Tourism group seeks to nudge CARICOM
Published:Tuesday | July 6, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
CARICOM heads of government will this morning tackle a number of tourism issues in a closed-door session of the regional grouping's 31st conference in Montego Bay, St James.
On the agenda will be the much-discussed regional marketing programme; the effects of the air passenger duty; and the Haiti Initiative, which aims to developing a tourism master plan similar to Jamaica's.
With CARICOM leaders not being converts to the proposed gospel of a regional marketing fund, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has mounted its own advocacy campaign, emphasising the importance of the industry to the economic bloc.
Tagged 'Tourism is Key', the aggressive campaign underlining the importance of travel and tourism to local economies was launched yesterday.
It is the first in a series of programmes launched by newly elected president of the CHTA, Josef Forstmayr.
Target group
The CHTA's campaign will target a broad audience, from Caribbean heads of government to citizens, who often do not realise the direct role tourism plays in their lives.
The first official advertisements for the Tourism is Key campaign - supported by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the CHTA - will appear in the Gleaner and Observer newspapers.
"In order to remain viable in the future, we need to ensure the sustainability of our tourism industry today," said Forstmayr.
"Paramount to that is a much-needed consensus among our leaders and the general public so that travel and tourism will receive the full support it deserves as the Caribbean's most vital export," he added. "Considerable time, effort and funds have been spent to study, review, research, report and make recommendations about various aspects of the Caribbean tourism industry's policy agenda. Unfortunately, implementation has not been the strongest part of the process."
WTTC study
The CHTA head said his organisation was currently taking steps to improve this through its strategic alliance with the WTTC, in which all would have access to information that boosts the industry and helps generate jobs.
A 2004 WTTC Caribbean study commissioned by the CHTA says travel and tourism will make an extraordinary contribution to the Caribbean over the next 10 years. However, the impact of the industry is generally not understood by public officials, the industry itself, or the communities where it takes place, the report said.
The WTTC stressed: "Long-term planning, at both the national and regional levels, is a prerequisite for generating investor confidence and organising the successful development of travel and tourism in the Caribbean."
The study noted: "The Caribbean's economic and marketing-related travel and tourism research and forecasting are generally inadequate, both in terms of quality and quantity."
For more information on the Tourism is Key campaign, visit www.tourismiskey.com or follow CHTA on Facebook or Twitter.