Caribbean Tourism: How to recover and rebuild after a major disaster

In the wake of the catastrophic impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on some member countries, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is adding a special session to the upcoming State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Grenada, that will focus on how to recover and rebuild after a major disaster.

The three-hour session on Thursday 12 October is designed to explore and examine the issues and key recommendations to be considered as the Caribbean rebuilds after the monstrous category five storms, in particular, or other natural disasters it might face in the future.

It will focus on the economic cost of the disasters, including potential impact on gross domestic product, employment, the cost to rebuild and recovery time.

Delegates will hear from leading experts in disaster preparedness and mitigation, recovery, airport development and maintenance, airlines, telecommunications and travel, as well as representatives of the hotel sector and member countries that have experienced, and recovered from, major catastrophes.

“This is the time when not only do we have to focus on the state of the industry as we know it today, but because of the really strong hurricanes that have affected our region this year we have to focus a great deal of attention as well on our economic recovery  as an entire region and how to  rebuild with the resilience and structural integrity to protect ourselves in the future,” the CTO’s secretary general Hugh Riley said.

Following the session a report will be produced to guide governments and stakeholders  on how to move forward in this difficult time.

The State of the Tourism Industry Conference, which has as its theme, Supercharging the Caribbean Brand: Meeting the Needs of the New Explorers, is being organised by the CTO in collaboration with the Grenada Tourism Authority and Grenada’s ministry of tourism, and will be held from 10-13 October at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort. The conference will be preceded by business meetings on 9 and 10 October.

Key conference sessions include Infusing Dynamism in Caribbean Tourism, Who are the New Explorers, Business Models that Rock, Turning Our Waters Into Goldmines – Investing in the Blue Economy, Active Engagement: Riding the Technological Wave, and Spicing Up the Caribbean Brand.

The highly anticipated tourism youth congress and a Stakeholders Speak Out session are also part of the programme.

For further details on the conference, including how to register, please visit http://sotic.onecaribbean.org/.