Archive for March, 2020

CTO Signs Deal with Global Market Research Firm Euromonitor International

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (23 March. 2020) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has signed an agreement with a leading global market research firm, Euromonitor International, through which members can access additional information to aid in their tourism planning.

The collaboration agreement with the London-based firm will provide member countries with data and insights to identify future trends, statistics and analysis on industries, countries and consumers.

Access to the data from existing and target source markets will be through Euromonitor International’s global market information database, Passport.

“Our partnership with Euromonitor International expands the range of data and research available to our member countries which they can use to inform the development of their national tourism strategies,” said Faye Gill, the CTO’s director, membership services.

As part of the agreement, CTO members will receive access to relevant information about the travel landscape globally, such as market disruptors, latest trends and impactful scenarios like the coronavirus pandemic. Euromonitor International provides high-quality information and expert analysis on factors shaping tourism in different countries and economies.

Caroline Bremner, head of travel research at Euromonitor International, said, “We are delighted to partner with the CTO and help its members build strategies for resilience and sustainability for long-term success.”

The CTO’s move to forge this relationship with Euromonitor International is part of the organisation’s increasing thrust towards the provision of more robust data for decision making and planning.

Euromonitor International is a leading market research company that provides global data for different sectors and industries, including travel and tourism.  The company’s Passport database includes outbound trends, expenditure numbers, socio-economic data and traveller profiles for many of the region’s existing and potential source markets.

Posted in: 2020 News, Blog, Corporate News

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COVID-19 FORCES POSTPONEMENT OF CTO’S 10TH TOURISM HUMAN RESOURCES CONFERENCE

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (Date) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) advises of the postponement of the 10th Tourism Resources Conference, which was scheduled to take place in May. The new date for the event, being organised in collaboration with the Nevis ministry of tourism, is 25-27 November 2020.

“In light of the constantly changing nature of the coronavirus crisis and in the wake of the decision by the World Health Organization to declare COVID-19 a pandemic, the CTO and the government of Nevis have decided that postponing the conference is the best course of action,” said Sharon Banfield, the CTO’s director of resource mobilisation and development.

The CTO will continue to diligently monitor the situation and pay close attention to guidance from regional public health officials.

For more information on what the CTO and member countries are doing to limit the spread of coronavirus in the region, visit www.onecaribbean.org. And for the regional health response, visit www.carpha.org.

Posted in: 2020 News, Coronavirus (COVID-19), HR Conference

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CTO Statement on COVID-19

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (12 March 2020) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) continues to closely monitor the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) situation. We continue to engage our member countries, as well as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and our tourism partners, to inform travel-related health measures that are proportionate to the public health threat and based on local risk assessment.

While there continues to be a limited number of imported coronavirus cases and no cases of local transmission in the region, the health authorities across our membership are taking the necessary steps to limit the number of new cases and to curb the possible spread among our populations from the confirmed imported cases.

The CTO would like to emphasise that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not called for any travel and trade restrictions as a result of the coronavirus. As a matter of fact, the WHO continues to advise against such restrictions. Local populations and visitors alike are assured that the Caribbean remains open for business.

Consequently, we advise travellers to follow the health and travel advisories issued by the authorities and to take appropriate precautions.

  • Closely monitor www.carpha.org and www.onecaribbean.org for important information and updates
  • Avoid contact with sick people.
  • Avoid travelling if sick.
  • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water are not available.
  • Follow local authority instructions
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a flexed elbow or paper tissue when coughing or sneezing and disposing immediately of the tissue and performing hand hygiene
  • Refrain from touching mouth and nose.
  • Follow proper food hygiene practices

In addition, before you travel, please check whether any travel restrictions have been issued by your intended destination.  You should also consider investing in  comprehensive travel insurance.

 

Posted in: Blog, Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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St. Kitts & Nevis Takes Preventative Action Against Coronavirus

Basseterre, St. Kitts (March 5, 2020) – To date, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in St. Kitts & Nevis. However, in response to the COVID-19 global outbreak and the subsequent international spread of the disease, the destination has strengthened surveillance and pre-emptive healthcare procedures at its air and seaports as well as throughout the Federation. The health system has moved to detect, contain and manage the situation in the event the virus reaches the Federation.

• At St. Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, all incoming air passengers to the Federation must at all times complete question #17 of the Customs/Immigration Form, which requires a listing of “countries visited during last six weeks.”
• At the cruise port, inspectors from the Environmental Health Department board each vessel that docks to review the passenger travel manifest and all medical reports for any passengers exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Any passenger displaying such symptoms is not permitted to disembark.
• Any and all incoming passengers who have traveled to or from any of the following countries within the last 14 days will be asked to provide travel history, history of exposure to the virus and contact information: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Italy, Japan and Iran.
• Persons traveling to/from these destinations within the last 14 days are asked not to travel to St. Kitts & Nevis. Persons who do travel to St. Kitts & Nevis from these destinations will be subject to screening at the ports of entry and may be monitored by the public health team or quarantined at home or at a designated facility based on risk assessment.
• The Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis reserves the right to deny entry to any non-Nationals who have visited the countries listed above within the incubation period of 14 days. Nationals and/or residents who have visited those countries within the 14-day incubation period will be required to go through the established screening process.
St. Kitts & Nevis is complying with International Health Regulations and reporting to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) / the World Health Organization (WHO) as appropriate. Following the WHO’s declaration on January 30th, 2020 that the outbreak of the Coronavirus constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis advises citizens and residents to restrict travel to the aforementioned destinations until the WHO gives the all clear in relation to the COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health is working closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and all appropriate government agencies to execute national disaster preparedness and response plans so as to prevent, monitor and manage the spread of the virus if and when a national or visitor tests positive for the virus . The Disaster Mitigation Council is in place to handle the response to the disease and the Ministry of Health has conducted training exercises with frontline workers including police and immigrations and customs officers.

A destination-wide awareness and education campaign is being implemented within schools, the workplace and communities to remind the public of everyday preventative actions such as including basic hygiene best practices to help stem the spread of the virus. These include frequent handwashing with soap and water or 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizers, frequent disinfection of surfaces and avoiding close contact with people who exhibit signs of respiratory illness.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html and/or http://carpha.org/What-We-Do/Public-Health/Novel-Coronavirus.

For more information about St. Kitts, visit www.stkittstourism.kn.

Posted in: 2020 News, Blog, Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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Tourism Success Continues into 2020

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (4 March 2020) Stayover arrivals to the Cayman Islands for the month of January 2020 increased 3.59 per cent, a total of 1,486 more than January 2019.

International markets showed strong signs of improvement with the highest growth noted from the Canadian market followed by Europe and Latin America.

“The continued marketing efforts by the Department of Tourism under the direction of my Ministry continue to show strong signs of growth in this new decade. My tourism teams are dedicated to providing tangible benefits through tourism driven economic activity for our islands and our people,” commented the Minister of Tourism, the Hon Moses Kirkconnell.

For more information and detailed arrival statistics, please visit www.visitcaymanislands.com/statistics.

Posted in: 2020 News, Blog, Destination News

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