The Caribbean Public Health Agency has unveiled a new slate of health standards for the Caribbean hospitality industry. 

The standards, which range from food safety and sanitation to pest management and environmental management. 

Dr Joy St John, executive director of CARPHA, said the “clean and green” standards were a key component of assuring trailers about companies’ commitment to health and safety. 

“There is now a verifiable way of having the suite of standards act as a crucial tool for establishing the quality of Caribbean tourism,” Dr. St. John stated.

It’s part of a years-long effort by CARPHA to help ensure the health and well being of both travelers and hospitality employees. 

In 2014, CARPHA signed a landmark agreement with the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association to focus on regional health in the hospitality sector. 

For now, the standards are voluntary; certified properties that meet all seven of the standards will be eligible for a “platinum distinction.”

“If we pull together and if we actually follow these robust standards … we would all really truly survive whatever is to come next,” said Dr. Faith B. Yisrael, Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary for Health, Wellness and Social Protection, Division of Health, Wellness and Social Protection in theTobago House of Assembly.

In a statement, Frank Comito, special advisor to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, said the standards “can help us to deliver our promise to the world and there is no better place for mental, physical and spiritual well-being than in the Caribbean.”

CARPHA also played a vital role in the region’s response to Covid-19. 

That included training 7,000 hospitality professionals in the Caribbean in preventing and controlling the spread of the virus in 2020 and 2021. 

It helped lead to a regional response that was highlighted as among the best in the world. 

“I believe we are laying the foundation for a more sustainable, world-class, regional tourism sector as this very important sector moves forward in its recovery,” said Neil Walters, Acting Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.