Head of global tourism organisation, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to address Caribbean’s State of the Industry Conference

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The top man at the world’s leading international tourism organization will address the Caribbean’s premier tourism gathering, organized by region’s tourism development agency.

The secretary general of the World Tourism Organization – a United Nations agency (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, has confirmed that he will speak at the State of the Industry Conference scheduled for October 11-13, 2012 in St. Kitts. The conference is being organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the international organization responsible for the development of Caribbean tourism.

  “We are pleased that Dr. Rifai has accepted our invitation to speak at the CTO State of the Industry conference. As the head of the global body for tourism, it is fitting that Dr. Rifai would attend the premier event for the Caribbean’s bread and butter industry and to lend his support to the efforts of the region’s tourism institution to build a sustainable industry,” said Hugh Riley, the CTO’s secretary general.

As head of the UNWTO, Dr. Rifai oversees the organization’s programme to promote tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability in its 155 member countries.

The CTO State of the Industry conference brings together over 300 tourism industry leaders from the more than 30 member-countries of the CTO, as well as representatives of the regional and international private sector, academics and members of the press. It will be the first official appearance of the new Chairman of the CTO’s Council of Ministers who will have been elected on October 11 and who will serve for a period of two years.

The conference will be held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and has as its themes, “Developing a Winning Strategy” and “Rediscovering Home”.