Lonely Planet Exec Calls for Balance between Tourism Development, Protection of the Region´s Character

The Caribbean travel industry has been advised to protect the region´s character while developing its tourism potential.

Todd Sotkiewicz, general manager of the Americas for the travel guidebooks publisher, Lonely Planet, said there must be a balance between tourism development and the protection of the environment.

He told delegates attending the Caribbean Tourism Organization´s (CTO) 8th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development (STC-8) in Puerto Rico last week that local communities must also benefit from tourism.

“Certain tourism infrastructure has to exist to attract sufficient travelers to make tourism economically viable,” Mr. Sotkiewicz said.

“But that infrastructure needs to generate income that is poured back into the local community and into the kinds of operations that benefit travelers and locals alike and that, in this way, serves to perpetuate the unique attractions and qualities of a particular place,” he went on to say.

Mr. Sotkiewicz, who delivered the keynote address, also called on Caribbean tourism stakeholders to educate themselves about the importance of sustainable tourism principles and practices, and to educate local communities about the opportunities for development and job creation that tourism can bring to the region.

The conference was organized by CTO in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PTRC), and was cosponsored by American Express and the European Union within the framework of the Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development program (CRSTDP).