Government tourism officials provided a series of updates Tuesday on their islands’ land-based and cruise ship tourist arrival numbers, outlining new tourist infrastructure and hotel and resort development projects.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) will bring together speakers of international and regional acclaim from various fields linked to tourism to provide best case practices and winning strategies on a wide range of issues that impact the region’s primary money earner.

Cruise traffic in the Caribbean grew 8.9 percent during the first four months of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, according to a report on the arrival of cruise passengers to the region released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a news conference at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in New York City, during the CTO’s Caribbean Week, which celebrates Caribbean tourism and the rich heritage and culture of the region.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) have created a partnership to establish and promote health and safety protocols and practices in the tourism workplace in the region.