In a major strategic move, CARICOM’s tourism ministers have agreed in principal to mount a joint $60 million annual marketing campaign to aid the regional industry. Agreement to forge ahead with the campaign came at a Special Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Tourism and Transportation held in Trinidad and Tobago recently. An analysis to determine a detailed marketing plan and budget presentation is to be completed shortly and collection of funds for the campaign should begin in the first quarter of 2009. The funds for the campaign are to be managed by the Caribbean Tourism Development Corporation (CTDC) which is jointly owned by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA). Cruise lines and non-CARICOM CTO members are being asked to contribute to the fund. The Tourism Ministers’ meeting was a follow-up to the special one-day session on Tourism during the Twenty-Ninth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda back in July. At that session the Heads of Government agreed to the strategy of promoting the Region as a single destination to capitalize on emerging tourism markets. The Heads of Government requested the Ministers to examine the issues related to the marketing campaign. The decision to find a way forward for the region’s tourism industry was taken against the background of competition from other destinations, the price hike in fuel, and cutbacks by airlines servicing the region. |