Tourism highlighted as noticeably absent from CARICOM’s 2025 agenda
Published:Monday | July 14, 2025 | 12:09 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Tourism, the lifeblood of many Caribbean economies, was noticeably missing from the official outcomes of the 49th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, which concluded in Montego Bay, St James, last Tuesday.
This absence comes despite the region being the most tourism-dependent in the world ,and having just recorded its highest-ever visitor arrivals in 2024.
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett had only weeks earlier delivered a presentation during Caribbean Week in New York, urging CARICOM to take a more structured and consistent approach to tourism policy.
In his remarks, Bartlett called for tourism to become a standing item on the agenda of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), and for the establishment of a dedicated Tourism Subcouncil that would ensure cohesive, region-wide strategy and implementation.
Bartlett underscored that tourism is no longer a peripheral “service sector” but the Caribbean’s largest export, its principal source of foreign exchange, and the foundation of many supporting industries, such as agriculture, culture, transport, and digital services. He revealed that in 2024, CARICOM member states welcomed 34.2 million overnight visitors, generating US$81.4 billion in economic activity, which accounted for 17.6 per cent of the region’s collective GDP. The industry also supports more than three million jobs, with women comprising over half the workforce, and one-third of all positions held by youth under 30.
FORMAL DISCUSSION NEEDED
When contacted by The Gleaner following the conclusion of the Heads of Government meeting, Bartlett said, “It is a pity that a formal discussion was not had on tourism, even though CARICOM knows of its importance.”
He added: “We anticipate a COTED Tourism that will be a more focused policy approach to the future growth and development of the industry, given its known economic impact on the region.”
However, during his presentation in New York, he noted that CARICOM’s regional framework remains disconnected from the realities and opportunities of tourism. He pointed to the sporadic engagement of COTED with tourism matters, stating that the last dedicated ministerial meeting was held more than a decade ago.
In the absence of structured oversight, policy coordination has been left to ad hoc committees and national-level discussions.
Bartlett also highlighted institutional fragmentation, with organisations such as the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), and national ministries each carrying partial mandates, often with overlapping roles and stretched resources. Connectivity was cited as another major concern, with the region still plagued by high airfares, unreliable schedules, and financially unstable carriers. He also called out the lack of standardised, real-time tourism data, which hinders investment, delays access to climate finance, and weakens the region’s negotiating power.
To address these issues, the Jamaican tourism minister presented a comprehensive 10-year strategy outlining eight pillars for action between 2025 and 2035. The plan included the creation of a Caribbean Tourism Resilience Fund, a regional digital travel platform, the introduction of a multi-destination CARICOM tourism visa, expanded air and ferry connectivity, and the launch of a unified ‘Caribbean United’ marketing brand. He also proposed cross-border training programmes, the mutual recognition of tourism credentials, and incentives for product diversification, including agro-tourism and heritage routes.
Bartlett projected that, if fully implemented, the framework could generate an additional US$20 billion in GDP by 2035, create 300,000 new jobs, and significantly increase the Caribbean’s value capture from each tourist dollar. Yet, despite these ambitious goals and the clarity of his recommendations, there was no mention of tourism in the final CARICOM communiqué, nor was the issue raised during public briefings by regional leaders.
The omission has not gone unnoticed by tourism stakeholders, many of whom view it as a missed opportunity. At a time when global travel is surging and Caribbean destinations are vying for market share, the absence of tourism from CARICOM’s top-level agenda raises questions about the region’s commitment to integrating and advancing its most vital industry.
Bartlett’s appeal to elevate tourism within CARICOM’s economic framework was clear. He wants tourism as a permanent agenda item for COTED, approve the formation of a Tourism Subcouncil, and mandate the CARICOM Secretariat to work with CTO and CHTA on detailed implementation plans within six months.
“Tourism already underwrites our foreign exchange, our employment, and much of our social infrastructure,” Bartlett stated. “Yet, without deeper regional coordination, we leave value on the table and expose ourselves to unnecessary risk. The time to act is now.”