By the Caribbean Journal staff

A pair of Caribbean regional tourism organizations have signed an agreement to partner with the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association agreed earlier this month on a partnership to establish and promote health and safety protocols and practices in the tourism workplace across the Caribbean.

“As the Caribbean’s principle economic earner, the tourism sector must be vigilant and proactive regarding health and safety issues that can adversely affect the health of our tourism workforce or that of our visitors,” said Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. “As the organization leading sustainable tourism in the Caribbean, the CTO is pleased to partner with the regional public health agency and the umbrella tourism private sector entity to face these challenges head on in a structured and collective manner.”

The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties covers collaboration in areas including food and environmental “food and environmental safety training and certification; public health information, monitoring and response systems for hotels and cruise ships to provide timely alert and a rapid coordinated response to adverse health, safety and environmental issues; health, safety and environmental standards certification and recognition systems to improve the health, safety and environmental quality in the tourism workplace; health and wellness programmes to encourage and promote a healthy tourism workforce; awareness raising and promotion of multisectoral and multiagency approaches to address the health, safety and environmental issues associated with tourism;  and partnerships, networks and business strategies for sustainability of the tourism and health programme,” according to a statement from the CTO.

The initial agreement covers a two-year period.

Dr C James Hospedales, executive director of CARPHA, said the work of the partnership would “further improve the quality, resilience and competitiveness of the regional tourism industry with triple bottom line returns; to health, to economic resilience, and to the environment” in the Caribbean.

Riley, Hospedales and CHTA CEO Jeffrey Vasser signed the agreement in New York City.

“CHTA has always been a proponent of training and professional development opportunities for hospitality staff and by working with CTO and CARPHA to create the best practices promoting health and safety throughout the tourism sector, we will enhance the knowledge of our workforce thereby ensuring the safety and security of the employees and guests throughout our 600-plus member hotels and more than 30 member destinations,” Vasser said.