NEW YORK (March 15, 2008) – The prophets of doom and gloom are getting a jolting revelation following a landmark decision by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government to elevate tourism to the top of their agenda.

Just when the pundits assumed that Caribbean governments could not act swiftly to promote and protect what is now the region’s core industry, it was announced that CARICOM will devote a full day to focus on Tourism during the 29th Meeting of the Heads of Government set to take place from July 3 to 5, 2008 in Antigua.

The leaders, who in this season are being led by Bahamian Prime Minister and CARICOM chairman Hubert Ingraham, also agreed at last weekend’s 19th Inter-Sessional Meeting in the Bahamas, to make Tourism a standard item on all future CARICOM agendas in view of its importance to the economies of the region.

The Caribbean has long enjoyed a competitive advantage in tourism and while the industry may not be in dire crisis, serious impediments stand in the way of gaining a larger share of the world’s tourism pie. While world travel and tourism grew by 7 percent in 2007, the Caribbean plodded along with a paltry 2.5 percent.

The requirement that Americans must use a passport when traveling by air from the Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands are the exceptions), the slowdown of the US economy and weakening of the US dollar, the sky-rocketing price of oil which increases both the cost of doing business and the cost of living in the region, the sub-prime meltdown and the concomitant collapse of the US housing market, not to mention the increase in airfares to and within the region can each be considered a real impediment to Caribbean travel, hindering the double digit growth that is required to fuel lasting socio-economic development in the region.

But it appears that an action-oriented strategy may be on the horizon. “We agreed that we are going to have a special one-day session on Tourism at the conference in Antigua in July. Tourism is very important to the Caribbean region and to The Bahamas and our economy, and we are going to seek to bring focus to that issue,” said Prime Minister Ingraham.

In July, leaders in the public and private sector are expected to sit with the Heads to discuss the revitalisation of a regional marketing campaign and specifically how to fund it beyond a few weeks or months. It will be interesting to see what role the private sector plays in these talks and whether they will put up the cash or just resort to room inventory to fund the campaign.

Regional collaboration and cooperation in areas such as product development, service standards, marketing, eco-tourism and sustainable tourism promotion and development are also expected to be tabled along with Caribbean aviation issues, including proposals for restructuring the regional air transport sector. Harmonising and streamlining immigration and customs policies, integrating air traffic control systems to reduce costs and creating a single airspace are likely to be part of the deliberations.

“We are going to focus on the aviation and transportation of Tourism, the marketing, branding of the Tourism structure and we are going to seek to create a sustainable economic commission on Tourism. We are [also] going to appoint a task force to produce a report for us prior to the meeting in July,” Ingraham stated, clearly indicating the seriousness about integrating tourism with economic development.

Barbadian hotelier Peter Odle, president of the Caribbean Hotel Association who runs Mango Bay hotel in Barbados, said: “We are invigorated throughout the private sector in the Caribbean to hear the words of support and encouragement for the importance of our tourism industry in the Caribbean from one of the most recognized and respected prime ministers in the region. We both applaud his remarks and urge all our government leaders to take to heart the warnings and suggestions that will help fortify our tourism industry at both the public and private sector levels,” said Odle.

Hats off to the Prime Ministers of Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia as well as the Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands who reportedly were some of the major driving forces behind last weekend’s developments.

By having the political directorate elevate tourism to the prominent place it deserves, the Caribbean can craft the solutions and strategies to use tourism to improve the health, wealth, environment and culture of destinations.

It will require teamwork, the embracing of a regional identity and an insatiable appetite for excellence as the region’s leaders convert their gifts, talents and abilities into inroads into the regional and global marketplace.

Senator Allen Chastanet, St. Lucia‘s Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, summarises: “As we prepare for the future, we need a change in perspective and attitude. We need to fight complacency, to define success, not by relying on traditional indicators such as visitor arrivals, but by measuring our performance against our potential. Too often in this region, we settle for mediocrity without fully understanding that the good is the enemy of the best. Real success is when we rise to our true potential.”

Bevan Springer, the Director of Counterpart International’s Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx), is a journalist and communications advisor..