Business View Caribbean | July 2022

12 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 The conference has been on hold for the past two years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and consequently the 2022 CTO Business Meeting hosted in the Cayman Islands will be the first in-person occurrence since the start of the pandemic. The conference includes the following meetings and events: CTO Board of Directors Meeting –Attended by the Directors of Tourism and the private sector members of the board, this is where the work plan, budget and other proposals for special consideration are discussed and approved. CTO Council of Ministers Meeting –Attended by the Ministers of the CTO member countries, this is where the approved work plan, budget and other special proposals are discussed and ratified. The Election of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers – This event occurs every two years and is where the financial members of the Council of Ministers vote to select the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Caribbean Youth Congress – The Youth Congress is a developmental competition involving students aged 14 to 17 from CTO member countries who debate on regional tourism matters. Its main aim is to stimulate greater awareness and excitement about tourism among young people in our Caribbean communities “The tourism sector and the Caribbean as a whole have faced severe challenges over the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic but have confronted these with a tenacity which has further demonstrated the resilience of the sector,” said Acting CTO Secretary-General, Neil Walters. “For some months, there have been distinct signs pointing to a robust recovery by the sector, underlined by the fact that the Caribbean is among the regions experiencing the fastest rates of growth since mid-2021 and in some cases outpacing the rest of the world. The CTO believes this is an optimal moment for industry leaders to collaborate and strategise.” “It is a great honour to be the host country for this significant conference and we look forward to welcoming CTO and the delegations from the member countries to the Cayman Islands,” said Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister for Tourism and Transport. “The CTO does vital work for the region, and this is an opportunity for regional Ministers and industry leaders to meet face- to-face to have key discussions as the region continues to recover from the pandemic and plan for the future.” The organization’s annual Business Meetings, hosted in a member destination, bring together CTO members to discuss and plan key items.