CTC-25 ran smoothly in Grand Bahamas

The 25th Annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-25) opened on Monday 28th with a strong plea by Bahamas Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Perry Christie for regional destinations to work as a single body for the improvement and survival of the tourism sector, and to stop seeing each other as “mortal competitors.”

“There can be no reinvention of Caribbean Tourism without our daily intent to cooperate,” Mr. Christie said in reference to the theme of CTC-25, Reinventing Caribbean Tourism.

“I am not speaking about giving away national trade secrets such as there may be in tourism, I am speaking about eliminating waste and wasteful pursuits,” he told more than one thousand delegates and local officials gathered at Our Lucaya Golf and Beach Resort for the opening ceremony.

The Bahamas Prime Minister stressed that not only should all the sectors of the industry be involved in the exercise, but cross-sectoral collaboration was imperative if the reinvention of Caribbean tourism were to be successful, but He made particular reference to the various regional carriers which, he said, failed to harmonise air services to the various countries even as they continued to lose money.

“Where are the coordinated route planning meetings between the carriers of the Caribbean?” the Prime Minister asked. “I promise you, there can be no reinvention of Caribbean tourism without the simultaneous reinvention of Caribbean air transportation.”

Mr. Christie called for reinvention of “our understanding of our product” which he described as everything between the time the visitor contacts the tourist office to the time that visitor returns home.

At Monday’s opening, CTO chairman and Bahamas Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe also called for a strong partnership among countries and various sectors of the industry in order to secure the future of CTO.

The ceremony was also address by CTO Secretary General, Jean Holder who again emphasized the importance of tourism to the region and reinforced the theme of cooperation.

“Public and private sectors, governments of every size and level of development, hotels and cruise lines, airlines and travel agencies of every kind, must find a way of working together at national and regional levels in an environment of mutual respect,” Mr. Holder stated.

The Secretary General spoke of “ the dramatic and negative impact” that the events of September 11, 2001 and subsequent and related global events have had on Caribbean and world travel and tourism and the challenges that now confront the industry.

“ A combination of poor global economic performance and a continuing sense of international insecurity have conspired to create an environment completely inimical to travel and tourism and a high price has been paid in loss of profits, loss of jobs, loss of revenue, loss of service, inter alia, by every business and every sub-sector of the industry,” he added.

However, the Secretary General was convinced that with “extraordinary and creative effort” on everyone’s part, the industry would be rewarded with “a significant measure of success.”

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean´s tourism development agency and comprises membership of 32 governments and a myriad of private sector companies.