BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The future of the Caribbean tourism industry will be discussed on September 27 when leading public and private sector stakeholders participate in a high-level virtual conference on the regional tourism sector.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) said that the day-long event will coincide with the observance of Word Tourism Day 2021 under the theme “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.

It said that the virtual conference will emphasise collaboration as an important element in the growth and development of the region’s primary revenue earner.

The one-day event will be held under the theme ‘The Future of Caribbean Tourism – Redefining the three S’s’ and will explore the challenges, opportunities, and best practices for tourism resilience and recovery.

“The three S’s have been identified as social inclusion, sustainability, and smart destinations and businesses, and will inform the thematic sessions to guide the discussions.

“This unprecedented collaborative effort brings together 11 agencies and institutions related to tourism and key ancillary sectors working to address unique challenges posed by COVID-19 and other threats to the future of Caribbean tourism,” the CTO said.

It noted that tourism is by far the leading economic driver in the Caribbean, the world’s most tourism-dependent region, with impacts far beyond the direct spending by travellers as it fuels economies, spawns new businesses, provides linkages with other economic sectors, and generates the tax revenues essential to the building of infrastructure and provision of government services.

“Given this pivotal role, the partner agencies want to ensure the three priority areas identified are central in the region’s recovery strategies. This event is expected to build momentum for an action-oriented new dawn of smart partnership and advocacy for the successful, safe, and sustainable restoration of Caribbean tourism.”

The September 27 event is being organised by The University of the West Indies, Association of Caribbean States, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Caribbean Public Health Agency, Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility, Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre, Inter-American Development Bank, Organisation of American States, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and the United Nations Development Programme for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.