The Caribbean Tourism Organization and Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association have signed a Letter of Agreement to join other regional agencies and institutions representing climate sensitive sectors as joint Tourism Partners on the Consortium of Regional Sectoral Early Warning Information Systems Across Climate Timescales Coordination Partners.

This agreement will provide tailored climate information which will better position the tourism sector to become more resilient to extreme climate events while enhancing various aspects of its business operations, including marketing, the two sides said.

Dr. David Farrell, Principal of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology, which is spearheading the operation, presented the letter for signing to Hugh Riley, CTO Secretary-General, and Karolin Troubetzkoy, CHTA President, during the recent State of the Tourism Industry Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Bridgetown, Barbados.

“The CTO recognizes that there is an urgent need to develop initiatives to enhance tourism sector resilience to climate variability and extremes utilizing a very holistic and proactive approach,” Riley said. “Through this partnership, we will seek to develop climate information tools and services which can be used by the tourism industry, particularly public and private sector decision-makers to direct marketing efforts, inform policy formulation and guide decision-making.”

“CHTA is keenly aware that our sector is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate, and we are committed to being proactive in ensuring Caribbean tourism is more resilient,” Troubetzkoy said. “This agreement recognizes the need for smart, effective partnerships that will allow us to develop strong, strategic policies and practices for addressing climate impacts.”

In the coming months, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute, the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association, and the Caribbean Public Health Agency will follow the lead of the CTO and the CHTA and sign the letter to formalize their participation on the Consortium.

The agreement makes the Caribbean the first region globally to officially create and implement an a commitment between climate-sensitive sectors and a climate services provider to build climate resilience.