Sustainable tourism conference for Guyana

CTO prepares for 15 April conference in Georgetown

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) is preparing for the 13th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism (STC 13), which is due to take place between 15-18 April in Georgetown, Guyana.

The CTO and the Guyana Tourism Authority have announced the theme of this year’s conference as "Keeping the Right Balance: Sustaining our Resources". The conference will seize the opportunity to urge Caribbean tourism planners, policymakers and stakeholders to focus on striking a balance that can sustain the world’s resources if they are to truly embrace sustainable tourism in the Caribbean.

The conference will address a number of critical issues such as how sustainable tourism and local communities can better engage with climate change and biodiversity conservation initiatives. It will also focus on customer-centric sustainable tourism products and the development of niche areas such as adventure tourism and agro- and culinary tourism.

The theme of the conference has been confirmed as "Keeping the Right Balance: Sustaining Our Resources" and will involve two days of panel discussions and learning sessions focusing on climate change and biodiversity.

Former Guyana president, Bharrat Jagdeo, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at the event.

During his term as leader of the Guyana Government, Jagdeo established an Office for Climate Change and also led Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy, gaining international recognition in the field.

Named by Time Magazine and CNN as one of their "Heroes of the Environment" in 2008, Jagdeo also served on the UN Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance and was awarded the United Nations "Champion of the Earth" award in 2010.

The conference will include the following sessions:

• Climate change adaptation – educating and innovating for tourism sustainability
• Climate change adaptation – reducing the vulnerability of Caribbean tourism infrastructure
• How to craft, deliver and market customer-centric sustainable tourism products
• Integrating biodiversity principles into hotel and resort siting and design
• Strategic marketing for sustainable adventure tourism
• Agro and culinary tourism – getting to the next level

The winners of the CTO and Travelmole’s Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards 2012 will also be announced at the conference. The awards cover five key categories, from accommodation and special events to community, heritage and wildlife.

Gail Henry, the CTO’s sustainable tourism product specialist said, "We are very much looking forward to this year’s conference in Guyana. Our theme for 2012 reflects the need for the Caribbean to look at sustainable tourism from a long-term point of view, thinking about how what we do today will impact our business and the communities we work in tomorrow."

To register for the conference, please visit http://www.caribbeanstc.com/register

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2012 Special Offers HERE