The CTO’s mission is to provide to and through its members, the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people.
Advocacy
CTO provides a wide range of advisory services to international institutions, national governments and public and private sector organizations. CTO continues to represent the Caribbean tourism industry’s interests in the UK on the implementation of the UK Air Passenger Duty. The CTO Aviation Task Force is a highly focused committee formed to facilitate and enhance air lift into and throughout the Caribbean. CTO collects donations through the CTO Relief Fund for relief efforts in any of our member countries affected by hurricanes and to assist other Caribbean countries affected by natural disasters.
CTO Scholarship Foundation
The main aim of the CTO Foundation is to provide opportunities for Caribbean nationals to pursue studies in the areas of tourism, hospitality and language training. The Foundation selects individuals who demonstrate high levels of achievement and leadership both within and outside the classroom and who express a strong interest in making a positive contribution to Caribbean tourism.
Human Resource Development
The HR department works to broaden and strengthen the skills base and expertise of persons working at all levels in the tourism sector through technical assistance, training attachments and the development and delivery of training activities. Key aspects of the CTO HR program include cooperating with private and public sector institutions in the region involved in tourism/hospitality education and training programmes to improve the quality of programme offerings and working with member countries in developing tourism education and awareness programmes.
Finance and Resource Management
The Finance and Resource Management department manages the finances of CTO’s operations globally and coordinates the acquisition of funding from worldwide funding agencies to provide programs that benefit the organization’s members. The department is also responsible for contracting legal, auditing and other professional services to ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulations.
Research and Information Technology
This division contributes to the development of a better informed tourism sector by expanding the range and improving the quality of the information available about the Caribbean tourism industry by executing economic, social, environmental and market research relating to tourism in the Caribbean. The department maintains a comprehensive Caribbean tourism information system to respond to the needs of all the public and private sector tourism stakeholders. The department has oversight for the organization’s IT operations.
Sustainable Tourism Development
The work of this department is to facilitate the sustainability of tourism in the region through liaising with our partners, members & key stakeholders & providing technical advice on important issues e.g. standards development; the execution of projects on issues such as climate change, disaster risk management, energy efficiency; membership of relevant Boards & Committees; organization of and participation in conferences, meetings & workshops; conducting research on and disseminating relevant information through electronic & print media, newsletters and manuals.