Tourism continues to be a key industry in the Caribbean, said Josef Forstmayr, the incoming president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA).
“The Caribbean is more dependent on travel and tourism than almost any other region. Of the 10 countries in the world most dependent on tourism, 7 are in the Caribbean,” he said in a speech at the new Montego Bay Convention Centre in Jamaica.
CHTA has launched a “Tourism Is Key” advocacy campaign underlining the importance of travel and tourism to our Caribbean economies.
Forstmayr is managing director of the Round hill Hotel and Villas in Montego Bay. Other developments in that country:
—Jamaica recorded a 14 percent increase in overnight tourist arrivals in the first half of January, which is a 15 percent increase over the same period last year. “The growth is a continuation of the success we have experienced in the last few years,” said Edmund Bartlett, the country’s tourism minister.
—Jamaica plans to issue three casino operators’ licenses within two years, including at least one before the end of 2011, according to Bartlett. But there will be a cap. “We don’t want Jamaica to become a casino destination, but we want to offer casino gaming as an option,” said Bartlett.
By David Wilkening
