Mckie in support of CTO Chairman’s request

Minister of Tourism, Cecil McKie is in strong support of the request from the Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) for more unity among the region’s tourism stakeholders.{{more}}

At a recent high level meeting held in St. Thomas, USVI, the CTO’s Chairman Richard Skerritt called on tourism stakeholders in the Caribbean to eliminate the division amongst themselves and unite to contribute to a better island experience for visitors.

In his address titled “There’s Never Been a More Crucial Time in Caribbean Tourism,” Skerritt said it was imperative that stakeholders set aside the differences that divide them.

The CTO chairman, who is also Minister of Tourism in St. Kitts and Nevis, reiterated that cooperation was needed between states and also with major stakeholders.

According to him, no matter which government is in place, the success of tourism is crucial to a country’s future and must, therefore, be important to all of it people.

In response to the CTO Chairman’s comments, Mckie told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday that the Caribbean tourism sector has been plagued by a number of challenges over the years. Therefore, its survival strongly depends on all stakeholders combining their efforts to confront these challenges.

“Without a doubt, because if you look at how the World is going, you have larger countries forming themselves into blocks.

“You have the European Union, other Asian countries coming together as well, and the only how we can survive as small territories in any sector… including tourism, is by coming together,” he said.

The Tourism Minister went on to say it is imperative that the region’s stakeholders stay together and speak as one voice on some of the issues that affect the sector.

“On our own, individually, we would not make it.

“So it is critical and imperative that we have these units that can go forward and assist with the development of our various services and products that we offer throughout the islands,” Mckie added.

As part of efforts to help deal with the marketplace challenges facing the region’s tourism industry, the CTO and its private sector partner, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), have injected new life into the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC) to market the Caribbean brand to global audiences, starting with the online marketing platform, www.caribbeantravel.com.