TOURISM MINISTERS SUMMONED TO EMERGENCY MEETING      

SAN JUAN, May 19, 2008 - Ministers of tourism and civil aviation across the Caribbean are being called to an emergency meeting scheduled for next Thursday, May 29 to come up with a plan to mitigate the fallout from rising fuel costs on this region's tourism industry.

Speaking during the 12th edition of the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) in San Juan which wrapped up on Sunday, Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) and St Lucia's Minister of Tourism Senator Allen Chastanet said correspondence has been sent to the various ministers inviting them to the meeting to be held in Antigua.

The meeting comes on the heels of the recent decision by American air carriers to cut carrying capacity by as much as 20 per cent because of rising fuel costs. This, Mr Chastanet said, would have a serious impact on visitor arrivals to this tourism dependent region. He warned that this would be made worse over the next six to nine months as the ongoing economic downturn, plus the traditional low spending in an election year, would equal a fall-off in holiday bookings to the Caribbean by visitors from the United States.

He said the May 29 gathering is a first in a series of meetings aimed at tackling this significant challenge head on.

Mr Chastanet also revealed that the CTO had come up with a US$30 million combined marketing strategy for the region, which would be placed before the caucus of tourism ministers in Washington, D.C. on June 21. He further added that the tourism situation in the region would be further ventilated at the July 1 meeting of tourism ministers ahead of the 29th regular meeting of the CARICOM heads of government, which will also be in Antigua from July 2 to 5.  

However, Mr Chastanet made no bones about his frustration at the low level of priority given to tourism by a number of Caribbean destinations. The St Lucian official candidly told the close to 100 media and tourism representatives at the San Juan Holiday Inn that if the US$30 million plan devised by the CTO did not get the support from the ministers needed to propel it into action, then that May 29 meeting would be the last regional meeting that he would attend.  

He pointed out that the Caribbean had very distinctive brands when it came to music and sports and these should be capitalised on rather than destinations simply relying on sun, sea and sand.

Pointing to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Mr Chastanet said that its current success as a major tourist attraction was due to a commitment by the rulers to serve tourism's interest. This commitment, he said, was what was lacking within some Caribbean islands.