countries, came to the heart of Europe’s decision-making machinery to stress the importance of a policy agenda towards tourism.
At the end of the session the CTO Chairman said there were six key conclusions from the talks:
* Tourism is a significant sector for both the EU and the Caribbean and both regions have much to do to advance the policy discussion to ensure that tourism is given the attention and support that it deserves;
* There are various types of funding available in the EU and the EPA to support tourism-related initiatives and there is a need to establish modalities to work together to ensure that such funding is chanelled towards priority areas, including tourism – and that Caribbean public and private sectors must reach consensus on the priority areas;
* Aviation taxation and Emission Trading Schemes are real threats to Caribbean tourism;
* Tourism is a major driver of economic and social development in the Caribbean and any negative impact on tourism will have far reaching consequences across the range of services that might be wholly unrelated to the sector but that rely in part on government funding through income from tourism;
* While the Caribbean has not been a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions it will suffer significantly from the impact of climate change, but the Caribbean can be a world leader in conservation and climate change initiatives.
* The Caribbean heard that the EPA contains specific commitments to the sustainable development of tourism. It seems that both CARIFORUM and the EU have some distance to go before these provisions can be finalized, but the hope is that this forum will have prompted a closer, more effective partnership that will achieve the goal of sustainable development of a thriving tourism economy.
In addition to Chairman Skerritt, the Caribbean delegation included Ministers Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace of The Bahamas, Manuel Heredia of Belize, Ed Bartlett of Jamaica, as well as the Secretary of Tourism for Tobago, Oswald Williams, the junior Minister of Tourism from Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Delmon Baker, the CARICOM Secretary General (Ag) Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, the CTO Secretary General Hugh Riley, the President of the Caribbean Hotel Association Josef Forstmayr, the CEO of the CHTA Alec Sanguinetti, Directors of Tourism and Caribbean ambassadors based in Brussels.
VISIT TO THE EU PARLIAMENT – MARCH 14th, 2011 - Introductory remarks by Minister Ricky Skerrit, CTO Chairman
It is my pleasure as Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation to welcome you all here today. It is also an honour to lead this small but highly potent delegation of Tourism Ministers and officials from the Caribbean here to Brussels today.
DOWNLOAD MINISTER SKERRITT'S FULL REMARKS
March 14, 2011 -- Remarks by Hugh Riley, Secretary General, CTO
The Caribbean Tourism Organization has a long and distinguished record of service to the 33 member-countries and the private sector entities it has the honor to serve. Over the years its mission, to help establish tourism as a sustainable means of social and economic development for the Caribbean, has taken a multi-faceted approach. For while the organization has been known at various times for its marketing, advocacy, research, information management, human resource development, environmental concerns and public relations functions, it is clear that these activities all center around the core purpose of delivering the services and information necessary for the development of tourism in a manner that is socially responsible and economically sustainable.
DOWNLOAD HUGH RILEY'S FULL REMARKS
Tourism and Caribbean development - Ambassador Lolita Applewhaite, Secretary General (Ag), CARICOM
Tourism and development in Caribbean-EU relations: How to bridge the gap between policy intentions and practice? -- Geert Laporte, Deputy Director, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)
Tourism and the European Parliament -- Brian Simpson MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee
Response: Sources of funding for Tourism development -- Hugh Riley, Secretary General, Caribbean Tourism Organisation
Response: Sources of funding for Tourism development - Josef Forstmayr, President, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association
Tourism, aviation and taxation - The view from the Caribbean -- Hon Edmund Bartlett MP, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica
Tourism, aviation and taxation The view from the European Commission - Philip Good, International Carbon Market, Aviation and Maritime Unit; European and International Carbon Markets, DG Climate Action, European Commission
Tourism, the environment and climate change -- Wendy Wyver, Deputy Head of the Climate Change and Energy Department, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Above: Officials at ACTS Brussels, 2011
Below: CTO Chairman, Minister Ricky Skerritt & Secretary General, Hugh Riley at ACTS Brussels, 2011
