Caribbean Consultation on Sustainable Tourism Development Next Week in St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Tourism interests in the Southern and Eastern Caribbean will have an opportunity next week to get involved in the formulation of the final draft of a sustainable tourism policy for the region.

A two day consultation on sustainable tourism development issues in the Caribbean will be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on November 28 and 29 at which tourism stakeholders from the sub-region will present feedback and comment on the draft Regional Policy Framework for a more Sustainable Tourism Development in the Caribbean.

The draft framework, released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) in July, is being developed within the framework of the EU-financed Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Program (CRSTDP).

During the consultation, which is being organized in conjunction with the government in Kingstown, working groups will focus on issues such as tourism and transportation, tourism linkages, and tourism and the environment.

The St Vincent and Grenadines consultation specifically targets CTO member countries in the Southern and Eastern Caribbean region. A similar event will be held in early 2008 for CTO member countries in the North and West Caribbean.

Funded by the European Union, the CRSTDP’s objective is to contribute to making the Caribbean tourism sector more competitive and more sustainable, contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction and to fostering the sustainability and competitiveness of the Caribbean tourism sector through the establishment of a sustainable development policy framework.