Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development Addressed Climate Change

The 8th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, which took place from April 24 to 29 at the Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino in San Juan for 170 delegates from around the Caribbean, took special aim at disaster management and prevention.

Although the Caribbean is highly vulnerable to tsunamis, the region has begun working on a tsunami readiness plan.

Plans are slowly taking shape to set up centers on each island where tsunami warnings could be issued to residents and visitors.

In Mayaguez, the Caribbean´s first Tsunami Warning System will go into effect next month, thanks to a $100,000 funding commitment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Other conference highlights included workshops on national approaches to risk management, sustainable tourism policies and case studies on recovery planning, as well as study tours to El Yunque Rainforest, Old San Juan and the Humacao Nature Preserve.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization´s decision to address the issue of global warming at this year´s conference was significant because of the interrelationship between global warming, travel, and coastal tourism development, particularly in the Caribbean.