01/08/09, 12:24:01 UTC

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Bahamas To Ratify Sustainable Tourism Convention

jonesbahamas.com

The Bahamas is set to ratify the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Sustainable Tourism Convention, and Chairman of the ACS Special Committee on Sustained Tourism, Bahamas Tourism Minister Neko Grant, has urged other regional leaders to follow suit.

Speaking at the ACS sustainable tourism committee meeting in Trinidad on Thursday, Mr. Grant referred to the convention as the result of a desire of the 25 member-nations of the ACS to "put in place guidelines to assist in protecting and preserving the ecological, social, cultural and economic development to improve the quality of life for nationals."

"The signing of this convention was historic as no other regional body globally had ever unanimously agreed and formally signed a commitment to protect the interests of its natural, economic and socio-cultural resources by establishing a sustainable tourism zone," Mr. Grant said.

"This agreement crossed cultural, language and political barriers in the interest of sustainability."

The minister noted that tourism "is also the industry with the greatest potential to destroy the same resources it relies on for economic growth."

According to Mr. Grant, signing the Convention establishing the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Greater Caribbean is only the first step – the convention must now be ratified.

"I am therefore pleased to report that The Commonwealth of The Bahamas has recently agreed to ratify the Convention establishing the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Greater Caribbean," he said.

"I wish to appeal to member states and associate members who have not yet done so to ratify the convention as expeditiously as possible and also to sign the protocol to bring into force the convention at the earliest possible date."

Mr. Grant also touted the establishment of a regional tourism safety and security network in the Caribbean region.

"No region or destination within a region can sustain a vibrant tourism industry in the face of rising crime," Mr. Grant told the meeting in Trinidad. "As a matter of fact, research has shown that visitors consider the safety of a destination as a major priority when selecting their vacation destination."

"Visitor safety is as important to the success of the tourism industry as professional hospitality, diverse attractions and a pristine environment."

Mr. Grant commended the ACS for identifying the issue of visitor safety as a priority and for establishing the safety and security network "to deal effectively with this scourge."

Mr. Grant said that going forward, he envisioned that regional visitor safety cooperation, the further development of sustainable cruise tourism and the reinvestment of earnings in initiatives that support the preservation of the biodiversity of the Greater Caribbean will be critical to the region’s success.

"Coupled, of course, with strategies to raise the level of national appreciation by our individual countries of the importance of the tourism industry through the development of Tourism Satellite Accounts – a critical tool to inform policy on how tourism impacts job creation, employment, government revenue and other relevant economic factors," he said.

The Director of Sustainable Tourism of the ACS, Jasmin Garraway, who addressed the meeting on b ehalf of the secretary general expressed her satisfaction at the news of the impending ratification of the Tourism Convention by The Bahamas. She also congratulated the Minister both the decisive step and on his new role as Chairman of the Special Committee on Tourism.

The Bahamas was elected Chairman of the Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism at the 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council Meeting in Guatemala, after having served as Vice Chairman of that Committee for 2 consecutive years.

 Printable Version  | published Jul 03, 2007