SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT Key Issues and Priorities for Caribbean SIDS Gail Henry Sustainable Tourism Product Specialist Caribbean Tourism Organization

About the Caribbean Tourism Organization Regional tourism development agency Sustainable tourism, HRD, destination marketing, PR/communications, advocacy, research and information technology Offices: Barbados (HQ), NYC, London Staffing: 36 (most in Research, IT, Marketing/PR)

CTO Membership Government – 30 gov’ts (Ministries/Departments of Tourism and Tourist Boards) including all Caribbean SIDS except Aruba, Dominican Republic) Allied & Affiliate - including private sector (e.g. CHTA, F-CCA, airlines, travel trade and tourism service providers, non-profits)

CTO Vision, Mission, Purpose Vision - To position the Caribbean as the most desirable year-round warm weather destination by Mission (2013) – To provide strategic leadership in tourism in order to position the Caribbean……. Purpose – Leading sustainable tourism – One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean

Sustainable Tourism Defined “…optimal use of social, natural, cultural and financial resources for national development on an equitable and self- sustaining basis to provide a unique visitor experience and an improved quality of life through partnerships among government, the private sector and communities.” (CTO Regional ST Policy Framework 2008)

To successfully execute/implement sustainable tourism projects that align to Member needs, CTO: Conducted study of regional sustainable tourism needs & priorities (2012) Convened regional high level sustainable tourism Symposium – Barbados – Oct , 2012 Regional Sustainable Tourism Needs and Priorities

Sustainable Tourism Priority Areas (High) Marketing Policy implementation Safety and security Transportation Inter-sector linkages Human Resource Development

Sustainable Tourism Priority Areas Medium Priority areas: –Climate change –Disaster management –HIV/AIDS

Barriers to Implementing Sustainable Tourism Initiatives Lack of financing Low priority given by governments to sustainable tourism issues

Four Policy Action Areas Awareness raising Climate Change Stakeholder networking & management Monitoring and measurement of results and outcomes

Awareness Raising Re-emphasis & adoption of CTO’s definition of sustainable tourism Balance across three dimensions of SD at tourism policy and programming levels Consistent sustainability messages using creativity, influencers/champions from various sectors

Climate Change Resource efficiency –Energy efficiency and renewable energy –Water supply and conservation –Coastal zone management (ICZM)

Stakeholder Networking Creation of stakeholder network nodes to facilitate greater consistency, clarity, coordination and collaboration between CTO and key regional organizations e.g. –CDEMA –OECS Secretariat –CCCCC –ACS Secretariat –OAS –CARICOM Secretariat

Monitoring and Measuring of Results and Outcomes More results-based project and programme monitoring Appropriate indicators and measures of success to gauge tourism sustainability progress Audit accountability in achieving desired outcomes Engagement of all stakeholders in culture of monitoring and measurement

Other Key Areas Protecting cultural & natural heritage Supporting regional strategies for DRR/DRM, CCA etc. for ST dev. Capacity building within CTO Secretariat and member countries tp make sustainability more actionable Access to human, technical & financial resources to be an active part of regional SD agenda

Thank you for your attention. Gail N. Henry Sustainable Tourism Product Specialist Caribbean Tourism Organization Barbados Tel: Websites: caribbeanstc.comwww.onecaribbean.orgwww.caribbeantravel.com