Guyana is one of several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries listed to benefit from funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for building capacity in the area of health and safety in the regional tourism sector.
The Port of Spain-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) says it will be seeking to undertake initiatives designed to improve health and safety standards in the regional tourism industry utilizing funds totalling US$800,000 approved by the IDB. Head of the CARPHA, Dr C. James Hospedales announced last month that the amount will be used to help tackle threats that challenge the sustainability of tourism in the Caribbean. CARPHA will have direct responsibility for the execution of the project and will be partnered by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and the Caribbean Hotel Association (CTA) in its execution.According to Dr Hospedales the value of the IDB funding should be seen against the backdrop of the fact that the Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world and that, accordingly, the health of Caribbean economies is closely linked to the state of health of its tourism industry.
A critical component of the capacity-building initiative to be funded by the monies from the IDB will be the development of a regional tourism health information, monitoring and response system. Work on building capacity in the regional tourism sector will also focus on the upgrading of safety and health standards in the sector as a whole and training and certification of industry workers to build capacity in food and environmental safety.”
Noting that the health surveillance systems for travel and tourism implemented by the US Centers for Disease Control and other agencies have proven to be a key factor in reducing outbreaks, Dr. Hospedales observed that there is, currently, no regional or national, tourism health information, monitoring and response (THMR) system in the Caribbean and that such an initiative to improve countries’ capacities to support health monitoring efforts can reduce tourism HSE incidents, and provide a healthier, safer, better quality tourism product for visitors and residents alike.
The infusion of IDB funding for building capacity in the regional tourism sector has also been welcomed by CTO Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Riley who says he is confident that the Region will benefit significantly as the capacity building initiatives that will be funded will help improve recognition, reputation and comparative advantage of the Caribbean as a tourism destination.
The initiatives identified to help improve regional tourism, health information, monitoring and response systems and standards to enhance sustainable tourism in the region will be executed in six participating countries, the other five being Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago between the current year and 2019.
