Community-based tourism driving innovations & experience as Caribbean pushes for inclusive development

The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is creating a plan for systematic development of community-based tourism as a viable niche and will present the details during the upcoming Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development.

The event, otherwise known as the Sustainable Tourism Conference (#STC2019), is scheduled for 26-29 Aug. 2019 at the Beachcombers Hotel in St. Vincent and is organised by CTO in partnership with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority (SVGTA).

At a general session titled "Community-based Tourism Driving Tourism Innovations and Experiences" scheduled 11:30 a.m. on 27 August, delegates will be presented with robust market research that encapsulates visitors' willingness to pay for innovative tourism experiences across the Caribbean. The session will also delve into how community tourism supports product diversification and differentiation and can enhance community participation in tourism, with the ultimate benefit being the creation of a distinctive and responsible tourism brand.

CTO has worked with regional partner the Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility (CCPF) - a development programme that focuses on innovative and practical solutions that stimulate economic growth, productivity and competitiveness - to develop the market research.

Session presenters include a Compete Caribbean representative who will address the need for cooperation in tourism to ensure local enterprises, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises, are integrated in the tourism value chain. Judy Karwacki, president of Small Planet Consulting, and a community-based tourism development specialist, will introduce a community-based tourism toolkit commissioned by the CTO.

Under the theme "Keeping the Right Balance: Tourism Development in an Era of Diversification," industry experts participating in #STC2019 will address the urgent need for a transformational, disruptive, and regenerative tourism product to meet ever-rising challenges. The full conference programme can be viewed via https://www.caribbeanstc.com/program/

St Vincent and the Grenadines will host STC amidst an intensified national thrust towards a greener, more climate-resilient destination, including the construction of a geothermal plant on St. Vincent to complement the country's hydro and solar energy capacity and the restoration of the Ashton Lagoon in Union Island.