Minister of Tourism Richard Sealey opens SOTIC 2016
Caribbean politicians have been criticised for lack of cooperation and decisiveness over the region’s tourism strategy.
Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UNWTO, warned the region will be poorer and less competitive against more unified regions if it’s unable to work together and improve its inter-island transport links.
The issue was raised at the at this year’s 2016 State of the Industry Conference in Barbados. Graham McKenzie reports.
"Over the years the presentations have got slicker, the arrangements smoother and the evening functions funkier, but despite everything the two main issues appear to remain depressingly the same. Firstly, how do the disparate nations that make up the region market themselves effectively as one – One Caribbean? Secondly, how can an effective inter-island transport air network be set up that surpasses all that the current incumbent LIAT achieves?
Speakers at SOTIC 2016
Many of the 2016 conference speakers posed the questions as aggressively and as eloquently as in the past, but once again no future actions or concrete plans were forthcoming. As an outsider to the region and somebody who has heard these issues for over 10 years, one has to ask: "Is it about time it was accepted that this will never happen and look at alternative strategies?"
With the majority of the island economies heavily dependent, if not totally, upon tourism for their wellbeing, the words of Taleb Rifai must have stung. What remains to be seen is if the irritation of a sting will cause any remedial action and that by the time SOTIC2017 begins in Grenada the conference can discuss concrete solutions and strategies.
That aside, the region’s tourism remains healthy. There has been, and continues to be, more international airlift and with 7% growth in 2015, the Caribbean has outpaced international tourism arrivals, which grew by a more conservative 4.4%. Forecasts are that over 30 million visitors will arrive in the region in the calendar year 2016. Longer term trends depend on whether or not the UNWTO warnings fall on deaf ears."
