The Regional Tourism & Health (THP) Programme
Link: https://carpha.org/What-We-Do/THP/Background
GOAL : To Improve the health, safety, quality and sustainability of the Caribbean tourism industry and thereby contribute to the industry being more competitive, sustainable & profitable
(vision for sustainable Caribbean development)
STRATEGY : Integrated Health, Safety and Environment management approach of combining training, surveillance, monitoring and response, standards implementation and research to address the critical link between health and tourism
▪Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in partnership with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) agreed to establish a Regional Tourism and Health Programme in January, 2014
▪ Approved by CARPHA (Sept 2013) & CTO’s Board (Jan 2014)
▪ Launch, Awareness and Discussion Workshop, Aruba, May 2014
▪ CTO, CHTA and CARPHA MOU signed in June 2014, New York
▪ Countries letters of commitment (7), April 2014 & April 2015
▪ Partnerships :CDC VSP, CLIA, Travelers Health, PAHO, CDC, PHAC
▪Resource Mobilization, Awareness Raising, Program Development
OBJECTIVES
▪Reduce illness in tourism and thereby promote increase visitor arrivals
▪ To build a healthier, safer, better quality and more environmental friendly tourism industry – lead to more sustainable tourism.
▪ To implement food & environmental safety, training. certification
▪ To provide timely alert of health, environmental and social events, to support health monitoring efforts and stimulate a rapid and coordinated response
▪ To promote a healthy workforce & reduce avoidable health costs
▪ To increase awareness and promote mutual understanding and collaboration between tourism and health stakeholders to address tourism & health as a joint priority
▪ To develop partnerships for sustainability of tourism
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE
▪Protocols & partnerships for Early Warning and Response (hotels and cruise ships )
▪Heads of Govt : CARPHA: Regional coordinator for PH events : Chik, Ebola
▪Regional consultations – Chikungunya (March 2015); Regional food safety and early warning and response (May 2015): CTO, CLIA, CHTA; Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Ebola (RCME): June 2015)
▪Public health Information and prevention guidelines (www.carpha.org)
▪Developed Food and Environmental Safety Assessment Training & Certification
▪Collating international and regional health, Safety & Environmental Standards
▪Health and Safety in the Tourism Workplace survey
▪Partnerships : CDC, CLIA, FTO, PHAC
▪Funding : IDB, country
▪Started : Barbados, TCI, Jamaica
Other Partners:
▪ National partners:
▪ Ministries of Health
▪ Ministries of Tourism
▪ Ministries of Environment
▪ Ministries of National Security
Regional public health partners:
▪ CARICOM
▪ CDEMA
▪ CCCCC
▪ IMPACS
International public health partners:
▪ CLIA
▪ CDC
▪ PAHO/WHO
▪ PHAC
▪ Public Health England
▪ UN-related agencies
▪ Red Cross/Crescent
Other related partners:
▪UNWTO (World Tourism Organization)