Business View Caribbean - February 2016 79
Efforts focused on Regional
Sustainability
The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s main objective
is the development of sustainable tourism for the eco-
nomic and social benefit of Caribbean people. The CTO
has more than 30 Dutch, English, French and Spanish
country members along with a number of private sec-
tor allied members. The CTO is headquartered in Bar-
bados and manages offices in New York and London.
Gail Henry, CTO sustainable tourism product special-
ist, and Carol Hay, CTO director of marketing for the
U.K. and Europe, participated in an intensive course
in tourism and international cooperation for develop-
ment offered by the UNWTO.
How does the CTO differentiate the Caribbean experi-
ence from that of other sun and sand destinations?
“From a marketing perspective, we look at what’s au-
thentic about the Caribbean,” Hay said. “It’s so impor-
tant that we look at what makes us unique: our peo-
ple, our culture, our heritage, our music, and we really
focus a lot on that.”
Henry said the availability of unique regional products
is a possible differentiator from other destinations.
“Because our membership is so diverse, we have to
make sure that we promote the full range of products
that the Caribbean has to offer,” she said. “You find
very different destinations such as Guyana, Belize,
etc., that are very eco-centric, with eco- and nature-
based types of products. And then you have some that
are mainly the sun, sea and sand type of product with
other natural and cultural heritage.”
