First Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit Offers Opportunities for Diaspora to Connect
The Caribbean Diaspora community will have the opportunity to directly interact with visiting Caribbean Ministers of Tourism during Town Hall meetings organized on Sunday, June 22 in conjunction with the first Annual Caribbean Tourism Summit (ACTS).
Ministers of Tourism will converse with Washington/Virginia/Maryland-based nationals in open forum discussions. The event is designed to appeal to Caribbean nationals, Caribbean-Americans, Caribbean-interest groups and young adults considering a career in tourism.
The Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC), the marketing and business development unit owned equally by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), has created ACTS as a major forum in which to focus on the economic future of the Caribbean region.
A primary objective of ACTS is to bring the services industry in the Caribbean, of which tourism is a part, to the forefront of development discussions.
The groundbreaking conference will take place at the International Trade Center at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington, DC from June 21 to 24, 2008 and will celebrate Caribbean heritage while coinciding with June’s Caribbean-American Heritage Month.
“We have designed this conference as a way to engage influencers to help grow tourism and increase investment in the Caribbean region,” said Hugh Riley, co-chief operating officer for CTDC. “At the same time, we want to celebrate the tremendous contributions of the peoples of the Caribbean and to continue raising the awareness of our brand.”
In order to engage the attention of political leaders, financial decision-makers and investors, CTDC made the decision to concentrate its attention on Washington, DC this year, at a time that would normally have been reserved for Caribbean Week in New York. As a result, representatives of the media, Caribbean Diaspora groups and friends of the Caribbean in the New York Metropolitan area are making the trip to Washington to be part of ACTS.
