Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism Minister, Charles Fernandez is leading the
country’s delegation at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) State of the
Tourism Industry conference taking place in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Fernandez is accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Antigua and
Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James, and other officials. The meeting of
the CTO comes after a hiatus of five years of the organisation’s flagship event, the
SOTIC which kicked off at The Shore Club in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
Islands.
Bringing together government and private sector tourism leaders from its member
nations under the theme “Invest. Innovate. Inspire – A New Model for Caribbean
Tourism Growth,” SOTIC provides stakeholders a unique opportunity to
collaboratively examine tourism investment and financing in the Caribbean.
Presiding over the conference for the first time, Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-
General and CEO of the intergovernmental body, invited delegates to share their
perspectives on how best to invigorate the Caribbean tourism industry and
establish efficient frameworks for prosperous public-private partnerships during
the two-day conference, which follows two days of destination briefings for
members of the media and business meetings.
“Tourism Investment and Financing in the Caribbean” was the focus of the
presentations and panels that took place on Wednesday, while delegates will
explore “Drivers for Caribbean Tourism Growth,” as an overarching topic on
Thursday, October 12.
Minister Fernandez is one of the featured speakers at a panel discussion on
Thursday (today) on “Aviation Competitiveness in the Caribbean.” The other
panelists include Peter Cerdá, Regional VP, Americas, International Air Transport
Association (IATA); and Rafael Echevarne, Executive Director, Airports Council
International – Latin America & the Caribbean. Jamaica’s Director of Tourism
Donovan White will serve as moderator for this important discussion.
Welcoming travel and tourism-focused journalists from the Caribbean, Latin
America, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom as well as local
media yesterday, Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism for the Turks and
Caicos Islands, presented a comprehensive overview of the archipelago’s tourism
product, its culture and history, and plans for sustainable development of its
lifeblood industry.
Following the Turks and Caicos presentation invited media received destination
briefings and updates from tourism representatives of other CTO member countries
and territories in attendance, including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the
Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St.
Kitts, St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tobago.
