SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Counterpart International is calling upon the Caribbean’s young people and young reporters to apply for fellowships to attend its 10th full edition of the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 17-21, 2007.
Media and tourism delegates from across the region, North America and Europe will examine the theme “Enhancing Culture and Protecting Ecology through Tourism,” exploring topics such as the impact of global warming on small island developing states; protecting and promoting Caribbean cultural tradition; the impact of HIV/AIDS on Caribbean culture; aerial highways; the voice of the young people; energy conservation and recycling; multi-destination tourism; and crossing the old Colonial boundaries to build a multilingual Caribbean culture.
“The young people of the Caribbean will be the stewards of the biggest industry in the region – tourism – in just a few years and we want to ensure they have a say in their own future,” said Counterpart’s President Lelei LeLaulu, who also believes CMEx serves as an ideal forum for the sharpening of their own skills.
Jo-Ann Marshall
Jo-Ann Marshall, a teenage student from St. Vincent and the Grenadines – one of the youth delegates who played at an integral role at the last CMEx conference in St. Lucia – thinks that tourism partners in the Caribbean ought to take a closer look at the regional tourism market, for example.“As youth delegates we have come to realize an important fact. We admire the melodies of our varying accents but at the same time recognize that our islands have other features that distinguish one from the other. Therefore, on one level, in St. Lucia we were at home, yet in a foreign country.”
Marshall also used the opportunity to touch on what the youth viewed as the value of health tourism. This was stimulated by a group tour to the Anse Chastanet Resort and Jade Mountain. “The simple fact is we are blessed with tremendous natural beauty in the Caribbean,” she said. “The luxurious rooms, replete with infinity pools topped with a literally breathtaking view of the Pitons were therapeutic. These are the kinds of opportunities we should pursue –opportunities that maximize our natural resources and utilize the edge we already have.”
Journalists and editors of any age and young people (aged 16 to 30) can apply for a limited number of fellowships (which cover airfare, accommodation and registration) to attend the event by visiting www.caribbeanmediaexchange.com/Default.aspx?tabid=107. The deadline for all applications is Thursday, March 15, 2007.
CMEx Puerto Rico, produced by Counterpart International, is sponsored and/or supported by the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, The Barbara Pyle Foundation, Bay Gardens Resorts, Black Entertainment Television (BET J), Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Hotel Association, Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Caribbean World News Network, Coco Resorts, Counterpart Caribbean, Interval International, Puerto Rico Tourism Company, and Ruder Finn.
