CTO’S Caribbean Conference to focus on ‘Health & Wellness: Communities, Environments & Economies’
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados– The 9th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, also known as the Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-9), will examine the impact of health and wellness issues on the Caribbean’s communities, environments and economies and will provide suggestions for creating strategic plans to sustain all three areas while developing the tourism product.
Themed Health and Wellness: Communities, Environments & Economies, STC-9 will be held May 21-24, 2007, at the Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa in Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands.
“Through general sessions, workshops and study tours, STC-9 will stress the importance of developing a tourism product that takes into account the health and wellness of surrounding communities and environments and visitors, as well as contribute to the economic stability of the region,” said Mareba Scott, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)’s sustainable tourism product specialist.
General sessions include: Health and Wellness Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges; Securing Environmental and Human Capital; Defining the Way Forward and Stakeholders Speak Out featuring discussions about “Developing Valuable Tourism Resources Within Our Communities: the Grand Cayman Go East Initiative,” “Preserving Our Culture: Preserving a Caymanian Identity,” “Raising the Bar: Customer Service Standards for the Tourism Sector,” and “The Role of the National Trust in Tourism Development.”
Workshops will focus on “Integrated Coastal Zone Management” and “Developing a Spa Business.” There will also be a special presentation by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company which will provide an update on developments there since Puerto Rico hosted the 8th Annual Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-8 ) in April 2006.
The annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development is part of the information dissemination and regional awareness component of CTO’s Strategy for Sustainable Tourism. It looks at how member states can design and implement sustainable tourism policies and programmes, offering a regional forum for information exchange on the successes and pitfalls of national, regional and international initiatives.
STC-9 is organised by CTO in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, and in consultation with the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). It is co-financed by the European Union within the framework of the Caribbean Regional Sustainable Tourism Development programme (CRSTDP).
