Grenada will play host to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) conference on sustainable tourism development to be held from April 22-24, 2024.

Grenada’s Minister of Tourism Lennox Andrews, in making the announcement at a recent press conference following the CTO’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) held in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week, welcomed the opportunity while thanking the regional entity for choosing the destination.

The minister said that he along with the other tourism players in his country are looking forward to welcome other regional and international industry stakeholders and interested parties that will come to participate in the conference discussions and to experience the warm hospitality of the ‘spice island’.

“We are honoured to host the CTO’s sustainable tourism conference in 2024!

“Grenada’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive tourism aligns perfectly with the conference’s objectives. We are dedicated to showcasing the transformative power of sustainable tourism and its role as a push for social and economic growth and environmental stewardship throughout the Caribbean,” Andrews said.

The last Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development was held in 2019 in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The conference, which saw participants benefiting from the expertise of a diverse panel of regional and international speakers, was held over four days at the Beachcombers Hotel in SVG.

The country at the time was chosen as the ideal location following its intensified national thrust towards becoming a greener, more climate-resilient destination, pushing plans for the construction of a geothermal plant on St Vincent to complement the country’s hydro and solar energy capacity as well as the restoration of the Ashton Lagoon in Union Island.

The conference, which examines how member states can design and implement sustainable tourism policies and programs, offers a regional forum for information exchange on the successes and pitfalls of national, regional and international initiatives. Next year’s staging will sees the start of the event coinciding with Earth Day and will be celebrated under the theme ‘Planet vs Plastics’.

The CTO in its role as the regional tourism marketer, through the sustainable tourism conference aims to equip its members with the relevant knowledge and awareness of key topics while providing specialised support and technical assistance in sustainable tourism development and all other important areas.

“We are excited about presenting the Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development in Grenada next April. This conference underscores the CTO’s commitment to advancing sustainable tourism policies and practices in the Caribbean. Grenada’s natural beauty and dedication to sustainable tourism make it an ideal host, and we look forward to engaging in fruitful discussions with our colleagues in the industry,” said CTO Chairman Kenneth Bryan.