Recently, Travel Foundation has signed a contract with the Caribbean Tourism Organization or CTO in order to partner on sustainable tourism initiatives.
A MoU or a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the two in the month of July of this year as it wants to develop projects with a much higher impact subsequent to the strategy change in 2015.
Travel Foundation chief executive Salli Felton said: “Previously, we worked at helping to improve the situation one community at a time, which helps demonstrate sustainable tourism is possible but doesn’t bring it into the mainstream. Now we identify those who can make decisions in a destination [and] target them to work with.”
An online training course specially designed for tourism ministries, authorities and tourism planning and development agencies in the Caribbean was the first project with the CTO. In the program, more than 80 people have already signed up which includes permanent secretaries, junior ministers and destination managers as well.
CTO secretary-general Hugh Riley said: “The region is the world’s most tourism-dependent. Therefore, it’s imperative tourism is developed in a way that ensures long-term benefits and value for Caribbean residents and visitors.”
He describes the course as “enhancing regional knowledge and competencies in the theory and practice of sustainable tourism”.
Administered by UN Environment Programme or UNEP, the Travel Foundation has recently started a four-year project to manage carbon emissions and usage of resource in four tourism-dependent countries.
