CTC-29 to Put Focus on Cooperation between CTO, CHA

A special session on disaster management and crisis preparedness will be the centerpiece on the agenda of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s 29th annual Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-29), set for October 22 to 25 at the Westin and Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort in the Bahamas.

Presenters will discuss how to identify and manage short and long-term risks, reduce the impact of natural and manmade hazards and devise strategies to mitigate the damage.

"The Caribbean is now open to millions of new eyes and many more potential visitors, due to the increasing ease and lower cost of communications in today’s global marketplace", said Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, CTO’s secretary general.

The new scrutiny brings with it the responsibility “to more thoroughly prepare marketing messages and responses to internal and external forces that may impact tourism,” according to Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace.

The conference theme of “Cooperation, Innovation, Rejuvenation: Creating a brand new Caribbean” reflects the new level of cooperation between CTO and the Caribbean Hotel Association that began with the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation and Understanding at last year’s conference in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Earlier this year, the CTO and the CHA launched a vibrant new Caribbean logo. An update on the status of the soon-to-be-launched Website will be discussed at the conference as will the ramifications of the proposed implementation date of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requiring passports of all travelers entering or reentering the U.S. by air and sea after January 7, 2007.

The CTO and the Bahamas expect to host more than 600 tourism industry officials representing Caribbean governments, airlines, cruise lines, travel agents, tour operators, strategic partners and media representatives.