As part of its program to help the region’s tourism sector rise to the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Caribbean Tourism Organization is teaming up with the world’s leading international tourism agency and other regional and international organizations for a recovery event for the industry.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization, global market research firm Euromonitor International, the U.K.’s Travel Foundation and the University of the West Indies are collaborating with the CTO to put together the Caribbean Tourism Recovery Forum on Oct. 14 and 15, 2020.

“From the onset of COVID-19, the CTO has sought expertise to assist our members with immediate, short-term and long-term recovery planning as they navigate the path towards rebuilding the regional tourism sector,” said Neil Walters, the CTO’s acting secretary general. “Through this forum we are again able to capitalize on our close relations with these reputable organizations to provide insights and analyses about the sector, as well as explore some of the key areas that must be addressed to ensure success in the Caribbean’s tourism recovery process.”

The event, which will be held virtually, will also incorporate a capacity building element, in the form of a workshop to assist destinations in applying a structured, measurable model to their own national planning.

The first segment on Oct. 14 will be aimed at increasing awareness of the steps involved in planning recovery and improving knowledge of the role of stakeholders in the recovery process. 

A range of areas will be covered, including the economic impact of COVID-19, travel sentiment and forecast, considerations around a vaccine, best practices for recovery and a model for sustainable tourism post-COVID.

Presenters for this session will include Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism Research at Euromonitor International; 

Professor Clive Landis, Chairman, University of the West Indies COVID-19 Taskforce; Alejandro Varela, Deputy Regional Director for the Americas at UNWTO; Jeremy Sampson, Chief Executive Officer at The Travel Foundation.

This segment is open to CTO members and partners in tourism and related fields and will run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

The second segment on October 15 will target government members of the CTO for a Smart Recovery planning workshop facilitated by The Travel Foundation.

The workshop will combine learning and development, and post-implementation assessment.

For more, visit the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

— CJ