Caribbean Tourism Organization Hosts Conference in Saint-Martin

The first State of the Industry Conference will take place from September 15 to 17 in French Saint-Martin. Bringing together policymakers, executives and tourism industry professionals, this conference will mark the premiere State of the Industry Conference for the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), who represents tourism for over 30 Caribbean countries.

This year’s conference will focus on the themes of beating the global recession and the ways to succeed within a competitive environment. Organized in part with the Saint-Martin Tourist Office, the event will also demonstrate the ways in which the Caribbean has overcome current economic challenges and how they are continuing to improve local tourism. Topics to be covered will include maximizing on limited resources, how to influence the affluent traveler, and tips on being competitive. The new CEO of British Airways will also be present at the event to explain his views on the state of the industry.

Hugh Riley, the secretary general of the CTO, remarked, “we want to come out of this conference with some answers as to what’s next, how to spot the opportunities to move forward, [and] how to beat this recession. The tourism business is fiercely competitive and the Caribbean has to win.”

In conjunction with the conference, Saint-Martin is also organizing special itineraries to alllow delegates to enjoy the area’s gastronomy as well as shopping destinations. The conference will be held at four-star luxury hotel Le Domaine de Lonvilliers on French Saint-Martin. The hotel features 145 rooms and suites, a lush garden, a terrace with views of the Caribbean, a spa, private beach, French restaurant and more. For the complete schedule of conferences and programs planned, visit www.onecaribbean.org/eventsandcalendar.


The Caribbean Tourism Organization
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), with headquarters in Barbados and marketing operations in New York, London and Toronto, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency and comprises membership of over 30 member governments and a myriad of private sector entities. The CTO’s mission is to provide to its members the services and information needed for the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of the Caribbean people. The organization provides specialized support and technical assistance to member countries in the areas of marketing, human resource development, research and statistics, information technology and sustainable tourism development. The CTO disseminates information on behalf of its members to consumers and the travel trade. For more information on CTO, visit www.onecaribbean.org or www.caribbean.co.uk.